What sits beneath structure shapes how the system actually works.
I’ve been thinking about what sits beneath the visible structures of organisations, and how much of it we do not design.
It shows up in how actually work flows, where things get stuck, and what people have to work around.
Two ideas I encountered in very different contexts have stayed with me.
The first is mapping the social structures of an organisation, not just the formal ones.
I was introduced to this through a residential course on leading change and organisational renewal. The focus was on understanding the influential connections and relationships, both positive and negative, and how they shape what actually happens in practice.
The second is the tangible difference an environment makes.
At a team day on equity, a speaker described the difference between being in a ngahere and a commercial forest.
Ngahere are complex, connected, and diverse.
They are living systems.
Commercial forests are planted, managed, harvested, and replanted.
The way he described the experience of being in each and how they make you feel was instantly recognisable to me.
I still think about it when I’m walking in either.
I’ve been thinking about the organisational capabilities needed to sustain ongoing change.
I’ve also been reading about how native forests function. Learning about the mycorrhizal network, an underground web of fungi has added another layer.
The view I have formed is that what sustains a system sits below the surface.
I have been sitting with the idea of hidden networks and infrastructure within organisations.
- The informal connections.
- The way knowledge moves.
- The relationships that enable or constrain action.
It raises a question for me.
Is there an observable difference between two types of system design?
One that is complex, with overlapping and intersecting connections, enabling ongoing adaptation and regeneration.
And one that is more structured, with clear intent and managed activity, dependent on control and maintenance to sustain results.
Is there something in between that offers the best of both?
Either way, are organisations consciously designed with this in mind?