The Systems Model™

What The Systems Model™ is and Why

The systems model shows the relationships between people, the systems they develop and use, and the integration of these two elements at all levels. It was designed to explain how the whole fits together – each element is important and has its own unique properties or personalities, and this can both assist and hinder the integration into a coherent and functional whole.

This model developed as a result of my increasing frustration at the disparity between management and worker objectives. As a consultant in occupational health and safety and ergonomics I was often the means through which management and staff communicated with each other. It was often that simple. Neither was able to clearly talk with the other, and therefore they could not discover that they had the same objective – to make the business more efficient and profitable – and neither necessarily understood what motivated the other group.

Management is motivated by sustainability of the business (including maximising profits while minimising outgoings, and continuing to develop cutting edge products or services with acceptable quality controls) and staff are interested in doing their job, having job security and job satisfaction as well as being acknowledged for their contributions. Traditionally, this can cause huge misunderstandings within a business.