The Vitruvian Man is a systems thinking example: more than an illustration of human proportions it is the synthesis of anatomical, geometrical, religious and philosophical studies and way greater than the sum of its parts. Exercises work well for teams’ workshops and these games last from five minutes to one hour. If you enjoyed this post, it would mean the world to us if you shared it with people you care about via any of the social media platforms below! Cause and effect. — John Stuart Mill So why am I focusing on meaning when the entire world is focused on happiness? This is important because, in most cases, the parts of a system are all interrelated. With only superficial knowledge about the reasons behind terrorism, we then respond in fear and anger, which often only increases the terrorists’ conviction. These are those spontaneously occurring situations in a business meeting when the drop-in use of a simple balancing or reinforcing loop can explain or illuminate a previously murky situation. In the coming posts I will try to demonstrate systems thinking through examples I’ve learned along my studies. The 11 Commandments of How to Be More Attractive. The purpose is to promote a greater awareness of systems under the guise of play. The principle: A system is not the sum of its parts, it’s the product of their interactions. It’s extremely important to understand that the idea works the same whether we’re talking about building an automobile, governing a nation or running a company. With simple physical systems we know how to make system change possible: you would not use slinky to hammer a nail, you’d use a hammer. Following a 2 hour complete top-to-bottom physical (poking, prodding, probing, palpitating) including blood & urine samples, body mass ratios, and lots of other stuff I’ve never heard of, he schedules a follow up session to review the results. The following are illustrative examples of independence. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. You are influencing the dog’s behavior by kicking it and in return the dog will influence your behavior by attacking you. The original authors allow stude… Until next time, behave and as always…Prime Your Pump! Not all situations work this way though. For example, to illustrate the point that organizations get the behavior they reward, I draw the following loop: The key in such situations is to use natural language to bring the point across. Next time when someone is angry at you, try to look for ways you might have influenced his or her behavior. Drug problems are solved by putting addicts into prison, type two diabetes is taken care of by prescribing medicine, and poor economic growth is resolved by subsidizing badly performing industries. My doctor for the past 30 years just instituted a similar type process. Examples of systems thinking are: (1) Treating your body as one system whose parts interact; for example, all of your body parts are important to your overall health. From the reams of data, numbers, and percentages (none of which make any sense to me), he can determine if my meds or diet needs adjusting, and if so, by how much. You can begin reading the picture from anywhere. The principles contained in these cards can prompt healthcare teams at all organisational levels to frame team discussions to encourage a systems approach to exploring and … If you were to kick a ball, the ball would simply bounce away. It might run away, but it could also attack you. This is how systems thinkers view situations, problems and the world in general. Systems thinking will make people realise that their decision will have an impact on other areas of … One way to look at it is that by breaking stuff the anarchists try to draw attention to issues in our society. What do you think you will get? The answer is obvious: you don’t even get an automobile! Harvest, paper tear and community maze are just a few examples. A failing industry is not always the result of bad policy or leadership. We as humans tend to often focus only on changing the way we manipulate a system, instead of changing the system itself! However, if you were to kick a dog, the poor creature would react in some way. This is How to Give an Amazingly Memorable Tribute Speech. Talent . This is relatively easy to understand with physical systems such as an automobile, but with more complex systems like cities it often gets more difficult. Our education system encourages students to postpone graduation. Document. Creative destruction is part of the continuous cycle of innovation that drives our economies (a self-renewing system). You can’t get the interactions between the parts back. Pointing fingers and demonizing the rioters only feeds our own egos and makes us feel superior. For example, an individual who has decided that simplifying their life is key to their happiness and development as a person. You take a glass, go to a water tap and fill the glass in order to have a drink. Let’s begin again with a thought experiment. The parts won’t simply fit together. Take a look at this short introductory video for systems thinking: Suppose you’re holding a slinky