Systems at Work: The Invisible Goal - Why Your Work Feels Misaligned
Most people think success comes from working harder. But in systems, direction matters more than intensity. This post isn't about motivation. It's about precision.
You don’t need more effort—you need clarity on what your work is actually moving toward.
In Part 1, we talked about systems as dynamic structures: flows, buffers, feedback loops—the underlying architecture that explains why things behave the way they do at work. But there's a deeper layer, often invisible and unspoken, that drives all of it: the goal of the system.
As Donella Meadows wrote, the goal is one of the most powerful leverage points in any system. It shapes how feedback loops operate, what flows get prioritized, and which parts of the system grow or decay. Without understanding the goal, everything else is surface noise.
But here's the problem: goals aren't always visible. In fact, in many real-world systems—especially in teams and organizations—they're often obscured or assumed.
Let’s take an example.
Imagine a school system. On paper, its goal is to "educate and empower students."
But look at what it consistently produces: standardized test scores, compliance with rules, a conveyor belt of curriculum pacing.
A teacher who takes time to mentor a struggling student might be seen as falling behind. A creative lesson that doesn’t align with test prep might be quietly discouraged.
Over time, the teachers who thrive are the ones who optimize for test performance—not necessarily deep learning.
So what’s the real goal? Not empowerment. Not curiosity. The system has come to optimize for scores.
And that changes everything.
The same principle applies at work.
What is a goal, really?
A goal isn’t a slogan. It’s not what the slide deck says. And it’s not whatever the team declared in last quarter’s OKR planning.
A system’s true goal is what it consistently produces. It’s the pattern of behavior over time. It’s what survives across leadership changes, reorgs, and new strategies.
If a team says their goal is "delighting users" but consistently ships rushed features to meet quarterly targets, then the real goal is speed, not user delight.
Meadows puts it simply:
“If the behavior of the system reveals a different goal than the one you proclaim, then the system has a different goal.”
So how do you identify the real goal?
Watch what gets rewarded.
Look at what survives pressure and conflict.
See where the system directs energy when tradeoffs appear.
Ask: what gets protected at all costs?