Introduction to System Thinking
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The document discusses systems and systems thinking, defining a system as a set of interconnected elements that produce specific behaviors. It contrasts traditional reductionism, which analyzes parts in isolation, with systems thinking that examines interactions and the system as a holistic entity. Emphasizing the importance of recognizing patterns and underlying structures, the document argues that systems thinking is crucial for understanding complex issues and their interrelated problems.
Introduction to System Thinking
- 1. Introduction to system and system thinking Behzad Behdani System thinker, SDG expert, Concerned about our Planet
- 2. Outline • What is a System? • What is system thinking? • Some main principles of system thinking 2
- 3. What is a System? - “A set of elements or parts that is coherently organized and interconnected in a pattern or structure that produces a characteristic set of behaviors, often classified as its function or purpose.” (Donella Meadows, 2008) 3 - “A system is a complex whole the functioning of which depends on its parts and the interactions between those parts” (Jackson, 2003) “A system is more than the sum of its parts” (Ackoff 1973)
- 4. Concept of System 4 • Systems consists of three things: 1. Elements 2. Interconnections 3. Function (non-human system) or Purpose (human system) • Examples of systems - Sports team - School - City - Factory - National Economy - IT system - Forest - Solar system
- 5. System vs. Collection • A system isn’t just any collection of things: “A collection is also composed of a number of parts but they are just dumped together and are not interconnected”, (Sherwood 2002) • How to know whether you are looking at a system or just a bunch of stuff : A) Can you identify parts? . . . and B) Do the parts affect each other? . . . and C) Do the parts together produce an effect that is different from the effect of each part on its own? . . . D) Does the effect, the behavior over time, persist in a variety of circumstances? 5 “The behaviour of a system cannot be known just by knowing the elements of the system” (Meadows 2008)
- 6. Traditional reductionism analysis vs. system thinking • Reductionism: a complex system is nothing but the sum of its parts • If you want to understand (and subsequently, optimize) the system, just decompose it to elements, analyse (and optimize) those elements and parts 6
- 7. Traditional reductionism analysis vs. system thinking • Reductionism: a complex system is nothing but the sum of its parts • If you want to understand (and subsequently, optimize) the system, just decompose it to elements, analyse (and optimize) those elements and parts 7
- 8. Traditional reductionism analysis vs. system thinking • Traditional analysis focuses on the individual pieces of what is being studied. • Systems thinking focuses on how the things being studied interact with the other constituents of the system. • Instead of isolating smaller and smaller parts of the system being studied, systems thinking works by expanding its view to consider larger and larger numbers of interactions as an issue is being studied. 8
- 9. What is Systems Thinking? • “Systems thinking is a discipline for seeing wholes. It is a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things, for seeing patterns of change rather than static snapshots. It is a set of general principles- distilled over the course of the twentieth century, spanning fields as diverse as the physical and social sciences, engineering, and management...” (Senge, 2006) 9
- 10. Reductionism analysis leads to sub- optimization • Looking at parts or elements (and optimizing them) separately, may lead to (and sometimes hide the) conflicts and sub-optimization • For example, in a company, when the marketing department pushes the company to produce a greater variety and number of products, the operation department may prefer low inventory of products >> the higher cost of production can be to the detriment of the company as a whole. • Ackoff: systems may be destroyed by separately improving the performance of one or more of their parts • The aim of systems thinking is to understand the functioning of the system as a whole: holistic thinking 10
- 11. Linear problem solving vs. non- linear problem solving • Problem: insect A is damaging crops • Linear problem solving: spray pesticides to kill the insects 11 Pesticide application Insect A is declined Crops flourish again
- 12. Linear problem solving vs. non- linear problem solving • Problem: insect A is damaging crops • Linear problem solving: spray pesticides to kill the insects 12 Pesticide application Insect A is declined Crops damaged even more Population of Insect B is growing
- 13. Unintended Consequences & cyclic influences 13
- 14. System perspective: events, patterns, structure, and mental models 14 Iceberg of Systems Thinking Source: https://blog.methodkit.com/the-iceberg-of-how-
- 15. Events vs. patterns/ system structure/ mental models • Systems fool us by presenting themselves as a single event. 15 Pandemonium ruled on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange on October 29, 1929. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Image The stock market crashed in 1929, making headlines. Black Tuesday was the fourth and last day of the stock market crash of 1929. It took place on October 29, 1929. Investors traded a record 16.4 million shares. They lost $14 billion on the New York Stock Exchange, worth $199 billion in 2017 dollars. The moment the opening bell rang, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 8 points to 252.6. Panicked sellers were shouting "Sell! Sell!" so loudly that no one heard the bell ring. In a half hour, they sold three million shares and lost $2 million. The prominent banks of the day tried to stop the crash. Morgan Bank, Chase National Bank and National City Bank of New York bought shares of stocks trying to restore confidence in the stock market. Instead, the intervention signaled the exact opposite. Investors saw it as a sign that the situation is not normal. When the market closed at 3 p.m., it had lost 11 percent of its value, closing at 230.7. (Source: "The Crash of 1929," Time Magazine, October 29, 2008.)
- 16. Events vs. patterns/ system structure/ mental models 16 Events Patterns System structure Systems fool us by presenting themselves as a single event. Mental models
- 17. Events vs. patterns/ system structure/ mental models • Long-term behavior provides clues to the underlying system structure. Do not look just at the events; look at the patterns. • System structures are created by the choices people make consciously or unconsciously over time, and these choices are made based on their mental models or paradigms. 17
- 18. Summary 18 • Systems are made up of interrelated parts that produce a set of behaviours (system’s function or purpose) • Unlike reductionism approach, Systems Thinking looks at the system as a whole and aim at understanding a system by looking at the linkages and interactions between the components that comprise the entirety of a system. • System thinking help us: • View the system as a whole, not as a series of parts • Realize that most problems are not isolated. . . they are interrelated >> think about unintended consequence • Do not look into events but the patterns and system structures as well as mental models
- 19. References and reading materials for system thinking • Meadows, D. H. (2008). Thinking in systems: A primer. chelsea green publishing. • Senge, Peter M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Broadway Business. • Jackson, M. C. (2003). Systems thinking: Creative holism for managers (p. 378). Chichester: Wiley. • Ackoff, R. L. (1973). Science in the systems age: beyond IE, OR, and MS. Operations research, 21(3), 661-671. 19
- 20. “The significant problems we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking at which they were created.” Albert Einstein 20