in one upturned hand with the other hand under the slinky. Instead of one time events and simple cause-effect relationships, they see circles of causality. You are, in fact, engaged in a system that has five variables: The above picture illustrates how the different elements of the system influence one another. Being Optimistic By Keeping Your Line in the Water! It is very difficult to understand what the anarchists tried to achieve by breaking other people’s property. So this report is certainly not suggesting that this is a new idea. For example, say “these … It provides a simple analysis: anarchists break places -> anarchists are the problem. This is the kind of stuff we worried over on almost daily basis. So the basic principles of systems thinking have never been more relevant. An engine from a Rolls-Royce won’t work well with an exhaust system from a Mercedes. However, with more complex systems, such as schools systems or cities, we sometimes forget that the behavior we witness is the result of the system acting the way it’s design to act. Simon Sinek Recommended for you They try to fix the issue by starting initiatives and programs rather than changing the system itself. We often err when we think in mutually exclusive opposites. First, why is meaning important? Jet Lag Recovery – This is How to Avoid the Drag of Jet Lag! Costco and Organics – Costco has realized that one of the biggest barriers to being able to meet consumers’ growing demand for organic food is the supply chain. In the news you see only one time events and the end results of some larger phenomenon. I am not saying that individuals shouldn’t be held accountable for their actions. If you separate them into components, the entire system suffers. And what’s the difference? It’s also great way to understand the business methodology called systems thinking, which is based on the book, Thinking in Systems, by Donella H. Meadows. Systems thinking allows us to take control of a part of life, reduce it to a manageable set of inputs and outputs, and establish some predictability.. A haphazard collection of tools, habits, and methods is not the same as a purposeful system. Instead of talking about the event itself, try to think about what kind of circles of causality might have caused the event. As you’d imagine, the lower end of slinky will bounce up and down in air, with the upper end suspended in your fingers. Subscribe to Receive Summary of Posts From the Week in Your Inbox Every Saturday Morning! Systems thinking is a discipline for seeing wholes. They provide negative feedback, and hence, also known as negative feedback loops. What the anarchists probably don’t understand is that the violent actions themselves easily become the center of attention instead of the anarchists’ actual message. A pretty good example of "systems thinking" can be found in the United States of America where the judicial system, for example, is used to … One of the core concepts of systems thinking is interconnectedness. Instead governments and organizations often find blame in some outside forces. NES Systems Thinking for Everyday Work (STEW) Cards. The question is: what made slinky bounce up and down? The Importance of Systems Thinking in Businesses. You have a desired water level in mind, so while the water is pouring into the glass, you’re monitoring the ‘gap’ between the current water level and your goal. When the water flow changes, it in turn has an effect on the current water level, which finally influences the perceived gap. It’s quite appropriate. If that’s the case, what does this actually teach us about systems thinking? This is How to Give an Amazingly Memorable Tribute Speech The elephant story is a reminder to approach life with empathy; to step into other people’s shoes, whenever possible. Required fields are marked *. “Systems thinking is most useful for understanding the behavior of systems… To understand behaviors (events and patterns), one must first identify and understand the systemic structures and underlying mental models that yield them… The Iceberg Model argues that mental models and systemic structures, which are often hidden, give rise to events and patterns (often in the form of … In his days, Russell Ackoff would often demonstrate systems thinking with an example about building an automobile. Enjoy! Systems Thinking for Everyday Work (STEW) Systems Thinking for Everyday Work (STEW) Add to favourites. Remember, every system wants to work and does correctly 99.9% of the time. The person is dead. (3)  Giving in to the wants of physicians in a hospital, while ignoring the rest of the employees in the hospital. Long times of graduation in Finland are not because students are lazy. However, systems thinking can best be understood by viewing real life phenomena and everyday issues through the systems lens. Self-Reliance Turning to yourself when you have a problem. FOUNDATION CONCEPT SEEK MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES CONSIDER WORK CONDITIONS ANALYSE INTERACTIONS AND FLOW UNDERSTAND WHY DECISIONS MAKE SENSE AT THE TIME EXPLORE PERFORMANCE VARIABILITY Introduction The principles