Systems Thinking and Tom & Jerry
On the 5th of June, in the webinar on Impact of AI on organisations: A Systems Thinking lens, this was the first slide we started with:
Now I'd like your attention for the next 5 minutes. Looking at the image, I'm taken back to my all-time favourite show as a child, when I was fascinated by Tom and Jerry chasing each other endlessly. Eight decades later, I now apply Systems Thinking to this chase.
Hello, all readers!
I’m Jinal, a Learning Partner at ARC. And I have full trust in Tom that he'll catch Jerry one day.
Here’s my perspective of the webinar as a participant.
To begin with,
Why was Tom never able to catch Jerry - And what this tells you about your Sticky Problems
Tom has spent 80 years chasing Jerry. 80 years. Same cat. Same mouse. Same house. And yet, the scoreboard is: Jerry at infinity and Tom at 0.
Before you declare Tom as incompetent, take a pause. He’s quick, strategic, and endlessly creative. He tried using rockets, anvils, cheese traps, and even brutal force. The cat is really trying. So why does he keep failing?
Tom chases. Jerry escapes. Tom doubles down. Chaos grows. Jerry finds new exits. Tom tries harder. This has repeated for eight decades now.
The reason for this never-ending chase is the idea itself.
In Systems Thinking it is called a Reinforcing Loop. Every action links back to the problem you are trying to solve. The harder Tom chases, the easier it is for Jerry to find a new escape. And Tom keeps coming back to the start of his chase.
The issue lies in Tom functioning in a linear thinking system.
What he sees is: problem, solution, done.
However, systems sees: action, reaction, new problem, repeat.
He keeps trying to solve for what's visible, i.e Jerry's location, rather than what's actually driving the chase.
A Systems Thinker thinks differently. The question is not, “How do I catch Jerry faster?” but, “What is the purpose of catching him?” Turns out, the system is built for the chase, not the catch. If Tom stops chasing, Jerry stops running.
This is the trap most leaders fall into today. Pushing the product output more when quality dips. Adding more meetings when team alignment breaks. Solving what's visible on top, while the real loop keeps resetting everything again.
The problem isn’t always skill.
Sometimes, it’s the system you are in and the lens you are using to see it.
If you’ve ever felt stuck solving the same problem on a loop, Systems Thinking might be the lens you're missing.
The Systems Thinking Lab is a 1.5-day, in-person workshop on 26th and 27thJune.
Facilitated by Adi Raheja, this program is designed to help leaders solve problems more effectively.
Regards
Jinal,
Learning Partner
ARC (Adi Raheja and Co)
PS: Both Tom and Jerry are carrying out their action in the plot. It is impacting and contributing to the chase. How would you look at the next episode of Tom and Jerry show using the systems thinking lens
