TL;DR: I apply the vision framework as laid out by Mark Lipton in ‘Guiding Growth’ to Fitzgerald Systems and share my findings along the way. The vision that I developed is:

Fitzgerald Systems aspires to promote resolution, humility, industry, and frugality while advocating for equal opportunity, freedom of choice, the pursuit of happiness, and holistic thinking. The organization seeks to bridge the gap between systems engineering practitioners and academia, advance General Systems Theory, and implement best practices across various sectors. Its strategy includes curating quality academic and case study resources, developing cohesive frameworks, and delivering training that supports professional growth and the application of systems thinking principles.

Preamble: This is the 3rd post of a three-part series and applies the vision framework as laid out by Mark Lipton in ‘Guiding Growth’ (see the 2nd post for a book review) and culminates the investigation into the development and deployment of vision with an organization. You’re also welcome to check out the 1st post which offers the conceptual underpinning of why vision is relevant from a Systems Engineering Perspective.

Recap: In Mark Lipton’s book on ‘Guiding Growth’ he lays out the core elements of what a vision is: Values, Raison d’Être and Strategy. He also provides ancillary elements that support the maintenance and deployment of the vision, transforming it from something seen only on glossy posters to something that drives innovation and growth. These elements include having an Executing Group championing the vision, a Culture that enforces the values, an Organizational Structure that streamlines multi-directional vertical and lateral communication, and People Process that has the explicit goal to deploy the vision at all stages of a person’s career regardless of their seniority.

Application: When applying the vision framework to Fitzgerald Systems I focused on the core element – the vision. At this stage having the ancillary processes would be excess overhead considering Fitzgerald Systems is a personal initiative of mine and hence I didn’t develop them. They will be essential when Fitzgerald Systems scales.

For baselining purposes here is the original vision when I first started:

“Professionals in the Systems Engineering domain have a cohesive and rigorous set of frameworks used to understand, develop and realize elegant systems with confidence and the cost efficient means to achieve individual professional goals.“

I recognize now that though the idea to write the vision from an external stakeholder’s perspective is well grounded, and that it lays out the ideal of there being a rigorous set of frameworks it didn’t touch upon what are the values that Fitzgerald Systems aspires to embody, nor did it lay out a path as to how the vision will be attained. A vision needs to plant the flag but also give guidance as to who to reach it.

Using the vision framework was certainly an eye opener when I asked myself what values I want to live by and after writing them down I can certainly appreciate some people blushing from embarrassment as they read about Frugality or Freedom of Choice. Despite the likelihood you will never see these values (or even the mention of virtue) in a company brochure, that’s ok because these values and virtues speak to me. When exploring the raison d’être I resonated with the vision of Dr. von Bertalanffy of there being a General Systems Theory that breaks down the artificial barriers between the sciences and domains and therefore unlock unimaginable creativity which I coupled with my passion for training and coaching. I found that after the values, virtues and raison d’être were in place the strategy just fell into place.

Elements of The Vision:

Virtues: The virtues that Fitzgerald Systems aspires to encompass are Resolution, Industry, Humility, and Frugality.

• Resolution: We demonstrate the determination to execute decisions and commitments. We have a bias towards under-committing and over-delivering.
• Industry: We utilize every available moment wisely. This principle applies not only to the use of our own time but also to the time of our external stakeholders. Time is everybody’s most precious resource, and we will not squander it, nor will we waste the time of our stakeholders.
• Humility: We recognize that we do not have all the answers and remain transparent about the assumptions we make. We are on a journey towards mastery and welcome companions along the way.
• Frugality: We strive to use the resources readily available to us. While many achievements are possible with sufficient investment, expensive corrective actions often stem from poor planning or inadequate development.

Values: The values that Fitzgerald Systems holds dear include Equal Opportunity, Freedom of Choice, Pursuit of Happiness, and Holism.

• Equal Opportunity: We believe everyone should have the opportunity to develop and improve themselves continuously.
• Freedom of Choice: We reject determinism and advocate for the responsibility of mastering our own choices. Our choices bear consequences, and we are prepared to accept them. We also oppose any individual or entity imposing unjust choices on others.
• Pursuit of Happiness: True happiness is not rooted in the endless pursuit of short-term gratification but in living according to our values and the pursuit of virtue.
• Holism: We believe that adopting a holistic perspective is essential for solving the complex problems of our time.

Raison d’Être. Fitzgerald Systems exists for three reasons, all rooted in the observation that systems thought, science, engineering, and management are fracturing into silos in pursuit of localized optimums, often becoming ‘meme-ified’ and reduced to sound bites that cater to shortening attention spans.

Firstly, Fitzgerald Systems aims to promote dialogue between systems engineering practitioners and academia, allowing both sides to benefit from a shared understanding of the problem and solution space. While we reject the meme-ification of knowledge, we acknowledge the necessity of making academic literature—which can often seem impenetrable—more accessible to practitioners.

Secondly, Fitzgerald Systems seeks to further the development initiated by Dr. Ludwig von Bertalanffy, who outlined the principles of General Systems Theory, an ambitious framework that aims to connect diverse fields such as biology, engineering, sociology, and management.

Thirdly, Fitzgerald Systems is committed to deploying best practices in state-of-the-art systems thought, science, engineering and management across all sectors, including industry, commerce, defense, academia, and government.

Strategy. To achieve our vision, we need to:

1. Curate a balanced collection of academic literature and practical case studies at a regular tempo, ensuring high-quality standards.
2. Develop and maintain cohesive frameworks that connect all relevant concepts.
3. Create, maintain, and deliver training courses and study group sessions that support participants’ professional goals and promote the application of General Systems Theory.