Field Representation (extracted from ‘General Presentation’)

Field Representation(extracted from ‘General Presentation’)

(c) GS Chandy OPMS General Presentation 2

Apart from ISM, Warfield has created another powerful modeling tool, ‘Field Representation and Profiling Method’ (FR) designed to help us put elements in a system into appropriate ‘similarity classes’ or

‘categories’ – which then help us explore the relationships (transitive and other) between elements and categories.

We illustrate the Field Representation Method with three examples – one example being a general

structure of the utmost simplicity; the second one relates to our Mission of “Developing effective

educational systems for India’s real needs”, and the third one is a pretty complex Field…


Here’s a list of some diverse Missions • To become a top level software designer• To double organizational turnover within one year• “Garibi hatao!” – (The ‘anti-poverty’ slogan of Indira Gandhi’s government – the slogan

was excellent, but the initiative as a whole failed rather miserably)

• To master my math syllabus and thereby get excellent results in my math exams

• To get myself a satisfying and well-paying job• “To create an effective system of governance to meet India’s needs”• To align individuals in the organization to the organization’s goals• To qualify myself for the best job opportunities available• To launch a new product in the US market in 2008• To set up my own consulting business• To become a global leader in software services by 2015• “To ensure 90% true literacy in India within 10 years”• To align individuals in the organization to the organization’s goals

Our first example of FR follows…

We shall now use the Field Representation process on this confusing list to clarify things a bit…


In your opinion, is

“----------” (element 2)

similar to (/in the same category as)

“------------” (element 1) [keeping in mind the kind of organizational

structures that may be needed to accomplish the specific Mission]

?

The first step of the FR process involves inserting the ‘elements’ into

categories/’similarity classes’

A: Dimension 1 ● To become a top-level software designer

We start by inserting the first element into a blank ‘Dimension’, as illustrated below…

…and then we ask ‘modeling questions’, as shown, next …

General ‘modeling question’, for creating Field Representations…

First element inserted in Dimension 1


In your opinion, is

“To double organizational turnover within 1 year” (element ‘2’)


“to become a top-level software designer” (element ‘1’)

[keeping in mind the kind of organizational structures that may be needed to accomplish the specific Mission]

?

More specifically (in this case):

Response Is “NO”, so this element goes into a

different category as shown, next slide…


Here’s how the Field Representation develops:

A: Dimension 1 B: Dimension 2 ● to become a top-level ● To double organizational software designer turnover within 1 year

In your opinion, is

“Garibi Hatao!” (element ‘3’)


“to become a top-level software designer” (element ‘1’) [keeping in mind the kind of organizational structures that may be

needed to accomplish the specific Mission]

?

Response: “NO”, so new question

asked…

In your opinion, is

“Garibi Hatao!” (element ‘3’)


“To double org. turnover within 1 year?” (element ‘2’) [keeping in mind the kind of organizational structures that may be

needed to accomplish the specific Mission]

?

Next modeling question:Response again: “NO”, so a new dimension is

created…

A: Dimension 1 B: Dimension 2 ● to become a top-level ● To double org.

software designer turnover within 1 year

C: Dimension 3 ● Garibi Hatao!

and so on…

A: Dimension 1 ● To become a top-level software designer

Next modeling question:

If the response to a modeling question is “NO”, the question is asked again w.r.t. another element, or a new Dimension is created and the question-element is inserted there. If the response is “YES”, then the question-element is inserted in the same Dimension…

Second element in Dimension 2


FR: “ System of ‘Types of Missions’ ”

A: Dimension 1• To become a top-level…• To master my math syllabus• To get myself a satisfying and

well-paid job• …

B: Dimension 2• To double organizational turnover…• To get over the ‘attrition problem’• To align individuals in organization…• To launch a new product in US market

C: Dimension 3O “Garibi Hatao!”

O “To create an effective system of governance for India’s needs”

O “To develop an effective educational system for our needs”

O “……”

Important!The titles of the categories are

arrived at only after all elements are appropriately inserted into blank categories (see next…)

System Tie-Line



A: Individual Missions• To become a top-level…• To master my math syllabus• To get myself a satisfying and


B: Organizational Missions• To double organizational turnover…• To get over the ‘attrition problem’• To align individuals in organization…• To launch a new product in US market

C: Societal MissionsO “Garibi Hatao!”



O “……”

System Tie-Line


• Individual Missions

• Organizational Missions

• Societal Missions

VERY IMPORTANT: The appropriate titles of the Dimensions of this Field Representation came to light only

AFTER all available elements were inserted into those Dimensions via an appropriate ‘modeling question’!


