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Nanette ChadwickFaculty Sustainability Workshop

May 12, 2015

Systems Thinking: Concepts for Problem Solving

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SYSTEMS THINKING:

-- understands systems as dynamic wholes rather than as collections of parts,

as webs of interdependent connections that create emerging patterns.

-- sees isolated events in the larger context of emergent patterns as they unfold through time.

-- sees how the parts within wholes interrelate, and identifies leverage points to lead to desired outcomes.

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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.... During the last thirty years, these tools have been applied to understand a wide range of corporate, urban, regional, economic, political, ecological, and even psychological systems. And systems thinking is a sensibility -- for the subtle interconnectedness that gives living systems their unique character.

Peter Senge

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"All the important problems we face are systemic problems: the survival of the planet's ecology, world peace, the elimination of hunger and disease, the education of youth, and social justice--just to name a few. Over the past several decades the systemic nature of these complex problems has gradually entered the public's consciousness. Complex problems are systemic, complex problems are counterintuitive, systemic problems are everywhere, systemic problems are messy problems." 

Hutchins

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TOOLS

Describe what you observe.

Behavior over Time Graphs

Causal Loop Diagrams, Leverage Points

Identify mental models

ICEBERG MODEL

• React to Events – What do we notice?

• Describe the Patterns and Trends

• Identify the Systemic Structures - causal relationships

• Transform our Mental Models

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STEPS FOR USING TOOLS:[See handout]

(1) Observe an event or phenomenon.

EXAMPLE: Americans consume a large amount of fast food.

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(2) Describe patterns and trendsBehavior over time Graph (BOTG)

TIME – define your scale! – seconds, days, years?

BEH

AV

IOR

–

be s

peci

fic

– define y

our

scale

!-Represent your perception-General trends

OR

-Data intensive-Detailed

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Trends in fast food consumption

1960 Time (years) 2010

Am

ou

nt

of

fast

food

con

su

med

per

pers

on

per

year

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Average U.S. Food Expenditure Shares:At-Home vs.Away-from-Home. Source: Budget shares based on data from Food Expenditures Data Set, ERS, USDA; at http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-expenditures.aspx.

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DATA

INTENSIVE

DETAILED

Many examples of BOTGs in article assigned for reading.

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(3) Identify system structure.

What are causes and effects of the trend in higher fast food consumption?

CAUSES: EFFECTS:

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Create causal loop diagrams (CLDs):

-- do not have to be circular-- can simply show flow from causes to events, and then to effects-- may be several layers deep (root causes, ultimate effects)

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Increasing fast food consumption

Eat more fast

foods

Do less cooking,

more free time

Fill schedule with

activities

Tight schedule, little time to

cook

Need quick meals

Positive and negative feedback

cyclesand their effects

Where are potential leverage

points to alter trends?

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Unclassified document from the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – 12/2009

CLD’s may

be simple

to VERY

COMPLEX

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BOTGs describe WHAT happens in a

system(observed patterns)

CLDs explain WHY(BEWARE: CLDs are always a

simplified representation of reality!)

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(4) Transform mental models.

-- this step does not always occur--many blocks, pressures-- does not have to happen, for systems thinking to be valuable-- creation of cognitive dissonance is valuable

What is the thinking that perpetuates these systemic structures?

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Systems thinking:-- tools can be applied to any event or phenomenon.-- Identifies the underlying causes and ultimate effects of trends-- allows students to make connections among isolated phenomena

-- can alter mental models-- empowers perspective, identifies leverage points for change in systems

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Habits of a Systems Thinker:

Handout to discuss and take home.

Also available,with many other resources,

at:

www.watersfoundation.org