2. The Holistic Management-Soft
Systems Circle
Cliff Montagne
Montana State University BioRegions
Program
BioRegions International
October 14, 2011

3. Take-home message
A circle in 4 quadrants helps to
understand and use Holistic Management
PLAN WHOLE
TESTS TOOLS

4. Beginnings
• Holistic Management use
–1980’s and early 90’s
• Brian Sindelar, Range Scientist,
Montana State U.
• Roland Kroos, CHRM
• Charley Orchard, graduate student

5. Beginnings…linear challenge of HM
Framework

6. Beginnings…
• Concepts of holism
–Endless processes of ecosystem and
human system interactions
– A spiral process, but
A circle can represent this

7. Systems Thinking
Wilson and Morren, 1990
"Systems Approaches for Improvements
in Agriculture and Resource
Management"
–Hard Systems
–Soft Systems

8. Systems Thinking
Kolb’s Learning Styles [Experiential Learning,
1984]
– Diverge out (and sense the situation)
– Assimilate into models
– Converge on possible solutions
– Accommodate solution to situation

9. Kolb’s 4 Quadrants
ACCOMMODATE DIVERGE out and
the solution sense the whole
CONVERGE on ASSIMILATE into
sustainable models (theories,
solutions by hypotheses)
testing

10. Monitoring
Хяналт
Resources
Actions Нөөц бололцоо
Үйл ажиллагаа
Wishes
Хүсэл Мөрөөдөл
Testing Tools
Шалгуурууд Арга замууд

11. Holistic Management Soft Systems Circle
PLAN (Feedback Loop) WHOLE
1. People
2. Resource Base
HOLISTIC GOAL
1. Quality of Life
2. Forms of
Production
3. Future Resource
Base
TESTING TOOLS
1… 1…
2… 2...
Etc. 3…

12. Christine Miller
LRES 421
I attended the screening of Tapped on 2/17/10
Holistic Management Circle
Holistic Goal hypothetical values expressed? Forms of production demonstrated?
New resource base: awareness
The holistic goal seemed to be to open up the eyes up of the audience in regards
to bottled water and the wastefulness and risk associated with the unregulated and
unsustainable practices of bottled water companies.
I. Quadrant One- The Whole, Resource Base
The whole includes the bottled water companies, the communities that they
affect, and the consumers. The resources are all of the people listed above, the earth’s
resources including the water itself and the aquifers where it comes from, the
mechanisms for pumping it from the ground, and the petroleum products involved in
making the bottles.
II. Quadrant Two- Tools some items are in the present Resource Base, others
would be Tools of Technology or Creativity as you suggest.
The tools included the people with different knowledge about how the water
mining or bottle production affects them and their communities and their own personal
health and about the lack of regulation in the industry. Also, the film itself was a tool.
III. Quadrant Three- Testing Questions
The action of making a video may or may not have addressed the root cause of
the problem. It addressed many aspects and a variety of people spoke, however it
seemed like some ‘alternative sides to the story’ were not addressed, and some aspects
were missed altogether. I think the weak link was related to a social and biological weak
link where they interviewed several people living in Corpus Christi, Texas, and all had
health problems that they attributed to the nearby oil refinery. Coincidentally, each of
the interviewees was obese. The producers did address how unsustainable the
production of bottled water is, and how unregulated it is also. What about
Social/cultural? Sustainability? Marginal reaction?
IV. Quadrant Four- Action Plan
The producers made this documentary and portrayed information in a clear way
that definitely could have an influence of consumer’s decisions of whether or not to buy
bottled water.
Monitoring and Feedback Loop

13. Monitoring
Хяналт
Actions Resources
Үйл ажиллагаа Нөөц бололцоо
•Шийдвэр гаргачид
•Санхүүгийн төлөвлөлт
болон гишүүдийн оролцоо
•Биологийн төлөвлөлт
•Нөөц бололцоо
•Хувь хүний хөгжил
Байгалийн, санхүүгийн,
•Цаг хугацааны төлөвлөлт
Нийгмийн, дэд бүтэцийн
Wishes
Хүсэл Мөрөөдөл
Амьдарлийн гол зорилго
Testing Хийх ажлуудын хэлбэр
Нөөц бололцоо
Шалгуурууд
Авч хэрэгжүүлсэн арга хэмжээнүүд нь
•Шалтгаан эсвэл үр нөлөөг Tools
тогтоон шийдвэрлэж чадсан эсэх
•Хамгийн сул байгаа Арга замууд
холбоог сайжруулж чадах эсэх Байгалийн болон техникийн
•Байгаа нөөц бололцоог ашиглаж байгаа эсэх бүхий л арга замууд орно
•Ашиг орлого ба хүч хөдөлмөрийг
нэмэгдүүлж чадаж байгаа эсэх
•Сайн зүйл хийж байгаа эсэх
•Соёл болон ёс заншилд нийцэж байгаа эсэх
•Тогтвортой нөөц эх үүсвэр байгаа эсэх

14. Monitoring
Хяналт
Resources
Actions Нөөц бололцоо
Үйл ажиллагаа
Water, grass, forest,
Partnership animals, cultural
Projects: env, knowledge, infrastructure
ed, trad knowl,
medicine Wishes
Хүсэл Мөрөөдөл
Family, place, occupation,
resource base
Testing Tools
Шалгуурууд Арга замууд
Cause/effect, weak Grazing, forest
link, culture, harvest, tourism,
environment, services
economics

15. Holistic Management Circle for Decision Making
Feedback Loop
ACTIONS RESOURCE
BASE
HOLISTIC GOAL
-Quality of Life
-Forms of
Production
-Future Resource
TESTING Base TOOLS
QUESTIONS