Which diagnostic approach and tool do you use to determine the state of health of your organisation? Whenever faced with a hard to answer question, I look for analogies. In this case I found the following quote from Fritjof Capra's book 'The Turning Point' inspirational and would like to share it with you.
‘In Western medicine the doctor with
the highest reputation is a specialist who has detailed knowledge about a
specific part of the body. In Eastern medicine the ideal doctor is a sage who
knows how all the patterns work together; who treats each patient on an individual
basis; whose diagnosis does not categorize the patient as having a specific
disease but records as fully as possible the individual's total state of mind
and body and its relation to the natural and social environment.
To arrive at such a complete picture
the Chinese developed not only highly refined diagnostic methods of observing
and questioning the patient but also a unique art of pulse taking that allows
them to determine the detailed flow of patterns of ch'i along the
meridians, and thus the dynamic state of the entire organism. Traditional
Chinese practitioners believe that these methods allow them to recognize
imbalances and hence potential problems before they manifest themselves in
symptoms that can be detected with Western diagnostic techniques.’
We certainly need both, sages and specialists. But if we have more sages, wouldn't the specialists work be easier and more satisfactory?
How about creating a diagnostic method for determining the dynamic state of health of our airline and spot imbalances before they manifest as disruptions?
