Her supervisor is understanding - this time. In the iceberg model, the piece of the structure that appears above the surface represents a single “event.” A young woman arrives an hour late for work after dropping off her young child at a nursery. Thanks to movies like “Titanic,” many people recognize that most of an iceberg sits hidden beneath the water that is, out of sight.ĭifferent authors present the iceberg model as having from three to six levels we’ll use a four-level model here. The iceberg is one of the most frequently used models to explain systems thinking (see “The Iceberg”). The Iceberg (It’s bigger than you think!) Finally, behavior over time graphs draw attention to the long-range effects of organizational efforts. The spidergram emphasizes linkages within a given system. The force field analysis provides a visual means of understanding the factors that keep organizations in “quasi-equilibrium” and the issues involved in any change process. The iceberg metaphor helps to probe the underlying causes of events and patterns. In this article, I suggest how organizations might apply four models to make the transition from thinking to action. What is crucial is to connect some of the elements of systems thinking directly to proposed actions.
Nevertheless, it’s not necessary to have a deep understanding of systems theory in order to use it to influence institutional behavior. For them, having a metaphorical understanding of systems thinking does not necessarily lead to action or to an integration of the concepts into everyday practice. But for some, the concept seems so easy to understand that they miss its value. Many people can intellectually grasp the idea of interconnections in our world and the importance of taking a holistic perspective. These and other metaphors are often used to help explain systems theory, and they do so effectively - to a point. A butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, and a tornado sweeps down the plains in Oklahoma. An acorn drops in a quiet pond, and ripples move out over the whole surface.
A child randomly kicks the elephant on the mobile hanging over her crib, and the other members of the aerial zoo shift their positions as well. The more we reveal, the more fascinating our business becomes.Everything is connected. Your social impact, the obstacles you overcame and the people you helped along the way give a business a character arc, which can be relatable and exciting to people. Revenue and valuations tell only part of the story of a business. Success is a struggle with pain and hardship, and hopefully some social impact on the road to ‘making it.’ We need a paradigm shift in how we define success - both for entrepreneurs and their businesses. We are often impressed by someone's above-the-surface success without factoring in all below-the-surface opportunities or costs paid to reach that point. Activities that don’t fit these criteria can be deemed CSR theater and should be sidelined for projects more closely aligned to the business. Effective CSR is consistent with a company’s business purpose. And, since word-of-mouth can still be an effective form of customer acquisition, people who have engaged in a social responsibility project will often tell people in their network how it went. BOKS is a before-and-after school program designed to give access to fitness for children, and SOS Children's Villages are dedicated to supporting children without families around the world.ĬSR can help a business engage in a more genuine way. While Adidas supports numerous charities and initiatives, two stand out to me personally: BOKS by Reebok and SOS Children’s Villages. The company maintains three pillars of CSR: community involvement, employee engagement and corporate giving. As individuals who excel at making things happen, a change in mindset can precipitate the move to engaging in social impact initiatives that can have a positive effect on the world.Īdidas, the famous producer of the 'three stripes’ athletic wear offers a good example. It’s not about appeasing shareholders they often feel a moral obligation to do better and be more involved in their communities.Ĭompanies and entrepreneurs can do so much with their networks considering the resources they have at their disposal. Some of our clients simply want to help their communities in less visible ways.
For other businesses, goals don’t need to be so grandiose. To me, that was a success - not because of dollars, but because of impact. A few years ago, my team and I were honored to work on the social media launch of Starbuck’s sustainability campaign with Conservation International.
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