Be careful to see the big picture before you cry "wolf"

The power and wisdom of viewing from a “big picture” (macro) perspective . . .

I was recently watching a fascinating documentary on the history and development of the US National Park System, as it evolved from its meager beginnings up and to today. Split into several segments, it provided insight into the different challenges faced over time by the country’s parks as our nation grew and its demographics changed. This often put the increasing popularity of parks and the wellbeing of its nature/park wildlife directly at odds.

In one particular section they described the efforts in the early/mid-20thcentury to “manage” the Park System by addressing the problem of predatory wolves. During that time period, public opinion was that wolves were a negative presence, destructive, vicious, and a menace to other animals. Naturally, the answer to cleanse the parks of the pesky wolves made perfect sense. Consequently, measures were then taken to kill off the wolf population, with the result being almost complete extermination.

In the years following the wolf eradication campaign, ironically, the absence of wolves in the parks created unanticipated and negative consequences. It took a toll on the delicate balance of nature and impacted the remaining wildlife and species. Without a natural enemy, animals such as the deer and elk became overly abundant, overgrazing, and upsetting the entire ecosystem.

Eventually common sense ruled, and 70 years later wolves were reintroduced to the parks. Gradually, the wolf population increased in numbers. The result of having wolves again not only served to rebalance the population of the various species, but studies revealed that migration patterns, landscapes, and even river flows were positively impacted. The radical “experiment” with wolves confirmed the delicate nature of ecosystems, and the interactive connection of the various species to each other, and to the overall wellbeing of the system, in general.

Having thought about that program and segment, it struck me of the wisdom and importance of keeping a macro perspective when approaching problem solving. What often might seem to be the right thing to fix a problem, when taken in a larger context, might be exactly the wrong solution. And that’s because most systems naturally have complex and interactive components in place. When we naively try to “zoom in” and take corrective action to fix something at a micro-level, without taking into consideration the “big picture” or macro effect, we might be endangering the effectiveness of the entire system. And like with the wolves, it can create some very negative and unintended consequences.

Problem-solving in its purest and most tedious form, the scientific method, reminds us that the most surefire way to ultimately find the correct answer to a problem is to move up the chain, and to start the solving process at the broadest/highest level. From there, each step downward can narrow the problem and scope, with the goal of finding the best solution.

By applying a macro perspective in our own problem solving, while reminding ourselves of the interactive nature of life’s systems, we have a better chance of staying on course and avoiding those myopic distractions/miscues, which instead of fixing the problem can cause even bigger ones. That way, we won’t be forced to cry “wolf” when facing our own challenges.