Home Commentary Our workforce behaves like a system, everything is connected

Our workforce behaves like a system, everything is connected

By

Karl Wadensten

-

03/16/2026

wadensten0306 — Karl Wadensten

After participating as a panelist at Providence Business News’ 2026 Workforce Development Summit last month, one realization became clear: The workforce is not something we can manage, it behaves like a system. When we use the word management, we imply control, inputs, outputs, accountability and oversight. We assume that if we adjust a lever, we’ll predictably change the outcome. However, Rhode Island doesn’t behave that way. The state’s workforce connects to education. Education connects to housing. Housing

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After participating as a panelist at Providence Business News’ 2026 Workforce Development Summit last month, one realization became clear: The workforce is not something we can manage, it behaves like a system. When we use the word management, we imply control, inputs, outputs, accountability and oversight. We assume that if we adjust a lever, we’ll predictably change the outcome. However, Rhode Island doesn’t behave that way. The state’s workforce connects to education. Education connects to housing. Housing connects to child care. Child care connects to labor participation. Health care connects to productivity and regulation connects to employer behavior. Push on one part, and something moves somewhere else, often in ways we didn’t anticipate. That’s not dysfunction, that’s systems dynamics. If we keep applying linear management thinking to a nonlinear ecosystem, we will keep getting surprises. A subtle but important shift One of the most insightful moments during the panel discussion came from from Matt Weldon. His reflection on the R.I. Department of Labor and Training wasn’t just about naming; it was about philosophy. The idea of evolving toward simply a “Department of Labor” allowing experts to handle training signals something deeper: Government as steward, not and operator. Times have changed. Training expertise lives in industry, in community colleges, in private educators, inside companies themselves. The state’s role is not to centrally manage every output. It’s to set the conditions, reduce friction, align incentives, and let the system function. That’s systems leadership. It recognizes that expertise is distributed. That progress requires coordination. That control is often an illusion in complex environments. Child care: A system’s case study The conversation around child care revealed this reality clearly. Many employers, including ours, have explored on-site child care. The intent is strong, the need is real. However, the roadblocks are equally real: regulation, insurance, liability and structural constraints. Farooq Rosa shared a similar experience from his time in hospitality. Different industry, but yet it faced the same system barriers. But the most powerful insight wasn’t operational it was cultural. What happens when a child spends time in the place where their parent or caregiver works? Work becomes visible.They see contribution, teamwork, purpose, adults solving problems and culture in motion. Instead of “mom or dad disappears somewhere for eight hours,” it becomes “My parent is part of something meaningful.” Those are subtle, lifelong learnings. That’s workforce development before kindergarten. Child care isn’t just a labor participation issue. It’s a cultural transmission issue. It shapes how the next generation understands work, dignity and responsibility. The human variable Inside our own organization, we focus on five behaviors when hiring:

Be present
Choose your attitude
Be world class
Make someone’s day
Have fun doing meaningful work

We can train skills and build technical capability. However, those five human disciplines drive performance inside any system. There are also things that technology or AI should ever replace! When you combine strengths-based alignment understanding how someone is wired and what energizes them with those behaviors, you create momentum inside an organization. When organizations generate momentum, the broader system strengthens. Misalignment creates friction and alignment creates flow. That’s true at both the company and state level. The action question The takeaway from the panel wasn’t a new program or a silver bullet. Instead it was “if Rhode Island is a system, then every leader in this state is a systems operator.” The question is no longer “how do we fix workforce?” The better question is: “where is my leverage point inside the system?” If you’re in education, how are you aligning your curriculum with real employer needs? If you’re in business, how are you building cultures that retain and develop people? If you’re in government, where are you reducing friction instead of adding layers? If you’re in health care or housing, how are your policies influencing labor participation? Systems improve when aligned actors apply thoughtful pressure at the right leverage points. That requires humility, coordination and shared ownership. But the opportunity is enormous. Rhode Island’s moment The room at the summit was filled with old friends, new collaborators, public leaders, employers, educators, people looking at each other not as competitors, but as resources. That’s a healthy signal. Rhode Island is small enough to coordinate. Smart enough to adapt. Connected enough to move quickly if we choose to think differently. We don’t need to manage harder, we need to understand deeper. You can’t manage what behaves like a system. But you can lead within it. Karl Wadensten is a member of the R.I. Commerce Corp. board and president of VIBCO Inc., a manufacturing company based in Richmond. He has spent more than 25 years helping build and retain jobs in Rhode Island’s small- and midsize business sector.