Goals

? To provide participants with a sensory experience of belonging to a system.

? To encourage systems thinking.

Group Size

As many as thirty participants assembled into subgroups of ten to fifteen members each.

Time Required

Approximately forty-five minutes.

Materials

? For each subgroup, a ball of sturdy yarn long enough to connect all members in a random fashion.

? A newsprint poster prepared in advance with the following statement:

Dr. W. Edwards Deming defined a system as a set of interdependent parts that work together to accomplish an aim.

? Masking tape for posting newsprint.

Physical Setting

A room large enough and free enough from obstructions to accommodate the physical movement of the subgroups.

Process

1. The facilitator introduces the activity as a way of understanding systems. The participants are divided into subgroups of approximately equal size, and the subgroups are directed to different areas in the room. (Five minutes.)

2. Each subgroup is given a ball of yarn. The facilitator explains that the members of each subgroup will be tossing the yarn among themselves, and as a member catches the yarn, he or she is to hold on to part of it and toss the remainder. The tossing is to continue until every member is holding a piece of the yarn and all members are connected in a “web” of yarn. (Ten minutes.)

3. When all members of each subgroup are connected, the facilitator asks the following questions:

? What are your thoughts about the web of yarn you have created?

? How is your web of yarn like a system?

? How is it unique?

? What makes other “webs” or systems that you are familiar with unique?

? How could a training group, a work team, or an entire organization be considered a system?

(Ten minutes.)

“The web of yarn represents not only the interconnection and interdependence of the elements of a system, but also the information that travels through the system. Like any system, this training group is unique; its members are aiming at a common goal. The lengths of yarn that extend from person to person can be seen as the system’s lines of communication. Also, the web can be seen as representing the relationships among individual participants in a training group, individual members of a work team, or individual parts of an organizational system.”

6. The facilitator asks someone in each subgroup to drop his or her yarn and leave the subgroup. The participants are then asked what effect this development has on the system. After listening to and affirming the participants’ responses, the facilitator ensures that the participants understand that there is now a different system and that there are no unimportant players.

7. The facilitator directs each subgroup to unwind from the yarn and to rejoin the other participants in a common area. The facilitator then leads a concluding discussion based on these questions:

? What were your feelings about being connected to the other members of your subgroup?

? What did you experience when one member left your subgroup?

? What principles have you learned about systems? How do these principles operate in the systems that you belong to in real life, such as your family or your workplace? What are some real-life examples?

? How can you apply what you have learned to improve the systems to which you belong?

(Ten to fifteen minutes.)

? As each participant tosses the ball of yarn in step 2, he or she may make a statement—either a learning about an experience that the training group has previously undergone or a piece of information about himself or herself. This serves the purpose of introducing information into the system.

? After step 6 the facilitator may instruct the participants to do either of the following and then discuss the implications for real-life situations: (1) tangle the web or (2) introduce another person into the web.

SIMULATING SYSTEMS