Interesting write up, and you're using the elephant story to demonstrate a point about complexity.
It would be good to remember that often the parable is used to help people who are on the first rungs of the ladder of moving away from pure reductionism, and the story can help to shift their paradigm.
Also, not all situations are completely complex, even in the public sector. Working in health and social care is perhaps one of the most complex, and there is still instances where complexity and linearity co-exist.
And the view of complexity in operations in health care is obvious; it is high. But standing back and looking at the whole picture, it is certainly possible and important to understand the patterns and trends behind the complexity. And in that situation, the elephant parable can still have an important place.
I suppose I am highlighting the fact that it might be a simplification to talk about complexity as an absolute, when in reality in organisations it is almost always a characteristic. And that characteristic is mixed in with others.
Having said all that, the elephant parable can be very helpful in certain situations, and unhelpful in others. And I presume you are simply highlighting that?
Interesting write up, and you're using the elephant story to demonstrate a point about complexity.
It would be good to remember that often the parable is used to help people who are on the first rungs of the ladder of moving away from pure reductionism, and the story can help to shift their paradigm.
Also, not all situations are completely complex, even in the public sector. Working in health and social care is perhaps one of the most complex, and there is still instances where complexity and linearity co-exist.
And the view of complexity in operations in health care is obvious; it is high. But standing back and looking at the whole picture, it is certainly possible and important to understand the patterns and trends behind the complexity. And in that situation, the elephant parable can still have an important place.
I suppose I am highlighting the fact that it might be a simplification to talk about complexity as an absolute, when in reality in organisations it is almost always a characteristic. And that characteristic is mixed in with others.
Having said all that, the elephant parable can be very helpful in certain situations, and unhelpful in others. And I presume you are simply highlighting that?
John
Readers of this great commentary may enjoy another socio-philosophical discussion of the fable, stimulated by Donald Michael's essay "Some observations regarding a missing elephant". https://www.co-intelligence.org/MissingElephantCommentary.html