I was listening to the podcast, The Ground Up Show by Matt D’Avella, who is the director of the Netflix documentary, Minimalism, and one of his guests shared the following wisdom:
Change only happens when you change the systems.
This might seem simple on the surface but deserves some digging.
We are surrounded by systems. We have systems at home, at work, and in every part of our lives. At home, for example, can be reflected by who holds what responsibilities around the house, bathroom routines, or where you place your folded laundry. Our lives are built on these systems and procedures.
When we want to change our lives, we should change the systems that surround us.
We don’t normally do this, we hope for change as we follow the same processes that frustrate us. I’d like to exercise more, but I haven’t changed the systems in my life to make it easier for me to go to the gym. I remain in my habits and therefore, nothing happens.
I am working on that one though, I promise.
If we reasonably want change to happen, let’s say, in our institutions, then the same thinking has to be applied.
Unfortunately, this is even harder. Our synagogues, schools, and organizations don’t want to change the systems, because they perceive them as too challenging to alter.
“We’ve always done it this way,” is the manifestation of this knee-jerk, fearful, and stagnant way of thinking. It is not, we shouldn’t do your thing, but rather, the focus is on “this way.” How we do something reflects what happens.
One way that I’ve thought about this is by changing the system around my wedding intakes by developing an online form. Even though rabbis have traditionally always done this in person, I think there’s another way.
This is true in many parts of our lives. Another way of saying this, in a different context, is the medium is the message.
How you do something is what you do.
As a result, we must spend extra energy thinking about the procedures, processes, and systems we build into our institutions. We need to take care to change the systems, when
We need to look at ourselves as ask, is how we’re doing this task preventing us from accomplishing it? Not just in the big picture, but in the tiniest picture.
Let me take an example from this past week.
One of my colleagues was encountering a problem. When people signed up for one of her events on paper, they didn’t end up on the final list with the rest of the online attendees. The system worked like this:
- Attendee fills out the paper form and returns it to the office.
- The paper form was sent to accounting, where they processed the check for the event.
- Then, they placed the paper form in the mailbox of the program organizer.
A reasonable process, to say the least. The money gets placed in the congregation’s coffers and the person can participate in the program. However, this basic system broke down because those who filled out the paper form were not included in the list of those who signed up online.
Now, to solve the problem, I’m sure you can come up with lots of solutions to her problem.
However, it is not just about any solution. We want to change the systems in order that we can extend it to other projects, reduce the amount of overall work, and solve the problem at hand.
Systems make the difference, how we work, and how much work all matter.
Together, we brainstormed some solutions and ultimately recommended the following.
When the attendee returns their paper form, the receptionist will sign them up online, who accepted the form, after encouraging the participant to do it on their own. Only then, the receptionist will send it to accounting.
This simple change solved the entire problem.
Our receptionist is already accustomed to filling out these forms and the information is already on the paper form. We encouraged those paper form folks to change their actions, but not relying on them to do so.
Using this story, as an example of much more complex problems, we can see that systems matter and they impact the results of our labors.
There are many of these systems related challenges that appear all the time. For example, in a congregational setting, we might ask:
How does the application, approval, and new membership systems work? Do they accomplish our goals
How do our approval procedures make things smoother or create extra hurdles?
This is not meant to frustrate you. This is to show you that simple changes can make a difference and that if we pay attention to how we do our work, we can improve our capabilities.
What procedures, systems, and processes hold you back from doing your work?
How can they be improved with all your goals intact?
What simple changes can you make that will make a big impact?
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