A: Individual Missions• To become a top level software designer• To master my math syllabus and thereby get excellent

results in my math exams• To get myself a satisfying and well-paying job• To qualify myself for the best job opportunities that

become available• To set up my own consulting business• To become more effective at what I do• To learn to use PowerPoint effectively• …


B: Organizational Missions• To obtain needed financing for a major project• To align individuals in the organization to the

organization’s goals• To double organizational turnover within one year• To get over the ‘attrition problem’• To launch a new product in the US market in 2008• To become a global leader in software services by 2015• To obtain needed financing to market globally• …


C: Societal Missions

• “Garibi hatao!” (Indira Gandhi’s famous slogan, which has alas never been effectively worked on)

• “To create an effective system of governance to meet India’s needs”

• “To develop an effective educational system for India’s needs”

• “To ensure 90% true literacy in India within 10 years”• “To become one of the ‘least corrupt’ nations in the world

within 10 years (instead of being one of the ‘more corrupt’ nations)”

• …






C: Societal MissionsO “Garibi Hatao!”



O “……”

System Tie-Line

The ‘SYSTEM TIE-LINE’ stands for any of the relationships that may be

inherent in the system under consideration

On examining the ‘system’ with just the three dimensions that have developed

here, we are now able to perceive that a couple more dimensions are required to render this into a truly useful and usable

‘system’…






C: Societal MissionsO “Garibi Hatao!”O “To create an effective system of governance for India’s needs”O “To develop an effective educational system for our needs” O “……”

System Tie-Line

TD: Type of organization E: Resources reqd. Required o ~~~~~~~~~~~~ O Self-organization o ~~~~~~~~~~~~ O Incorporated Company o ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

O Government or non-governmental organisation

Two more dimensions needed to create a useful picture of a ‘system’

Check out ‘understandability’ of the system as it appears now - after addition of these two extra dimensions - against the original list of

objects (reviewed, next slide).


The original list of Missions• To become a top level software designer• To double organizational turnover within one year• “Garibi hatao!”• To master my math syllabus and thereby get excellent results in my

math exams• To get myself a satisfying and well-paying job• “To create an effective system of governance to meet India’s needs”• To align individuals in the organization to the organization’s goals• To qualify myself for the best job opportunities available• To launch a new product in the US market in 2008• To set up my own consulting business• To become a global leader in software services by 2015• “To ensure 90% true literacy in India within 10 years”• To align individuals in the organization to the organization’s goals

We claim that a significant enhancement in understanding

develops through FR categorization – just review that Field

Representation! (Reviewed, next slide)


FR: “ Systems required to handle different kinds of Missions”




C: Societal MissionsO “Garibi Hatao!”O “To create an effective system of governance for India’s needs”O “To develop an effective educational system for our needs” O “……”

System Tie-Line

TD: Type of organization E: Resources reqd. Required O Self- organization o ---------------------- O Incorporated Company o ----------------------

O Government or non-governmental organisation


So, let’s recap WHY we do this ‘categorization’

• The mind is able to get a better ‘overview’ picture of the whole by looking at a few categories rather than looking at a large number of disparate elements

• We can start understanding the relationships between the factors in the system when we look at those categories rather than the disparate elements in the list (illustrated later)

• By creating such a Field Representation of ‘Missions’, we are enabled to understand the ‘structures’ of the kind of systems needed to accomplish each type of Mission

• The human mind has learnt over millennia to categorize factors in a system in ways that are useful to enable understanding of the systems confronted. The Field Representation process just utilizes this existing, well-developed human skill and thereby provides us a practical means to create ‘graphical pictures’ of systems that encompass all dimensions of the system under consideration.

• Most importantly, such representations, when effectively done, are models that satisfy this fundamental law of systems:“Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety” (explained, next slides)


Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety:

(GSC’s ‘Simple Simon’ version)

“The dimensions of a proposed solution to any problem should match the dimensions of the problem itself”A great many of our individual, organizational and societal

systems are designed without the designers having kept this fundamental law in mind – which explains why so many of our

systems do not perform optimally or even may fail catastrophically

Take a look at the news of ANY day (including today), and you will see scores (if not hundreds) of examples to validate the claim just

made – and to demonstrate the desperate need in society for accessible practical means to ensure that our systems are designed

to satisfy Ashby’s Law!


