The Imperative of Innovative
Thinking for Systems Solutions
A Problem of Fighting Fires
For nearly one hundred years, the U.S. Forest Service has sought to prevent forest fires using every conceivable means, including the memorable icon of Smokey the Bear. At first, their efforts seemed successful, as the number of forest fires caused by humans significantly diminished during a period in which the number of annual visitors to national parks and forests increased dramatically. Yet, was the ultimate goal of protecting national preserves indeed achieved?
Unfortunately, the answer is “no.” Despite the decline in the total number of annual fires, fire severity in the latter portion of the 20th century climbed to a dangerous high. Why? Quite simply, because the measures taken by the Forest Service actually created the tinder which inevitably results in large scale fires. Whereas frequent, but less intense naturally occurring fires burn off much of the ground based and low hanging fuel, they rarely threaten the larger trees. These fires prevent a build-up of the very tinder which fuels the infrequent, but immensely devastating fires that obliterate entire forests. For centuries the Native Americans understood this reality, and actually started fires on a regular basis in order to accomplish such “brush clearings.” Thus were the ancient forests continually revitalized.
Modern corporate culture frequently mimics the kind of futile problem solving once exhibited by the U.S. Forest Service. We endeavor to efficiently solve individual difficulties, and in so doing often create new and far more serious problems. This is because the world we live and work in is not a simple linear model where each action and response is isolated from all others. Instead, we live in a matrix of growing complexity, where every action is interconnected to a multiplicity of outcomes tied to the singular issue we are trying to positively effect. Hence, though a quick-fix to today's most nettlesome problem may immediately result in a positive outcome, the very act of fixing one urgent problem will frequently become the impetus for creating a much larger, more complex, and expensive set of difficulties far worse than the original. And so, a vicious cycle begins.
The Solution: Setting Fires to Stop Fires
The U.S. Forest Service has recently begun to utilize the same technique once demonstrated by Native Americans—that of setting fires to cause prescribed burns. In business, we must also look for answers beyond the most obvious and immediate solutions. Sometimes, we must actually create a “problem” in order to prevent future disaster. In other situations, we must seek longer term solutions to attain optimal results.
Contact: John Di Frances
at
DI FRANCES & ASSOCIATES, LLC
208 E. Oak Crest Drive, Suite 200
Wales, WI 53183-9700
262.968.9850