Turning to One Another

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When Complex Systems Fail

--Engage the whole system. Frequently ask, 'Who else should be involved?'
--Create abundant information, circulate it through existing and new channels.
--Develop quality relationships; trust is the greatest asset.
--Support only collaboration; competition destroys capacity.
--Forget boundaries and territories; push for openness everywhere.
--Focus on creating new, sustainable systems. There is no going back.

Because of its complex nature, Y2K demands that we transform the ways we work together, that we forego traditional boundaries and competitive behaviors, that we let go of past conflicts and injuries. We must turn to one another to solve the unsolvable, we must depend on one another to find solutions. We simply cannot get through whatever disruptions or breakdowns occur by remaining isolated or indifferent.

How we come together now will give us the capacity to face the unknown of the year 2000. We don't have to know the future in order to be prepared for it. Organizations and communities that learn to work together, that trust one another, and that become more expansive and inclusive develop the capacity to deal with whatever happens. They have created a capacity for working and thinking together that enables them to respond quickly and intelligently to surprise and distress.

This paradoxical truth was well illustrated a few years ago when major chemical plants in West Virginia engaged with the community to develop worst-case scenarios. Living with 14 large chemical manufacturing facilities, the citizens around Charleston exercised their EPA-mandated right to know how a failure in any one of these plants could affect their lives. What would be the worst that could happen to them, given the worst conditions and the worst dysfunctions? (For one plant, a leak from their anhydrous ammonia storage tank during high winds would create a deadly plume that would destroy all life within 30 miles.)

Early in the process the plant managers took an enormous risk and decided to involve the community in developing the necessary information. Every committee was chaired by a member of the community. Together with plant personnel, they gathered information about the deadliest events that could occur. When they were ready to present their scenarios--28 scenes of terror and destruction--they set up booths in a popular shopping mall on a Saturday. (This choice of venue was suggested by a woman in the community.) As summarized by Dick Knowles, then plant manager of the Belle DuPont facility, 'We presented 28 ways we could kill the community, and trust went up.'

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