We illustrate Field Representation (FR) method once again – now with a structure

created from the elements in our list of elements created for the Mission:

“To Grow My Organization As One Of The Leaders in the Field”

(The Field appears on two slides as it does not fit into one screen)

For illustration, we articulate on the first page a few of the relationships perceived in

the system…

Page 1MISSION:

“To grow my organization to become one of the leaders in the field”FIELD REPRESENTATION: “System To Grow To Leader In Field”

A : CLARITY OF MIND AT TOP ● To become clear in my mind about how this Mission could be achieved (1) ● To be the leader that will inspire all my staff to perform to their very best (4)

B : SOUND RECRUITMENT POLICIES ● To recruit the right people who will support this ambitious Mission(2)

C : WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH STAFF ● To arrive at a comfortable working relationship with my people (3) ● To give my people all the freedom they deserve to do their work effectively (8)

D : FINANCING ● To get hold of all the financing required, in timely fashion (5)

E : REPUTATION ● To ensure that my organization develops an outstanding reputation in its field(6) ● To develop the highest reputation as performers (18)

To become clear in my mind about how this Mission (1) could be achieved SHOULD HELP ME BECOME the leader that will inspire all my staff to perform to their very best (4) and

that WILL ALSO ENABLE recruiting of the right people who will support this ambitious Mission (2)…

There exist a great many such relationships between elements in the system represented – the Field

Representation process enables us to explore such relationships in detail as needed – in a graphical form.

continued Page 2

Prose translation of system relationships highlighted through

the System Tie-Line:

SYSTEM

TIELINE

SYSTEM

TIELINE

Page 2

F : SYSTEMS AND PERFORMANCE ● To ensure the most effective possible Action Planning at each stage, at all levels(7) ● To put highly effective systems into place in all functional areas (9) ● To ensure effective reporting at each level of the organization (10) ● To ensure that none of us wastes our time in unproductive meetings (11) ● To reward all who perform – with praise, with appropriate responsibilities, with appropriate financial and other incentives(14) ● To ensure at each level that people become effective problem solvers (15) ● To ensure effective and timely reporting at all levels (16) ● To ensure the highest possible quality in ALL our work, at ALL levels (19) ● To demand top-quality performance at each level (20) ● To get top-quality performance at each level of the organization (21)

G : AVOIDING WASTE OF RESOURCES ● To minimize waste of resources (12)

H : MOTIVATION OF PEOPLE ● To motivate all to perform at their best(13)

I : KEEPING OUR PROMISES ● To ensure that we keep our promises – to clients, suppliers, staff, shareholders, all stakeholders (17)


A : CLARITY OF MIND AT TOP

B : SOUND RECRUITMENT POLICIES

C : WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH STAFF

D : FINANCING

E : REPUTATION

Here’s something else we can do with the FR: We can create an ISM with the TITLES of the Dimensions

in the Field Representation. (We look once more at the titles…)

Next slide, we illustrate the ISM created with the titles of these dimensions (using a transitive relationship that’s a bit more

complex than straight ‘contribution’)

Titles of Field Dimensions:

G: AVOIDING WASTE OF RESOURCES

H : MOTIVATION OF PEOPLE

I : KEEPING OUR PROMISES

F : SYSTEMS AND PERFORMANCE


A : CLARITY OF MIND AT TOP

I : KEEPING OUR PROMISES

G: AVOIDING WASTE OF RESOURCES

H : MOTIVATION OF PEOPLE

E : REPUTATION

ISM created from Dimensions of Field Representation of “THINGS TO DO To Grow Organization Into Leader”

The explanatory and clarificatory power of the FR process is huge – but one MUST use it regularly to understand its

value to help us understand our systems…

“should CONTRIBUTE TO”

F : EFFECTIVE SYSTEMS AND PERFORMANCE

D : FINANCING

B : SOUND RECRUITMENT POLICIES

C : WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH STAFF

We can also create ISMs using the elements within each of the

Dimensions of the Field Representation – this enables us to explore

within each Dimension or aspect of the system(s) under consideration (Not illustrated)


Now, we illustrate Field Representation (FR) method once again – now with a quite

complex ‘second-order’ model -- a ‘model ‘model of models’of models’: this is the ‘One Page Management System’ (OPMS).OPMS).

The OPMS powerfully ‘enables’ people to accomplish the Missions of current interest to them, by enabling them to see their systems with utmost clarity, in a highly ‘actionable’

way...


The ‘SYSTEM TIE-LINE’ provides us a practical means to show how elements in various Dimensions may impact on the Mission

and on the THINGS TO DO in our Action Planning’ – e.g. how do the various BARRIERS impact on the activities to be

performed to accomplish the Mission?, etc, etc…

All aspects of ANY ‘Mission’ – no matter how large or ambitious, can be captured on a single page, with

linkages to all all details!

