How to Start Thinking in System - illustrated
A visual introduction to System Thinking
I’m taking a short break from the Cognitive biases, to explore another important aspect of our thinking:
Have you ever been confronted with a small issue that turns out to be very difficult to solve?
Or a problem so big that it discourages action or makes it hard to know where to start?
These types of challenges require us to go beyond simple Cause & Effects, and start thinking in “Systems”.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems”
James Clear
System thinking helps us understand the complexity of the world by focusing on how things are connected, rather than on individual parts.
It can benefit us personally, (for example in self-improvement), or help with complex issues within organizations, ecosystems, or society at large.
Becoming a good System Thinker is a life-long journey, but taking the time to understand the basics can immediately improve our thinking skills.
Now, here are 6 tips on how to start:
Look at the BIG PICTURE
You may have heard the story of the blind men trying to understand what an elephant looks like, each touching a different part of the animal and getting a very different idea... This is us when we use linear thinking on a complex problem.
We should resist the temptation to look only at a specific event or part, and look at the “Whole” instead.
2. Identify PARTS & RELATIONSHIPS
Having decided to look at the big picture, we can then start to visually represent our system by identifying:
Parts, (the separate elements)
Interconnections (the flow of information or resources),
Stocks (the quantity of something),
Flows (increase/decrease in the stocks)
We can ensure we include different perspectives by using a standard set of questions. Below is an example found online, from Dr. Joseph Kasser.
For each category, you would ask: Who? What? When? Why? How?
Big picture - Context and assumptions
Operational - What does the system do? (outside perspective)
Functional - What the system do and how? (inside perspective)
Structural - How are things organised / Hierarchy?
Generic - How is the system similar to other system?
Continuum - How is the system different from other system?
Temporal - How was the system in the past, present, future?
Quantitative - Information about quantities, values , numbers
Scientific - Your Hypothesis / Guess about the cause of the issue, after above the thinking
This will help us refine the system model and later generate ideas for potential solutions.
3. Avoid EGO, RUSHED or BAND-AID solutions
We should be careful not to jump too quickly into action, a rushed solution might bring us back to linear thinking, producing win-lose situations or hiding the real problem behind band-aid solutions.
Another pitfall to avoid is "Ego decisions" short-circuiting the process with your own (or the boss’s) preferred solution. A clear commitment upfront on using system thinking may help.
4 Look for the FEEDBACK-LOOPS
We mentioned flows earlier, some powerful ones are Feedback-loops:
Reinforcing Feedback Loops produce exponential increase or decrease in the system (for good or bad).
Balancing Feedback Loops are preventing large changes in the system (again for good or bad).
Understanding where in the system those loops are, is crucial to design effective solutions.
5. Find the LEVERAGE POINTS
We should look for places where a small change can have a big impact.
Donella Meadows(1941-2001) proposed 12 types of leverage points, sometimes summarized as Intent > Design > Feedbacks > Materials.
Changing specific elements (or parameters) of a system has way less impact than modifying the Goal of the system or the Mindset / Paradigm / Culture that created it.
I will share next week more details about the 12 Leverage points, with a fun example using the TV show “The Office”.
Make sure you are subscribed not to miss it :).
6. Continuously ANALYZE & ADAPT
After implementing a change, we should expect a delay before we see a positive effect, but also be careful about potential unexpected consequences.
Continuous monitoring, refinement of our understanding of the system, and adaptation are therefore essential.
Thanks for reading!
Was it helpful?
Did it convince you to try (or continue) using System thinking?
What else would be interesting for you around that topic?
If you found this interesting you may want to check, this post:
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As always many thanks for reading, it is for me a way to share my passion of Visual Thinking but also keep me learning and improving!
Cheers!
EDIT: The Post about Leverage Points is out!