Key Principles of Systems Thinking
Systems thinking is a powerful tool that any company may use to widen their thinking and communicate difficulties in new ways. Using systems thinking enables organizations to make “informed decisions” because it allows people who utilize it to properly diagnose the challenges at hand and assess the best solutions to those issues. This type of thinking may have a significant impact on business operations since challenges can be detected and analyzed by the company’s leaders, and the remedies that are adopted will have the best interests of the whole organization in mind.
When we look at Benevento Foods, we can see multiple examples of how systems thinking has been used in its business procedures (Wood et al., 2015). The first area in which Benevento Foods employs systems thinking is in product distribution. Because all deliveries were made by truck and originated in upstate New York, the company realized that it was failing in terms of product delivery. As a result, shipping periods were lengthy, and orders had to be arranged months ahead of time. Benevento Foods then used the information gathered by thinking through a systems lens to assess the need to grow. They began creating new service lines and developed factories in Japan and Mexico. They also got more stringent in ensuring that deliveries were made on schedule and accurately.
Further, Benevento Foods permitted drivers to help with product modification through collection clients’ demands and their research and development staff that culminated in the development of unique baking mixes. The unique product blends were customized to the specific demands of the customers that demanded so.
Benevento Foods production method utilizes some systems thinking. The process is such that one component of the organization’s system is dependent on another. Before production begins each morning, the operators are tasked to verify their machines, and work only begins once the measurement section is already calibrated and functioning (Wood et al., 2015). This means that the mixing area cannot begin operation until the measurement area is ready. As a result, the entire system is interdependent. However, this the system is not entirely effective ineffective at Benevento Foods. Benevento Foods has not fully exploited systems thinking. While they have evaluated which method works best for the product, they have not addressed how it affects the employees.
Application of the Concept of a Learning Organization
Benevento Foods is faced with serious complains concerning the discovery of rubber pieces in baking mixes. This unexpected discovery of foreign objects in its products has put the company under the obligation to re check its product process for quality assurance. This comes at a time when the annual British Retail Consortium (BRC) food safety audit is scheduled for (Wood et al., 2015). The company therefore must rectify the shortfall in time for the audit.
Benevento Foods’ most immediate concern is that rubber is seeping into baking mix bags that are being sent to customers. The immediate reason of this is that Benevento Foods staff are allowing clumps to flow through the sifter since they do not want to stop production to figure out what the clump is. The staff in the mixing room are not following the modus operandi for the orders, which is the reason of this consequence. They are adding flour to the orders since they do not want to halt manufacturing to guarantee that the weight fits.
Instead than identifying the fundamental source of the problem, the personnel are patching it up. As we go, the employees feel hurried because of the pre-inspection documents that must be completed prior to any production commencing. Overall, the unifying thread is the managers of Benevento Foods’ quest for speedier output.
Application of the Concept of Moral Imagination
First, the company should audit all stock currently available. This will offer a more realistic picture of the product’s quality when it is delivered to customers. Following that, we may begin immediately enabling the pre-operational checklist to be completed earlier in the morning or at the end of the previous work day. This allows work to begin sooner and staff to feel less pressured when making things. Finally, we can begin enabling maintenance to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Benevento Foods should recruit more workers in all sectors. This will help the organization satisfy the demand for the product without overburdening the personnel, and it will also discourage employees from taking shortcuts since they will have the resources to accomplish their task effectively. Next, Benevento Foods must develop an electronic documentation system that would allow staff to swiftly input inquiries for evaluation. This would also necessitate the formation of a review team capable of responding swiftly to issues such as lumps in the sifter or inaccurate weights.
Since each department is dependent on the department preceding it, that creates room for impeding procedures. Further, employees there can easily make shortcuts or skip some processes which can jeopardize quality and safety of the products. Benevento Foods does not have an established teaching mechanism that can improve employee efficiency. The organization seeks for improvement through making changes on its production processes (Babbit, 2018). These modifications will require the company to impart knowledge to the employees for an effective change and operation. An analysis at the existing employees revealed that most were used to taking shortcuts to fulfill the administration’s requests or to complete tasks in production. The management needs to keep the employees informed about the modifications in the production method. Being a ‘learning organization’ is critical since it aids in stakeholder engagement and helps us to navigate a complicated system like this one.
References
Babbitt, S. (2018). Impossible dreams: Rationality, integrity and moral imagination. Routledge.
Wood, D., Vachon, S., & Singh, M. (2015). Benevento foods: When the rubber hits the dough. Ivey Publishing. http://hbr.org.
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