At other times, the task of identifying what’s important—and ultimately what’s Essential—is not quite as straightforward. There may be multiple stakeholders and multiple commitments. For instance, we are finding the emergence of social entrepreneurship as a way to attend both to the welfare of the organization and the welfare of the society in which this organization operates (Bornstein, 2007). Furthermore, complex systems are likely to yield many competing interests for they are composed of many parts–each with its own agenda. A blizzard of diverse (and often contradictory) demands makes prediction and navigation difficult. However, complex systems are also made up of parts that are all interconnected. We need not envision a blizzard. Instead, like Donald Schön (1973) envisioned many years ago, we approach our complex organization as a network with all parts of a system being connected in a pattern that makes some sense. Most importantly, a network contains Nodes where many of the parts connect with one another.
It is at these nodal points that we are likely to find not only concentrated information that can be engaged for predictions but also that which is most important. We focus on and seek to manage change at the node (or at least appreciate the information contained in the node) because operation of the node is likely to have significant influence over the many parts with which it is connected. For instance, the primary node in the transportation system of a major city might be its central train or subway station (the “Hub”). It could also be the major intersection of its many freeways (an “interchange”). In an organization, the C-Suite might be an obvious node. Less obvious might be its business process management unit or its quality control office. Whatever is happening at the nodal point impacts whatever is happening elsewhere in the system. Thus, the polystatic baseline and predictions at the nodes in any system are critical to the overall operations (actions) of the system.
Convergent lenses of Essentials can be deployed to find the critical nodes in any system. We need only monitor the flow of information in a system and prepare narratives regarding how important decisions are really made in the system’s nodes. For example, we might ask: who is at the table and what information has been most persuasive when decisions are made at and about each node? An appreciative approach can be taken that focuses on the successes of nodes in the system. Polystatic predictions are based on this appreciation of past success. What are the ingredients and who participated in specific successes at any one node? This analysis will often yield insights regarding how the system as a whole most often operates out of or in conjunction with specific nodes. Efficiency of the boarding process at a railroad hub might be critical to the on-time operation of the entire system. An office of interdepartmental relations might be instrumental in bringing about effective deployment and coordination of resources from throughout an organization. The Marketing Department might have done a great job of gathering perspectives from throughout the organization regarding how best to describe the functioning and benefits to be derived from a new product.
Magnification: What should be understood and appreciated regarding that which is important?
At times, we turn to lenses that are installed in a magnifying glass or microscope. These lenses are directed to a specific entity or cluster of entities. Something is identified as important. It receives magnified attention and is studied in great detail. That which is Essential needs to be fully understood and appreciated. A specific dynamic of magnification and attention is often ignored—though it is of great importance. When an Essential element is overlooked then predictions are likely to inaccurate or skewed toward some “shiny” but distracting goal. We are pulled toward a sweet piece of pie rather than the much healthier fresh fruit. We focus on the upcoming board meeting and spend little time with family members. We ignore or misinterpret our daughter’s request for assistance with homework. Our company is guided by quarterly profits rather than longer term financial gains and organizational agility. We set aside the master plan of our company and look only at the spread sheets.
