Systemic thinking

(Image reproduced from asiasociety.org)

Systems thinking is an approach to problem solving which aims to understand how individual things influence one another within a whole system. Systems thinking aims to view problems or issues as parts of an overall system. Systems thinking is based on the belief that the component parts of a system can best be understood in the context of relationships with each other and with other systems,  rather than in isolation.

A system is defined as a group of related parts in a greater whole, and which have integrity as a group which is damaged and changed if you take parts away. In systems, the pattern and behaviour of the parts is important, and there are dynamic relationships between the parts of the system.

Systems thinking focuses on cyclical and distributive effect rather than linear cause and effect. If linear cause and effect are solely examined, we might fixate on one part of the system to the detriment of the whole.

(Image reproduced from sys-think.com)

In systems thinking, we analyse how issues or events may contribute to further development of unintended consequences through the way they interact in systems outside themselves. This is the principle of "You can never do one thing": any action you take will have consequences across the system, whether you intend those actions to occur or not. For this reason, Ferdig (2007) places systems thinking as one of the most basic paths to sustainability.

(Image reproduced from tranisitionculture)

An important part of systems thinking can be setting the boundaries of the system you are considering. However, it is important to critically analyse the nature of the boundary you are imposing, and examine how we as humans conceptually place boundaries. Otherwise, your thinking could be affected by an artificial boundary that reinforces current viewpoints and guards against innovative thinking - as Descartes noted: We do not describe the world we see. We see the world we describe.

Guiding principles of systems thinking

• The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
• You cannot discover or predict emergent properties of the whole by looking at the properties of the parts
• You can never do only one thing
• Everything is connected but not equally strongly
• The health of bigger systems and subsystems are intimately connected
• A change of the part affects the whole
• Stability and resistance to change are two sides of the same coin
• Complex systems show delayed response

Useful Links

• Linking Thinking toolkit - WWF Scotland (pdf download 700mb+)