Seeing Systems
Book

Seeing Systems

Unlocking the Mysteries of Organizational Life

Barry Oshry
Berrett-Koehler, 2007
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Educator, playwright and consultant Barry Oshry’s poetic, allegorical manifesto is unlike any other business book. Drawing from decades of observing and helping dysfunctional organizations, Oshry offers valuable insights and wisdom in this update of his 1995 book. His refreshing, illuminating insights will help leaders and followers shed any mutual antagonism. As you gain understanding from his text, you will see that many behaviors within organizations are automatic or “systemic” and rarely personal. This knowledge equips you to improve the natural dynamics of any group. getAbstract believes you will gain a more complete picture of why relationships work as they do and of how to change systems and yourself for the better.

Summary

“System Blindness”

Living in a complex society or working within a large organization often means that you have a limited perspective and an incomplete view of the entire system. People at the top, middle or bottom of an organization – or among its customers – will find that their “systemic” position interferes with their judgment and evaluation. This confusion is called “spatial blindness.”

Whether you’re an employee, manager, voter, family member, worshipper or community member, you experience four roles or positions daily: top, bottom, middle and client. You may be at the bottom in societal power, at the top as a parent in your family, in the middle as a manager at work or a customer at your bowling alley. You may know your part, but you may not comprehend everything else that’s going on – including what drives other people in the system to behave as they do. You might not understand all the events and decisions that led to the conditions surrounding you. This “temporal blindness” combines with spatial blindness to create a void of misunderstanding and uncertainty, a condition most people dislike and avoid.

People react poorly to uncertainty and may feel ...

About the Author

Author, consultant, educator and playwright Barry Oshry runs Power + Systems Inc., a not-for-profit educational organization, with his wife, who is also his business partner.

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    N. S. 9 years ago
    Very good overview of how people see their place in society. Useful tips on how to identify and cooperate with people outside of your level.