If system thinkers are all so smart, why ain't we rich?

Peter Crossley

pp. 115-118

in: Frank A. Stowell, Ray Ison, Rosalind Armson, Jacky Holloway, Sue Jackson (eds), Systems for sustainability, Berlin, Springer, 1997

Abstract

If the pace of global change is such that core corporate identity is ephemeral (along with its structure and products), how can we measure longevity? Yet even if the organisation dies, all the systems, sub-systems and individuals (Churchman, 1968) that sustained it so long and so evidently successfully (i.e., its culture, leader selection, product quality) may somehow still exist, even if the parts have absorbed or emerged into new realities. If we could explain this metamorphosis more clearly, and help stakeholders prosper in the process, we would be rich!