His contention is the alternative can only be understood when you see the failings of command and control by taking the better systems view. The systems approach employs the ingenuity of workers in managing and improving the system. John seddons book systems thinking in the public sector. In pursuit of quality the case against iso 9000 by john.
John seddon he is a visiting professor at cardiff university business school and author of several best sellers including systems thinking in the public sector, the failure of the reform regime. The argument compellingly made in this book by john seddon is that the government has designed failure into almost everything it does on our. Thinking system performance it is axiomatic that there is a relationship between management thinking, the way we design and manage our organisations and. In their subsequent book lean thinking womack and jones 1996, they. A better way to make the work work vanguard consulting ltd, 2005, 2nd edition, p. Public and private sector studies keivan zokaei, john seddon, brendan odonovan eds. Alan hughes, chief executive, first direct, june 2005 john seddon has spent a lifetime developing ways of improving service organizations and. Drawing on seddons extensive experience working as a consultant with uk public sector managers, this is a fiercely uncompromising, yet rigorous manifesto for change. And im tossing in two extra books that arent really about systems.
Or perhaps it is more a statement of a position, like a proper noun cannot be an abstract noun. And for those of you who have read the precursor freedom from command and control 2003, prepare to be surprised. John seddon explains how systems thinking needs to replace command and control thinking and outlines ways in which designing and training against demand and the vanguard model for check can help to introduce systems thinking into the design and management of services. Peter checklands systems thinking, systems practice 1981 is one of those seminal works that helped to move systems thinking out of the classroom and into the boardroom. Is it to be taken as john seddon is not systems thinking right now, as he is having a few moments time off the old systems thinking because perhaps he is smoking a fagwalking the dogchoosing a new tie. The chapters in this part will focus on developing three key systems thinking skills. Michael barbers deliverology in the uk and in the csu. Systems thinking in the public sector john seddon haftad. This collection from leading thinkers in the field takes a case study approach to a variety of issues which encompass topics such as banking, electrical distribution, manufacturing and adult social care. This collection from leading thinkers in the field takes a case study approach to a variety of issues which encompass topics such as banking, electrical distribution, manufacturing and. Systems thinking in the public sector gives example after example of exactly how the system fails from housing benefits and care for the elderly to call centres like consumer direct.
If you are interested in profound thinking on transformation, change and improvement then i recommend john seddon s beyond command and control 2019. Systems thinking can be described as the ability to think about a system as a whole, rather than only thinking about its individual parts. Burrell and morgans 1979 sociological paradigms table 3. However, john seddons evidence says, in most systems, as much as 95% of performance can be attributed to the system the design and management. There is however a vital element missing from his account. Oct 01, 2003 john seddon uses the entire book to eloquently explain this better logic. In their subsequent book lean thinking womack and jones 1996, they set out to answer the question posed by many. Join us for a practical, eyeopening and entertaining talk from john, with opportunities to network and buy a signed copy of beyond command and control. Systems thinking, the vanguard method and software.
The language and the thinking skills really are intertwined. John seddon quotes author of freedom from command and. Jan 27, 2019 peter checklands systems thinking, systems practice 1981 is one of those seminal works that helped to move systems thinking out of the classroom and into the boardroom. A systems service management archetype is developed as an alternative to conventional service management. Failing to listen to data, to challenge assumptions, or to use systems thinking to address underlying issues ultimately imperils the organization. In his 2008 book, systems thinking in the public sector, he provided a criticism of the uk government reform programme and advocated its replacement by systems thinking. Systems thinking 101 i promised my good friend alberta soranzo a list of the various books and resources i use for both teaching my students the fundaments of complexity and systems thinking and in my own research and projects as part of the theory and methods for investigating and addressing experiences in crosschannel ecosystems.
Article pdf available in action learning research and practice 91. Seddon literally wrote the book on the subject, called the case against iso 9000 oak tree press, 2000, a copy of which i still have on my office bookshelf to this day. Seddon s case is that taking this view teaches managers to change their thinking, and he shows how the very observations they make when understanding what he calls the what and why of current performance as a system become the building blocks of the systems solution. His consulting business vanguard seeks to help service organizations change from command and control to a systems approach to the design and management of work. In this sense, systems thinking can be seen as a perspective. John won the first management innovation prize for reinventing leadership in october 2010. Systems thinking is a topic which is at the forefront of how we think about management in the public sector and service industries. Maximizing the ability to handle variety is central to improving service and reducing costs. Systems thinking then is the scientific exploration of wholes and. John seddon quotes showing 19 of 9 maximizing the ability to handle variety is central to improving service and reducing costs. Thinking in systems is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problemsolving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. This essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers how to develop the systemsthinking skills that thought leaders across the globe consider critical for 21st. Seddons main focus was iso standardization in the service sector, with an emphasis on call centers, but his overall criticism of the scheme was relevant to manufacturing and.