contained in these cards can be used to frame team discussions to encourage a systems … Type two diabetes and heart problems are not the failing of an individual. Problems that will reappear with some frequency even if you solve them today. To practice thinking from a more systemic perspective, start by paying attention to the questions you ask. 10 Useful Ideas on Systems Thinking Examples of systems thinking in everyday life. 19 Deep Quotes That Will Really Make You Think, The 11 Commandments of How to Be More Attractive. ” At the heart of systems thinking is the principle of interconnectedness. When you’re filling the glass with water, there are actually several things happening at the same time. Ps. What I am saying is that we need to start talking about the real issues rather than pointing fingers. The agreed principles are illustrated graphically in the Systems Thinking for Everyday Work (STEW) conceptual model , and detailed descriptions are provided in online supplementary appendix 2. Russell Ackoff (1919-2009) was a pioneering organizational theorist and a systems thinker who has inspired me in many ways. Indeed, the … When students learn critical thinking skills in school, they can put those skills to use in aspects of everyday life. NES has adapted and tested Systems Thinking principles from work previously undertaken and led by Dr Steve Shorrock from EUROCONTROL. A total bodily systems approach. Systems thinking (ST) is a scientific discipline based on the study of systems which accommodates the fields of cybernetics, decision theory, operations research, physics, amongst others (Lawton, 2005). The story would go something like this: Suppose you’re building the best automobile in the world. Most leaders don't even know the game they are in - Simon Sinek at Live2Lead 2016 - Duration: 35:09. We have also made easy access to these foods possible. The performance of the automobile is dependant on the interaction of its parts, not on the performance of the parts taken separately. Using linear thinking we would conclude that because the anarchists were the ones wrecking places, the problem is in the anarchists. (1)  Treating your body as one system whose parts interact; for example, all of your body parts are important to your overall health. “Whenever you are making a decision think about the impact on the entire system.” When I worked in the aerospace industry, this sort of became my mantra. Trying to find someone to blame begins with the false premise that there is in fact someone or something that can be identified as the single cause for our problems. Anti-systemic thinking is a way of thinking that focuses on the welfare of the individual components of the system, not the benefits to the entire system. With many evolutionary systems (like your life), they also want to grow (you can think of this as the system’s goal ).If you want to grow as an individual (output), you can apply a model (process) to help you get where you want to go. Holding the slinky with one hand you pull the other hand away and let slinky loose. I’m writing this up for my own benefit but, as always, it’s worth reading the original. Pursuit of Happiness Defining self-fulfillment and happiness for yourself. Her comment, so typical of a Jersey girl – “the assholes always win”. System thinking example 1: the automobile In my previous post I discussed about what systems thinking is. In spring 2006, numerous publications and three books have been written from this field, which by the influence of Hämäläinen and Saarinen, applies an open sourcespirit, or Socratic accessible-to-all-philosophy, to further the field of SI research. We … From “either/or” to “both/and”. System thinking example 1: the automobile. Similarly, you would ask your engineers to find out which of the cars has the best exhaust system and pick that for your future car. Here’s some good news: Americans now spend eleven hours every day … In fact you almost certainly apply systems thinking in your everyday life, where you have to engage with and respond to multiple economic, political and personal systems – you just don’t call it that. It’s not all about you! (3) Treating the employees of a company as part of an integrated whole; for example, in a hospital, a physician is not more important than a janitor, if your goal is to have a well-functioning hospital. Putting Systems Thinking to Work. In an arms race between nations there is no one country or individual to blame. They attempt to bring a system to an equilibrium state. –Howie. Your email address will not be published. 