This is a ‘generic’ model, applicable to

any Mission!

This is a ‘2nd order’ Field Representation: a ‘MODEL OF MODELS’ – it comprises of

ALL the elements and ALL the models arising during the course of any Mission into appropriate classes that have been found useful through years of people

working on Missions.

This Dimensions contains: THINGS TO DO to accomplish the Mission and all the action models constructed using the elements in the THINGS TO

DO list

All the BARRIERS/ etc that may hinder or prevent accomplishment of Mission – AND

all the models with BARRIERS, etc.

All the BARRIERS, etc, that may hinder or prevent accomplishment of Mission AND all the action models constructed using

those elements

Linkages should be developed between elements in the various dimensions of our OPMS in order to clarify our minds about our systems and how to

develop effective action in them!

On exploring such linkages, we find that we’re naturally begin to ‘understand the system better’ – and

are also enabled to develop all needed sub-systems for our ‘System to accomplish the chosen Mission’. The whole system we create will be highly effective

because we have understood the relationships between the factors in the system!

Linkages across Dimensions: How to develop appropriate THINGS TO DO that would help us to overcome the BARRIERS,

etc??? That important question becomes entirely clear to us as we

develop the OPMS!

Use of ‘System Tie-Line

Use of ‘System Tie-Line

Linkages across Dimensions: How do the BARRIERS, etc, hinder or prevent

accomplishment of THINGS TO DO (and the Mission)?


THINGS TO DO

BARRIERS

More THINGS TO DO

Hinder specific

to overcome

We get a series of models like the following, which would help clarify

how to accomplish desired objectives: the models are detailed

in regard to which BARRIERS hinder which specific THINGS TO

DO, and exactly what are the THINGS TO DO to overcome

specific BARRIERS!

We get a whole series of such models linking up specific elements in the various

dimensions of the OPMS to specific elements in other

dimensions

The model means: “BARRIERS hinder specific THINGS TO DO – and we are enabled to identify more THINGS TO DO to overcome those BARRIERS”

Enable us to identify

Action Plans to develop the strengths required (but not

currently available) to accomplish Mission

How to prepare to avail the OPPORTUNITIES within the ‘window of opportunity’!

How to overcome weaknesses that may hinder or prevent accomplishment

of our Mission!

The various ‘sub-systems’ one needs to develop in order to ensure an effective

working system will appear in the ‘system dimensions’ of the OPMS, which appear, as

shown, below the ‘System Tie-Line’


It’s called the One Page Management System because:• All the information related to the ‘Mission’ is crystallized onto a single

page – and any part of it can be accessed because of the linkages in the model

• From this one page, linkages would develop to show you how:• THINGS TO DO would contribute to each other and to the Mission;• BARRIERS/DIFFICULTIES and THREATS might hinder or prevent

accomplishment of THINGS TO DO – and you can find out other THINGS TO DO to overcome those BARRIERS, etc.

• What STRENGTHS are required to accomplish the Mission (and how to acquire them);

• What OPPORTUNITIES are available to accomplish the Mission – and how to prepare to avail of them;

• How existing WEAKNESSES might hinder or prevent accomplishment, and how to overcome those WEAKNESSES;

And a whole lot else!

It really is an It really is an ‘Operating System for the Human Mind’!‘Operating System for the Human Mind’!

This huge claim can be justified in detail in a live workshop session

The whole process of developing an OPMS is highly iterative, which ensures that mistaken/weak ideas are continuingly weeded out so that the Action Plans developed represent the best thinking that’s available

on the Mission!


Linkages developing through OPMS:

• How to overcome BARRIERS, WEAKNESSES, etc ?• How to develop needed STRENGTHS?• How to use available STRENGTHS to overcome WEAKNESSES?• How to prepare to avail OPPORTUNITIES that may arise?• Which EVENTS/ACTIVITIES should come first?• What is most important to do for accomplishment of Mission??• Etc, etc, etc, etc …


• Get out all good ideas available

• Record (and clarify) those ideas

• Put the ideas together in some kind of usable order – i.e. create an ‘action plan’

• ‘Integrate’ all aspects of the action plan

We revert to a slide shown much earlier:•Get out all good ideas available!

•Record (and clarify) those ideas!Idea Generation tools

Put the ideas together into an effective Action Plan!

•Interpretive Structural Modeling

•Field Representation Method

Integrate everything to create a true system!

One Page Management System (OPMS)

How is all this accomplished?

Prototype OPMS software is ready and is freely available. Just write in to [email protected]

to find out how you may download, install and use it!

Documents

Field Representation (extracted from ‘General Presentation’)