Appreciating a complex situation often requires understanding the perspectives of those involved with or within that situation,
and that includes the systems practitioner. Systems practice may be carried out individually or as part of a team. But how
do different people experience that systems practice?
In doing any systems investigation with a community or client group, which is a form of managing, an important question is,
am I investigating the situation as if from the outside looking in, or am I working collaboratively with the other participants?
The answer to the question leads to different modes of systems practice. These modes of practice are related to the choices
the aware and non-aware systems practitioner make in relation to the four balls that need to be juggled for effective practice
and their relationship with the situation being investigated.
The non-aware practitioner always acts in the belief that they are outside the so-called 'real world situation'. In contrast,
the aware practitioner acts from an understanding that there is no position external to the real world. That is, they are
always in the situation, usually with others. In addition, they can also act as if it were possible to stand outside the situation
in an awareness of the ethics of doing so. Now you have the opportunity to learn techniques for understanding multiple perspectives.