SYSTEMS THINKING:

Read the case and answer the following questions:

Organization: The Telemarketing Department of a Naturel Health and Beauty Products Company

People: Sharon, a team supervisor, Dan, Emily, and members

Situation: Sharon has just finished meeting with other supervisors and their department heads, reviewing data from the previous month. Telemarketing team members' performance is measured by the number of calls made, the number of contacts made, and the number of sales made, with daily and monthly targets. Bonuses are given for the meeting targets. Sharon's team fell short compared to other telemarketing teams, so she calls a meeting to urge and encourage them to do better in their performance.

Meeting:

Sharon: Come on guys, I know you can do better. You are just as good as the other teams. And I know you want that bonus. What's going on?

Dan: I'm spending way too much time dealing with customers who have problems. I swear not one customer gets billed correctly!

Emily: I'm having a terrible time with the lists -- I'm running into so many bad numbers or customers who have already been called recently. Boy, they get mad!

Sharon: Why aren't other teams experiencing these issues?

Dan: Other teams are transferring their calls to me because they know I'll take the time to deal with them. But I won't anymore if it means sacrificing my bonus.

Emily: Well, I was talking to Tony, and he said he has some tricks for getting around these problems and still making his quotas.

Sharon: Tricks? Like good ideas, or shortcuts that ultimately backfire on the organization?

Emily: Tony said once he gets hold of a good list, he hangs on to it and doesn't share it. And if he gets a bad list, he passes it on to someone else.

Sharon: Wow. That's not supposed to happen.

Emily: and like Dan already said, Tony will dump a call if the customer goes on for too long.

Sharon: Sounds like we need to re-examine the metrics we're using to hand out bonuses.

Emily and Dan: You can say that again!

Questions to consider:

I. Draw the causal loop diagram that represents the current thinking in the organization. (It should include the Balancing and Reinforcing Loop)

II. Where is the breakdown in system thinking? Provide examples.

III. How can the decision-makers (supervisor and the department head) engage in systems thinking approach?

see below the example of causal loop diagram:

Perseverance POVERTY Dedication Lack OF CAMISE Care the Natural Motwation A LIsources Resources Lack OF CAUSE Education Planting Fruit's and vegetables NO FOOD SUPPLY Scholarship Agricultural Lack OF WORK INCREASE Determination THE PEOPLE Erpeck Discipline WHO HUNGER to Find Free Education Resources 4 Give them Less Alternative Opportunities - EFFECT Learning Systems