Welcome to CGSC Systems
What is CGSC Systems and how does it work?
We know. You’re puzzled. What do commercial roofs and drones have to do with organizational processes and neurodiversity?
They all involve analyzing and modifying how a system is working by applying a set of tools developed by the science of complex systems.
These tools are universal. All systems display some or all of the features discerned in systems science research.
Roof-focused building-dynamics are a specialized application of these tools and build off of the expertise of founder & director, Will Hrynewich who has worked in every facet of the commercial roofing industry over the last 20 years. Will is responsible for the education and training of inspectors working with CGSC Systems - emphasizing the complex roof dynamics that are so poorly understood even by experienced industry professionals.
Learning to think about systems abstractly is a skill that has applications far beyond roofing and building system dynamics. While we have been applying our skills in this particular domain, we have also grown a network of non-trades professionals who are fluent in the application of complex systems analysis. This network of professionals is what allows us to offer such an unusual combination of cross-domain services.
That’s the magic of thinking about the world as a series of interconnected systems. It allows you to learn about more than one thing at a time. To break down the barriers between the physical world and the mental world and see them both as extensions of the same thing - the flow of information through webs of cause-and-effect relationships.
How does this relate to you?
Perhaps the simplest way to get to the bottom of this is to talk about and extend the concept of Functional Fixation. This is the tendency to fixate on how things are “supposed” to work based on our application of categories and types.
Functional fixation prevents us from seeing solutions to common problems by preventing us from reasoning abstractly.
A lot of times, this prevents us from imagining that certain things in our lives could be any other way - and we learn to live with the limits and frustrations, the inequality and the unfairness of the world as just how it is. Sometimes we benefit unduly from the way things are, sometimes we are held back unfairly and sometimes we just need to find ways to improve how it feels to exist as we work and pursue our goals and dreams.
Reasoning about the world in systems allows us to strip away the presumed functions of the parts of a system and examine the causal relationships between them in a simplified schematic representation.
This powerful methodology allows us to jump in with experts and professionals, strip away the complexity and jargon and discern the underlying structure of the processes within and outside of your organization. Experience has shown us that many people have an intuitive understanding of these processes and their effects but lack a framework to communicate about them.
We are able to help inform you and your organization about the language of systems and integrate it into your thinking.
Neurodiversity.
Founder Will Hrynewich and most advisors at CGSC Systems are neurodivergent - our brains process information differently than most to a degree that is apparent to ourselves and others.
Lifetimes of lived experience, post-secondary education and professional accomplishment have converged at CGSC Systems to offer support and consultation for and about neurodiversity. We can help your organization discover its advantages and overcome its challenges.
What are some of the key features of complex systems and their analysis?
VUCA is an acronym that stands for "volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity." It was originally coined by the US military in the 1990s to describe the unpredictable and challenging environment of modern warfare, but it has since been adopted by businesses, governments, and other organizations to describe the general state of the world.
Here's a brief overview of each of the four elements of VUCA:
Volatility: This refers to the speed and magnitude of change in a given environment. Volatile environments are characterized by rapid and unpredictable fluctuations, making it difficult to predict future outcomes.
Uncertainty: This refers to the lack of predictability or the inability to accurately forecast future events. In uncertain environments, it's difficult to determine cause-and-effect relationships or identify clear trends.
Complexity: This refers to the interconnectedness and interdependence of different factors in a given system. Complex environments are characterized by a high degree of interdependence, making it difficult to isolate individual factors and understand their impact.
Ambiguity: This refers to the lack of clarity or the existence of multiple interpretations in a given situation. Ambiguous environments are characterized by a lack of clear signals or indicators, making it difficult to make confident decisions.
The VUCA framework serves as a reminder of the challenges and unpredictability that organizations face in today's world and encourages leaders to adopt flexible and adaptive strategies to navigate these challenges.
Below are the hallmark characteristics of the systems around us that cause VUCA to exist. Each of these features is its own subject of study, but all are present in every organization, especially those with cognitive components - also known as thinking and feeling people.
Emergence: Complex systems are made up of simple parts that interact and can produce emergent phenomena that are not predictable by analyzing just the individual elements.
Nonlinearity: Complex systems often exhibit nonlinear behavior, meaning that small changes in initial conditions can lead to vastly different outcomes.
Feedback loops: Feedback loops are a key feature of complex systems, where the output of the system can affect its input, leading to self-reinforcing or self-balancing behavior.
Self-organization: Complex systems often organize themselves spontaneously, with patterns and structures emerging without external direction or control.
Adaptation: Complex systems can adapt to changing conditions, either through individual or collective behavior, leading to evolving patterns of organization and function.
Scaling: Complex systems exhibit scaling behavior, with patterns and structures at different levels of organization exhibiting similar dynamics and properties.
Robustness and fragility: Complex systems can be both robust and resilient, able to withstand disturbances and maintain their function, but also fragile and prone to sudden collapse under certain conditions.
Networks and connectivity: Complex systems are often characterized by networks of interacting elements, with the structure and dynamics of the network influencing the behavior of the system as a whole.
Diversity and heterogeneity: Complex systems are often composed of diverse elements that interact in multiple ways, leading to a range of different outcomes and patterns of behavior.
Openness and boundaries: Complex systems are often open systems, interacting with their environment and exchanging energy, matter, and information, with the boundaries of the system influencing its behavior and properties.
Attractors: Most systems exhibit attractors, which is a vocabulary of the most common states of that system. Systems can also have repulsors - states the system can only be temporarily forced into and quickly collapse from.
An attractor is a recurring pattern that a system tends to gravitate towards over time. It can be thought of as a destination or endpoint that a system eventually approaches, even if it starts at a different point. Rivers and lakes are examples of attractors in the real world, as water moves to converge to the lowest points of the landscape.
Attractors can be stable or unstable, and they can be simple or complex. They are often used in the study of nonlinear systems, such as chaotic systems, and can help to explain the behavior of these systems over time.Metastability: Metastability describes when a system is in a state of temporary equilibrium between different states. This state can last for a considerable amount of time, but eventually, the system will transition to a more stable state. Metastability is commonly observed in physical and chemical systems, including in the formation of crystals, chemical reactions, and electronic circuits.
William Hrynewich, Founder
Will came to Ottawa, ON in 2003 from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Since then, he’s worked with companies in Ottawa to provide installation, sales, estimates, inspections as well as project management and management consulting.
During his career, Will has relentlessly pursued a unique education. Completing an undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science and pursuing graduate work in Complex Systems Dynamics.
20 years later, and Will is a roofing industry professional with an extensive education and artful expertise in cognition-flavored complex systems dynamics. With 20 years of industry experience, and a lifetime of pursuing education in sciences - CGSC Systems is the next step in Will’s journey.
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613-608-0958