Before we dive more deeply into the world of systems, it’s helpful to see how systems fit into a broader context. We can actually view reality from the following multiple levels of perspective: events, patterns, and systemic structures (see “The Iceberg”). As we’ll see below, systems occupy a key position in this framework. But what do these levels mean? Some basic definitions and a few examples might help:

 

    Events are the occurrences we encounter on a day-to-day basis. For example, we catch a cold, a fire breaks out, or a defective product comes off the assembly line at our company.

 

    Patterns are the accumulated “memories” of events. When strung together as a series over time, they can reveal recurring trends. For example, we catch colds more often when we’re tired, fires break out more frequently in certain neighborhoods, or we notice a higher number of product defects during shift changes.

 

    Systemic structures are the ways in which the parts of a system are organized. These structures actually generate the patterns and events we observe. In the example above about defective products, perhaps shifts are scheduled such that there is no overlap between the outgoing and incoming work crews—hence, there’s a greater likelihood of defects during these times. Note that systemic structures can be physical (such as the way a workspace is organized, or the way a machine is built) as well as intangible (such as ways employees are rewarded, or the way shift changes are timed).

 

    A key thing to notice about the three different levels of perspective is that we live in an event-oriented world, and our language is rooted at the level of events. Indeed, we usually notice events much more easily than we notice patterns and systemic structures even though it is systems that are actually driving the events we do see. This tendency to only see events is consistent with our evolutionary history, which was geared toward responding to anything that posed an immediate danger to our well-being. As we’ll see later in this volume, it’s redesigning things at the systemic level that offers us far more leverage to shape our future than simply reacting to events does.