
I have always been fascinated with systems and the system-level conversation. Over the years I have asked many questions, including:
- How do systems work?
- How does one build systems?
- If the statement ‘I am part of the system’ is true, then how am I specifically impacting the system I exist inside of right now?
- And, if I am clear I am impacting the system – how can I make a bigger impact on the system for the benefit of all?
If you are someone who has been asking similar questions and are a systems-thinker and systems-tinkerer read on.
One of the key teachings taught to me by my lifelong mentor Robert Chun, is that systems exist inside of language as a social conversation or an operational conversation.
Social conversations about the system give me the ability to talk about the system I belong to, but leave me without any power to impact the system.
Operational conversations about the system give me the ability to work with the system – just the way it is, and the way it isn’t – such that it can be upgraded to serve the people it was built to serve in the most effective way possible.
When I learned about this distinction of operational language, it literally blew my mind. Since gaining this understanding I began to reframe how I speak about systems in this way. This was a turning point for me in how I related to systems.
And, while I have lead many Executive-Level and Ownership-Level conversations with aspiring entrepreneurs and business people, the list below is my first attempt at capturing the data in a structured format. This list is by no means exhaustive. It is simply an exploration of systems-level language that assists me in understanding systems.
Please let me know if it assists you too.
- There is no perfect system.
- There is the correct application of a system.
- The simpler a system is the more powerful it is.
- Simplicity naturally outputs assistance, service and support for the user.
- The more complex a system is the less power it has.
- Unnecessary complexity in the system separates, judges and punishes the user.
- As a human being you can observe the system, enforce the system or resist the system.
- System observation is being neutral with the system.
- Those who observe the system are the system builders.
- System enforcement is being positively charged by the system.
- Those who enforce the system are the system maintainers.
- System resistance is being negatively charged by the system.
- Those who resist the system are the system rebels.
- System observation is being neutral with the system.
- A system has two directional flows. These are:
- Upstream
- To go upstream is to go against the flow of life.
- Said another way, upstream flow is the Teacher.
- This is where one learns to Know Thy Self.
- “If you want to go fast, go alone.”
- Downstream
- To go downstream is to go with the flow of life.
- Said another way, downstream flow is the Healer.
- This is where one learns to Generate Thy Self.
- “If you want to go far, go together.”
- Notes:
- As a creator you have true conscious choice between knowing when to go upstream and when to go downstream.
- Said another way, being able to live life upstream or downstream gives Mastery.
- Upstream
- A system has inputs.
- A system has processes.
- A system has procedures.
- A system has outputs.
- A system’s input goes through a process.
- A process comes with a procedure.
- A process is what human beings talk about.
- A procedure is what human beings do in physical reality.
- Human beings talk process, but do procedure.
- Processes are social conversations.
- Social conversations use social definitions for words.
- Processes deal with efficiency.
- Efficiency is doing it right.
- Applied routinely, an efficient process produces a result.
- A result is a logical calculation that excludes the user’s direct experience.
- Results are produced.
- Result production is grounded in processes.
- Processes convert into routines.
- Routines maintain a system.
- Routines are mechanical.
- Results give Mechanical Linear Growth.
- Procedures are operational conversations.
- Operational conversations use operative definitions for words.
- Procedures deal with effectiveness.
- Effectiveness is doing the right thing.
- Applied with practice, an effective procedure generates an outcome.
- Outcome is a generative simulation that includes the user’s direct experience.
- Outcomes are generated.
- Outcome generation is given by procedures.
- Procedures convert into practices.
- Practices upgrade a system.
- Practices are organic.
- Outcome gives Organic Geometric Growth.
- A process with a procedure gives a valuable output.
- To have valuable output consistently requires structure, integrity and order.
- Structure gives capacity.
- Integrity gives workability.
- Order gives flow.
- Inside of systems manage projects and supervise people.
- Projects are talked about inside of a process.
- People work inside of a procedure.
- Systems come online when they receive inputs with correct application of process and procedure over time.
System Conversation
by Julian Wojczynski
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