Lean and systems thinking in the public sector in wales january 2010 by dr. Thinking system performance it is axiomatic that there is a relationship between management thinking, the way we design and manage our organisations and the way they work. Rethinking lean service 1 rethinking lean service john seddon, brendan odonovan and keivan zokaei. John seddon on systems thinking and the vanguard method duration. Paralleling the language track is the development of systems thinking skills. One argument of the book is that iso 9000 cannot lead to improvement and change because it doesnt challenge the existing command and control philosophy of managers, but it only confirms it by enforcing the idea that work is to be divided into management plan and decide and workers do roles. The john seddon method for public sector transformation selfenlightenment, coercion, or both. His book the whitehall effect was published on 5 november 2014. In contrast, think about porsche, which has singlemindedly focused on engineering highquality cars for. John seddon gives a comprehensive account of different public sector thinking across the ages and settles on the importance of systems thinking in the public sector. Read john seddons 2004 open letter about bsi rubber. Drawing on seddon s extensive experience working as a consultant with uk public sector managers, this is a fiercely uncompromising, yet rigorous manifesto for change. This new book by john seddon continues his theme from his previous one which dealt with the application of systems thinking to organisations. The inspectors think that assuring the management system is isocompliant will assure the output quality.
Systems thinking, systems practice by peter checkland. John seddons book system thinking in the public sector is also excellent, although it made me angry and depressed in equal measure. The failure of deliverology in his book, systems thinking in the public sector. An interview with john seddon emerald group publishing.
Alan hughes, chief executive, first direct, june 2005 john seddon has spent a lifetime developing ways of improving service organizations and service centers in particular. Read what he has to say about public sector waste and systems thinking. This book marks a genuine departure in both tone and style and i believe it to be seddon s best work. Seddons case is that taking this view teaches managers to change their thinking, and he shows how the very observations they make when understanding what he calls the what and why of current performance as a system become the building blocks of the systems solution. Systems thinking in the public sector by john seddon. Changing management thinking command and control thinking systems thinking topdown perspective outsidein functional specialisation design demand, value and flow integrated with workseparated from work decisionmaking budget, targets, standards, service levels, activity etc. Rethinking lean service john seddon, brendan odonovan and keivan zokaei. Systems thinkers in service industries and the public sector have also drawn upon the ideas developed in. You cannot write a good short story, or even compose a good sentence. Jan 10, 2014 buy systems thinking in the public sector.
Apr 11, 2008 systems thinking in the public sector gives example after example of exactly how the system fails from housing benefits and care for the elderly to call centres like consumer direct. The failure of the reform regime and a manifesto for a better way, john seddon, a british occupational psychologist and management consultant, argues that. Pdf the john seddon method for public sector transformation. One need look no further than general motors, lehman brothers, or enron. Jacksons 2003 idealtype grid of problem contexts 14 17 22 table 4. This book provides a practical approach to using systems thinking to solve the intractable problems that are present at every council. There is little in the book that you would find in a normal management curriculum. Impact of systems thinking in the public sector in wales.
In a remarkably readable book, checkland outlines the components of soft systems methodology ssm and takes us through the stages with case studies in organisations. Seddon argues that while many commentators acknowledge command and control is failing us, no one provides an alternative. Thinking in systems a primer download pdfepub ebook. Sep 16, 2012 is it to be taken as john seddon is not systems thinking right now, as he is having a few moments time off the old systems thinking because perhaps he is smoking a fagwalking the dogchoosing a new tie. He continues to advocate that large public sector factories which in his view need to remain monopolies of certain. Systems thinking in the public sector triarchy press. Keivan zokaei, john seddon systems thinking is a topic which is at the forefront of how we think about management in the public sector and service industries. Explore books by john seddon with our selection at. Aug 30, 2012 john seddon on systems thinking and the vanguard method duration. In simplest terms, systems thinking is a way of seeing and talking about reality that helps us better understand and work with systems to influence the quality of our lives.
452 745 260 1023 247 552 245 1299 410 961 833 811 314 169 192 1014 547 1002 996 1113 71 834 781 144 138 534 1059 853 1399 666 253 8 201 286 1039 1476 172 298 1261 1091 190 25