Systems Thinking

Written by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Copyright 1997-2008.
Adapted from the Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development and Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development with Nonprofits.

Sections of This Topic Include:

Basics -- Definitions
- - - What's a System?
- - - What's Systems Theory?
- - - What's Systems Thinking?
- - - What are Some Systems Principles?
- - - What are Some Systems Tools?
Systems Thinking in Organizations
Organizations as Open Systems
Five Disciplines of Systems Thinking -- Per Peter Senge
Some Applications of Systems Theory
Inquiry and Advocacy
Chaos Theory
Links to Additional Resources

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Definitions: Systems, Systems Theory, Systems Thinking, Tools

What's a System?

Adapted from the Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development: Collaborative and Systems Approach to Performance Change and Learning.

One of the biggest breakthroughs in how we understand and guide change in organizations is systems theory and systems thinking. To understand how they are used in organizations, we first must understand a system. Many of us have an intuitive understanding of the term. However, we need to make the understanding explicit in order to use systems thinking and systems tools in organizations.

Simply put, a system is an organized collection of parts (or subsystems) that are highly integrated to accomplish an overall goal. The system has various inputs, which go through certain processes to produce certain outputs, which together, accomplish the overall desired goal for the system. So a system is usually made up of many smaller systems, or subsystems. For example, an organization is made up of many administrative and management functions, products, services, groups and individuals. If one part of the system is changed, the nature of the overall system is often changed, as well -- by definition then, the system is systemic, meaning relating to, or affecting, the entire system. (This is not to be confused with systematic, which can mean merely that something is methodological. Thus, methodological thinking -- systematic thinking -- does not necessarily mean systems thinking.)

Systems range from simple to complex. There are numerous types of systems. For example, there are biological systems (for example, the heart), mechanical systems (for example, a thermostat), human/mechanical systems (for example, riding a bicycle), ecological systems (for example, predator/prey) and social systems (for example, groups, supply and demand and also friendship). Complex systems, such as social systems, are comprised of numerous subsystems, as well. These subsystems are arranged in hierarchies, and integrated to accomplish the overall goal of the overall system. Each subsystem has its own boundaries of sorts, and includes various inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes geared to accomplish an overall goal for the subsystem. Complex systems usually interact with their environments and are, thus, open systems.

A high-functioning system continually exchanges feedback among its various parts to ensure that they remain closely aligned and focused on achieving the goal of the system. If any of the parts or activities in the system seems weakened or misaligned, the system makes necessary adjustments to more effectively achieve its goals.

A pile of sand is not a system. If you remove a sand particle, you have still got a pile of sand. However, a functioning car is a system. Remove the carburetor and you no longer have a working car.

What's Systems Theory?

Systems Theory
What is Systems Theory?
Introduction to Systems Theory
What is management and what do managers do? A systems theory account
Principia Cybernetica's list of links

What's Systems Thinking?

What is Systems Thinking?
Introduction to Systems Thinking
Language of Systems Thinking: "Links" and "Loops"
Overview of Systems Thinking
Systems Thinking and Organizations -- An Initial Inquiry into the Subject A Systems View: A Poem (of Sorts)
Organizational Lens -- How Different People Can View the Same Organization Very Differently

What Are Some Systems Principles?

Some Systems Principles (for changing systems)
Systems Theory: Principles?
Principles of Change
12 Principles for Managing Change

What Are Some Systems Tools?

Language of Systems Thinking: Links and Loops
Causal Loop Diagrams
Guidelines for Drawing Causal Loop Diagrams
System Diagrams
Systems Dynamics (scroll down to "causal loop diagrams")

Systems Thinking in Organizations

Business Organizations as Systems
Systems Thinking: A Requirement for all Employees
Learning Organization (includes broad, useful overview of systems thinking)
Tour of Organizational Learning and Systems Thinking Concepts
Quick Tour of Systems Thinking and Organizational Learning (many links)

Organizations as Open Systems

Open Systems Concepts
What's an Open System? (includes depiction)
Benefits of an Open Systems View
Use of the Open Systems Concept for Quality Improvement
Organizations as Open Systems
Systems Thinking and Learning Organizations (scroll down to "Organizations are Open Systems")
Open system (systems theory)

Five Disciplines of Systems Thinking -- Per Peter Senge

Peter Senge wrote a seminal book about systems thinking, The Fifth Discipline (Doubleday, 1990). In his book, he suggested five disciplines necessary to cultivate systems thinking in an effort or organization. In addition to the discipline of systems thinking, he suggests the following four disciplines, as well.

Personal Mastery

Senge describes personal mastery as "continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively" (The Fifth Discipline, Doubleday, 1990, p. 7).
Overview of Personal Mastery
Personal Wellness
Personal Development

Mental Models

Senge explains "Mental models are deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures or images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action" (p. 8).
Inquiry and Advocacy are two primary techniques to identify and reframe mental models
Mental Models
Mental Model Musings
Overview of Mental Models
Valuing Diversity

Building Shared Vision

Senge notes "If any one idea about leadership has inspired organizations for thousands of years, it's the capacity to hold a shared picture of the future we seek to create" (p. 9).
Overview of Shared Vision
Developing a Vision
Overview of a Shared Vision (scroll down to find it) Discipline of shared vision

Also see:

Appreciative Inquiry
Dialoguing
Feedback
Interviews (exit interviews, by media, for a job, selecting job candidate and research method)
Listening
Planning (planning that is carried out well goes a long way toward shared vision)
Presenting
Non-Verbal Communications
Questioning

Team Learning

Senge asks "How can a team of committed managers with individual IQs above 120 have a collective IQ of 63?" (p. 9.).He adds "Team learning is vital because teams, not individuals, are the fundamental learning unit in modern organizations" (p. 10).
Overview of Teams from Systems Perspective
Dialoguing
Team Building
Group Performance Management

Some Applications of Systems Theory

Management and Leadership: A Systemic Perspective
Victims of the System or Systems of the Victim
Nobody Ever Gets Credit for Fixing Problems That Never Happened

Links to Online Resources

Systems Thinking Practice (extensive map with links to systems thinking resources)
Link to Numerous Articles

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For the Category of Systems Thinking:

Related Library Topics

Recommended Books

Basics and General Information

The following books are recommended because of their highly practical nature and often because they include a wide range of information about this Library topic. To get more information about each book, just hover your cursor over the image of the book. A "bubble" of information will be displayed. You can click on the title of the book in that bubble to get more information, too.

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Also See

Creativity and Innovation -- Recommended Books