Systems Thinking

Dr. Amjad Idries

Why we study Systems Thinking?

• It is a leadership competency. Some people can think globally while acting locally (see the big picture).

• It helps to see the determinants and the consequences when we take decisions and actions to solve the problems.

• It helps in change some habits or practices or ways of thinking and way we talk.

What are systems?

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What we miss most of the time ……..

is to see the events or patterns from a system point of view

What is the system?• Meaning !!

• Definition: it is set of interacting or interdependent or

related components/ elements forming an integrated whole.

What differentiate systems?In what ways we think of and define a system?

Controls

Why feedback?

The boundary of a system is a decision made by an observer(s)Think about the entry points to the system

Elements of the System1. Inputs and Outputs2. Processes3. Controls4. Feedback5. Environment6. Boundaries and Interface

A system can be nested inside another system

A system can overlap with another system

Can we see systems?• Hard systems.

• Soft systems.

Model: is simplified representation or description of a system or situation used to improve understanding

Graphic models Conceptual model

Important aspects in models:

1. Components and/or Sub-systems

2. logical sequences of activities,

3. Influence or effects,

4. Flows,

Systems modeling is generally a basic principle in understanding how systems usually works, its behavior and dynamic

Concept of Multifinality• How different people see the same system?

• It helps in analyzing the system into subsystems.

• Also helps in understanding the boundaries and the environment.

Can you see it from different points of view?

SupermarketSocial

system

Dating system

Supply system

Profit making system

Distribution system

Employment system

What is the benefits of that?

New insights may be gained into:

- how the supermarket works?

- why it has problems?

- how it can be improved?

- how changes made to one component of the

system may impact the other components?

Challenging you ……..

HR SystemIn your

organization

By thinking like this you start to look for the

SynergyWhat is the situation where different

entities combine advantageously .

where the whole becomes greater than the sum of the individual parts

Systems Thinking

What is Systems Thinking?• Is the process of understanding how things

within the systems influence one another within a whole.

• It is an approach to problem solving, by viewing "problems" as parts of an overall system.

• It involves much more than the reaction to present outcomes or events.

• It demands a deeper understanding of the linkages, relationships, interactions and behaviors among the elements that characterize the entire system.

The Concept• It was introduced for the first time by the

military strategist (John A. Warden III).

• Five Ring System model: any complex system could be broken down into five concentric rings.

Five Ring System model1. Leadership,

2. Processes,

3. Infrastructure,

4. Population and

5. Action Units

System Characteristics• Self-organizing.• Constantly changing.• Tightly linked.• Governed by Feedback.• Non-linear.• History dependent.• Counter-intuitive.• Resistant to change.

Sterman 2006

Self-organizing• System dynamics arise spontaneously

from internal structure.• The structure is usually linked to the

behavior of the system.

Constantly changing• Systems adjust and readjust at many

interactive time scales.

Tightly linked• The high degree of the connectivity means

that the change in one sub-system affects the others.

Governed by Feedback• Positive or negative response that may alter

the intervention or expected effects

Non-linear• Relationships within the system cannot be

arranged along a simple input-output line

History dependent• Short-term effects of intervening may differ

from long term effects

Counter-intuitive• Cause and effect are often distant in time and

space, defying solutions that pit causes close to the effects they seek to address

Resistant to change• Seemingly obvious solutions may fail or

worsen the situation.

This approach makes you…..…… more able to understand the context and the

connections.

…. anticipate rather than react to, the downstream consequences of changes in the system.

…….. more able to identify upstream points of control.

This makes you a good system thinker

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