https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminkomlos/2021/09/13/the-…
https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminkomlos/2021/09/13/the-purpose-of-a-system-is-what-it-does-not-what-it-claims-to-do/
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Stafford Beer, British theorist, consultant, and professor at the Manchester Business School, coined and frequently used the phrase “The purpose of a system is what it does” (POSIWID) to explain that the observed purpose of a system is often at odds with the intentions of those who design, operate, and promote it. For example, applying POSIWID, one might ask if the purpose of an education system is to help children grow into well-rounded individuals, or is it to train them to pass tests? “There is after all,” Beer observed, “no point in claiming that the purpose of a system is to do what it constantly fails to do.”
POSIWID stands above judgement and partisan opinion when considering any system - all one has to do is take note of its actions and outputs. And when those actions and outputs don’t align with what the system claims as its purpose, it jeopardizes the trust, confidence, and loyalty of those who work inside the system and those whom the system purports to serve.
Consider how systems demonstrated their purpose during the pandemic
Early in 2020, when the pandemic began, it impacted just about every formal system that we participate in and/or interact with (including companies, stores, religious institutions, educational institutions, government entities, cities/towns/villages, clubs, and so on). Most of these systems have some manner of declared purpose—in their mission statements, core values, charters, etc.—and the pandemic afforded them the opportunity to demonstrate that purpose in their response to the crisis.
We saw 3 categories of response:
- ALIGNED WORDS AND ACTIONS - where their action proved their stated purpose. Like hospitals whose people tirelessly and under the most dire of circumstances went about their stated purpose of saving lives.
- REALIGNED WORDS AND ACTIONS - where action intentionally shifted to support a newly stated purpose. Like manufacturing companies that pivoted to produce PPEs and medical devices when supply was short, or compa…