When many of us think of IBM we think of computers and possibly other electronic machines. In reality, IBM has re-birthed itself as a service company that looks a problems (sometimes huge problems) and then tries to solve them. This link is to an IBM Executive Summary that measures the waste in the various macro-systems on our planet ( e.g. healthcare, transportation, education, communication, etc). IBM's estimate is that inefficiency costs us at least 25% of all we produce. That's staggering!
This IBM paper proposes changes based on what they call a "system of systems" approach. A "system of systems" approach looks at things from the micro point of view to understand what it happening locally but then zooms out to the macro level and looks at things up to a global level. Instead of focusing internally on just improving a local value chain, it asks, "what's the basic need or want here?" and then shares that information so that the solution is not only a local solution but a global one as well. They go on to share that the great enemy of system of systems thinking is a "silo mentality." A silo mentality lives in a closed space and wants to keep it that way. It wants solutions for problems inside the silo and could care less how that effects life outside the silo. In fact, it's likely to resist solutions from outside the silo because, "we don't do it that way here."
What would happen if we all began to look at what we do with a system of systems perspective? How can seeing ourselves being inherently interconnected lead us to better understandings and better solutions as well as greater service? What are our inefficiencies?
Do we have the courage to tackle all of this?
