These first five chapters definitely required me to step outside of my comfort zone in thinking about organizations, therefore, I hope my image makes sense. Throughout the chapters, Wheatley mentions weather and other parts of nature. This made me start thinking about the water cycle as an "organization." She notes on page 85 that change is never random, this relates well with the water cycle in that if there is a change (prolonged drought, a flood, etc.), there is a meteorological reason that this occurs. Wheatley also discusses relationships throughout the text, which can relate to the water cycle as there are many facets (people, plants, animals, etc.) that have a positive/negative effect on it.
The beginning of chapter four (cat in a box) metaphor made me think about the philosophical question, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it really make a sound? Wheatley discusses observation, data and how we must be participants in organizations.
Lastly, for some reason, I continued to go back to the strategic planning process in an organization as I read through these chapters. I kept being able to pull certain elements (relationships, ownership, dis/equilibrium, un/structure, data, views, interpretations, the power of participation, etc) from the readings and relate them back to how and why strategic plans are created.
