Seeing the Invisible in Human Systems: A Lens into the Covert Dynamics of Organisations
A Talk by Tong Yee at Somia Conference Systems Thinking in Design on 8 Nov 2023 by Somia CX
“When we arrive at a crisis, it is already Stage 4 cancer. No one really survives.”
To continue from our compiled key takeaways from all our speakers in our event last Nov, 2023. Here’s a more detailed sharing of our first speaker, Tong Yee.
Yee, a highly sought-after consultant in Organisational Development and Human System Design, began his talk between the intersection of design, organizational and human system development.
He went on to advocate that in order for designers to diagnose, intervene and design a social system, we need to understand the science behind it. He repeatedly emphasised that this information is not new and it is a well-researched field of study.
As researchers and designers, we often go on field to collect data that are unobvious or under the radar, in order to seek out and find patterns of behaviour in our users.
Yee challenged that as human beings, we want to see the invisible, but do we really? Are we choosing not to see? Because in a general context, for humans to function or to move ahead, it is often our innate response to choose not to see and these are what he called “design blindspots”.
We learnt that in complexity, it is less meaningful to look at good design, but rather whether we have the capacity for emergent design.
He covered four main imminent threats the world faces:
- Climate change — Food scarcity as a result of that.
- Income inequality — Many parts of the world are struggling with this and the people are starting to not only feel, but are doing something about it.
- Demographics — A global aging population, hence the power center will shift to countries with more youths.
- Automation — Not just AI, but AI + quantum computing
With the above, it will be inevitable that 60–70% of jobs will be wiped out by 2035.
There is also a believe in the work and people that he deals with, that they no longer believe Design Thinking is enough, because in crisis, he believes there will no longer be (anticipated) behavioural patterns.
As an real case example, he shared that nothing worked during the pandemic, whatever processes that were put into place DID NOT work at all; whoever and whatever that were designed based on patterns previously disappeared when a crisis hits.
And therefore, in times of crisis, it is not about finding some clever designers to design a new set of processes, but to find someone who has the capacity to design for emergence.
I had to google what “Emergence” means to get a better understanding: An outcome of the synergies of the different parts and elements in a system, it is often non-linear, neither predictable or based on previous patterns. An often named example is the snowflake; formed out of water vapours in the air that condenses into a particle. In short, quite a few factors that need to align for one to form. To sum this part up, it would mean to design with the ability to adapt to emerging findings or new ideas, welcoming any unanticipated notions or concepts, while in the midst of any qualitative research.
At the heart of successful emergent design, is a designer’s (owner’s) willingness, and capacity to see variables (and to hold variables in our head).
Yee continued to share that no design solution can be so complex to hold many variables. Therefore, instead of 12 variables identified, we can perhaps cover three, for different reasons. I imagine this to translate to limit in resources, time, etc. So the choice is then to focus on the three and either park the other nine like what we do in a roadmap, or even choose not to see the other nine. As a provocation, will these nine that are put aside undermine the three that are considered first?
Therefore, a powerful designer is one who has the emotional intelligence, capacity and experience to hold more variables. The more variables we can hold, the more sustainable or excellent the design is because it is one with far less design blindspots.
If you refer to the above diagram, secondary practise applies in good, healthy systems, meaning we can create ‘good’ design like coming up with a set of ideal service attitudes and principles, have the time and plan resources to upskill the team and have lengthy discussion and say a playbook on how to collaborate with each other well. This is generally applied to work work within a larger environment.
BUT in crisis, it is complete disruption. What start kicking in is the primary practise: defence mechanisms, survival instincts, tribalism, and these are what we typically do not design for. So what one has designed under the conditions of healthy systems will completely break.
As Yee was sharing about the imminent threats we are facing earlier, he warns that we cannot ignore this or we do so at our own peril.
Now then, are stakeholders equipped to create effective emergent design?
How do we design for situations that changes on the spot?
He went on to share that already as an individual, we have so much complexity. When there are two, dynamic begins. When there are six, psychodynamics kicks in. When there are nine, complexity in personalities begins. More people, more permutations are formed. When humans are in chaos, it means there are no longer any patterns. Culture no longer works because fragmentation starts.
He challenged that Design Thinking alone is no longer enough to solve the problems for big systems anymore.
REPEAT: At the heart of successful emergent design, is a designer’s (owner’s) willingness, and capacity to see variables.
In abundance, human beings will operate in an overt way but in crisis, humans go covert, then how do we design in scarcity and in complexity?
Our systems have to be in place (designed) to be able to catch crisis when it hits.
He concluded by advocating all leaders to keep our minds sharp, that we cannot be lazy about it. And to really make any impact, we have to take this seriously.
More to come, so don’t miss any by following us at Somia CX Medium!
Find more Systems Thinking Articles from the Somia Team here
- Systems Thinking in Design: What is it? — Part 1
- Systems Thinking in Design: Why is it important? — Part 2
- A Framework to Embed Systems Thinking into Design Thinking Process
- Systems Mapping Tools & Design Levers
- Systems Thinking in Design: Shifting Our Mindset
- Systems Thinking in Design: Systems Innovation
Chin (Me) is a director and principal consultant at Somia CX. To read more articles from me, click here. Let’s connect on Linkedin 👋
