Building Communities of Interest

Organizational Blogs

Consulting in Organizational Communication
and Public Relations in Cornwall, PA, USA

Systems Awareness

A system is a set of intricate relationships whose boundaries extend farther than we often realize. Ideally the relationships are cooperative, but often they are not. People frequently don't see themselves as part of the systems in which they live and work. We may be affecting people or organizations, incurring loses or missing opportunities, without even knowing it. Once pointed out, that becomes an opportunity to be grasped. Business thinker and philosopher W. Edwards Deming advised that systems have trouble observing themselves. It often takes an outside perspective to see them clearly.

Basically, systems require awareness. An organization, for example, needs to be aware of who its publics are, internally and externally, and how well it is relating to them.

Now relationships are extending to the Internet and can be strengthened by effective web sites and the introduction of collaboration software, business blogs and podcasts. Consider using them.

Let us help you understand your "system".