The Holistic Management-Soft Systems Circle

Cliff Montagne

Montana State University BioRegions Program

BioRegions International October 14, 2011

Take-home message

A circle in 4 quadrants helps to understand and use Holistic Management

WHOLE

TOOLS TESTS

PLAN

Beginnings

•Holistic Management use –1980’s and early 90’s

•Brian Sindelar, Range Scientist, Montana State U.

•Roland Kroos, CHRM

•Charley Orchard, graduate student

Beginnings…linear challenge of HM Framework

Beginnings…

•Concepts of holism –Endless processes of ecosystem and

human system interactions

– A spiral process, but

A circle can represent this

Systems Thinking

Wilson and Morren, 1990

"Systems Approaches for Improvements in Agriculture and Resource Management"

–Hard Systems

–Soft Systems

Systems Thinking

Kolb’s Learning Styles [Experiential Learning, 1984]

– Diverge out (and sense the situation)

– Assimilate into models

– Converge on possible solutions

– Accommodate solution to situation

DIVERGE out and sense the whole

ASSIMILATE into models (theories, hypotheses)

ACCOMMODATE the solution

CONVERGE on sustainable solutions by testing

Kolb’s 4 Quadrants

WishesХүсэл Мөрөөдөл

ToolsАрга замууд

ResourcesНөөц бололцооActions

Үйл ажиллагаа

TestingШалгуурууд

MonitoringХяналт

PLAN (Feedback Loop) WHOLE 1. People 2. Resource Base

HOLISTIC GOAL 1. Quality of Life 2. Forms of

Production 3. Future Resource

Base

TESTING 1… 2… Etc.

TOOLS 1… 2... 3…

Holistic Management Soft Systems Circle

Christine Miller

LRES 421

I attended the screening of Tapped on 2/17/10

Holistic Management Circle

Holistic Goal hypothetical values expressed? Forms of production demonstrated?

New resource base: awareness

The holistic goal seemed to be to open up the eyes up of the audience in regards

to bottled water and the wastefulness and risk associated with the unregulated and

unsustainable practices of bottled water companies.

I. Quadrant One- The Whole, Resource Base

The whole includes the bottled water companies, the communities that they

affect, and the consumers. The resources are all of the people listed above, the earth’s

resources including the water itself and the aquifers where it comes from, the

mechanisms for pumping it from the ground, and the petroleum products involved in

making the bottles.

II. Quadrant Two- Tools some items are in the present Resource Base, others

would be Tools of Technology or Creativity as you suggest.

The tools included the people with different knowledge about how the water

mining or bottle production affects them and their communities and their own personal

health and about the lack of regulation in the industry. Also, the film itself was a tool.

III. Quadrant Three- Testing Questions

The action of making a video may or may not have addressed the root cause of

the problem. It addressed many aspects and a variety of people spoke, however it

seemed like some ‘alternative sides to the story’ were not addressed, and some aspects

were missed altogether. I think the weak link was related to a social and biological weak

link where they interviewed several people living in Corpus Christi, Texas, and all had

health problems that they attributed to the nearby oil refinery. Coincidentally, each of

the interviewees was obese. The producers did address how unsustainable the

production of bottled water is, and how unregulated it is also. What about

Social/cultural? Sustainability? Marginal reaction?

IV. Quadrant Four- Action Plan

The producers made this documentary and portrayed information in a clear way

that definitely could have an influence of consumer’s decisions of whether or not to buy

bottled water.

Monitoring and Feedback Loop

Wishes Хүсэл Мөрөөдөл Амьдарлийн гол зорилго

Хийх ажлуудын хэлбэр

Нөөц бололцоо

Tools Арга замууд

Байгалийн болон техникийн

бүхий л арга замууд орно

Resources Нөөц бололцоо

•Шийдвэр гаргачид

болон гишүүдийн оролцоо

•Нөөц бололцоо

Байгалийн, санхүүгийн,

Нийгмийн, дэд бүтэцийн

Actions Үйл ажиллагаа •Санхүүгийн төлөвлөлт

•Биологийн төлөвлөлт

•Хувь хүний хөгжил

•Цаг хугацааны төлөвлөлт

Testing Шалгуурууд

Авч хэрэгжүүлсэн арга хэмжээнүүд нь

•Шалтгаан эсвэл үр нөлөөг

тогтоон шийдвэрлэж чадсан эсэх

•Хамгийн сул байгаа

холбоог сайжруулж чадах эсэх

•Байгаа нөөц бололцоог ашиглаж байгаа эсэх

•Ашиг орлого ба хүч хөдөлмөрийг

нэмэгдүүлж чадаж байгаа эсэх

•Сайн зүйл хийж байгаа эсэх

•Соёл болон ёс заншилд нийцэж байгаа эсэх

•Тогтвортой нөөц эх үүсвэр байгаа эсэх

Monitoring Хяналт

WishesХүсэл Мөрөөдөл

ToolsАрга замууд

ResourcesНөөц бололцооActions

Үйл ажиллагаа

TestingШалгуурууд

MonitoringХяналт

Family, place, occupation,

resource base

Water, grass, forest,

animals, cultural

knowledge, infrastructure

Grazing, forest

harvest, tourism,

services

Cause/effect, weak

link, culture,

environment,

economics

Partnership

Projects: env,

ed, trad knowl,

medicine

HOLISTIC GOAL -Quality of Life

-Forms of Production

-Future Resource Base

RESOURCE BASE

TOOLS TESTING QUESTIONS

ACTIONS

Feedback Loop

Holistic Management Circle for Decision Making