Montana State University college professor, Cliff Montagne, teaches not only environmental science and Holistic Management in Bozeman, but he also shares his knowledge with Mongolian herders. To help people grasp these concepts quickly, Cliff has developed a systems thinking circle graphic that helps people quickly able to engage in the Holistic Management process based on their particular issues. It helps people understand how Holistic Management is a soft systems learning and problem solving process.
Each quadrant of this circle notes the appropriate parts of the Holistic Management® Model as a systems process in which the learner or problem solver 1) diverges out to learn about the whole situation by defining a Whole Under Management, 2) assimilates as much information and as many paradigms as possible by listing Tools (similar to hypotheses), 3) converges on sustainable solutions by using the Testing Questions to assess the Tools, and 4) accommodates the appropriate Tools to the situation by planning and action following the Management Guidelines and Planning Procedures. This circle also has the holistic goal at the center and the feedback loop at the top where one will always be reminded to use it. The Whole under Management includes the Ecosystem Processes.
Cliff has found this tool to be very helpful in creating a process for natural resource discussions and a way to capture the thinking of a group and move it forward in a systematic, productive, and participatory way so that implementation is smoother.