19 Deep Quotes That Will Really Make You Think I have heard the anus story before. You would then give the list to your engineers and mechanics and ask them to assemble the car. But is there an alternative? As the water level rises, you are adjusting the faucet with your hand and finally closing it when the water has reached the desired level. Think about terrorism for instance: most of the time we only pay attention to the one time incidents and terrorist attacks we see in the news. By understanding systems thinking we would realize that the anarchists’ actions do not represent the failing of an individual, but are the end result of some systemic structures in our society. The real issues leading to the events on independence day might have been developing for years, if not decades. Definition an organized group of relative objects or componets that interact to create a whole Example of a closed system systems a lava lamp is a closed system.The energy source is the electricity that we get from plugging it in the lamp gives off thermal energy,but no matter is Let me begin by quickly defining the opposite of systems thinking, which I will in this case call linear thinking. If we were thinking linearly, we would see a simple cause and effect relationship: you filling a glass of water. The need for meaningis at the core of our experience and, as Victor Frankl believed, essential for optimal human development. Thus, issuing blame on individuals is useless, if not dangerous because it prevents us from understanding the real causes. What we don’t know is what has been influencing the terrorists in a way that causes them to take violent action. Here are three great examples of systems or integrated thinking in action. Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness. In slinky’s case its easy to understand that slinky is a physical system whose behavior is fundamentally dependant upon two things: 1. the characteristics of the system, 2. outside forces affecting the system. Your email address will not be published. The concept was formulated in the Laboratory of Systems Analysis at the Helsinki University of Technology, Finland, fall 2002. Slinky bounces up and down because of some inherent characteristic within slinky itself. The reason we make the anarchists the bad guys is because it’s the usual knee-jerk reaction to violence and because it provides a simple cause-effect explanation removing us from any responsibility. In this case, the anarchists’ actions would be explained in the context of the underlying social problems that influence the anarchists’ behavior. — Peter Senge, American systems scientist . (The below pictures are from Senge’s book The Fifth Discipline.). For a consultant or facilitator, the use of strategic moments to introduce systems concepts can be powerful. How to Increase Energy Levels: A Day in the Life of You! However, shunning the anarchists helps no one either. Jet Lag Recovery – This is How to Avoid the Drag of Jet Lag! According to systems thinking, in order to understand a single event it has to be observed in the context of the larger whole it is part of. The systems-thinking approach analyzes the problem within … E-book: Business Models for a Circular Economy. To use systems thinking in your life you have to consider all of the components, not just one, for example, it’s not all about you. However, it’s clear that you would not get the same reaction by holding a book, a hammer, or anything else other than slinky in your hand. This week’s video is about systems thinking. If the end result of a system is drug addicts and population suffering from diabetes, then the system has been designed to produce these results. Other systems thinking examples include a loaf of bread, a supply chain, educational systems or healthcare systems. So they’ve started investing in organic producers. The first answer that might cross your mind is that your hand was the cause. Desired water level influences the perceived gap, which influences the faucet position, which again has an influence on the water flow. However, the situation looks different from a systems point of view. Systems thinking isn’t just for business or manufacturing geeks. You would go about it by first bringing each of all the car models in the world to one place. And despite its name, it’s not just a way of thinking, it’s also a way of seeing things and a way of acting. Systems Thinking for Everyday Work (STEW) A Safety & Improvement Model for Healthcare. Life is vast, unpredictable, and complicated. It’s easy to find examples of critical thinking skills being applied, everyday, in everyday life. If you are thinking that smart cars don’t personally effect you as they are still … Meaning in life is not just a theoretical or philosophical construct, but it has a bearing on human health and well being. The reality is that finding fault is irrelevant to begin with. Publisher: NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Type: Learning. Now it’s time to make systems thinking work for us. … Different countries have their own bad examples, but the thinking behind the issues is often the same. © Copyright 2018 reserved by primeyourpump.com. Format: PDF. In Finland, our government attempts to get students to graduate faster by placing restrictions on maximum study years, which is another demonstration of linear thinking. (2) Treating your family as one system whose parts interact; for example, balancing scarce resources so the entire family benefits. Social Media Feeds. (2) Treating your family as one system whose parts interact; for example, balancing scarce resources so the entire family benefits. What can we learn from Finnish anarchists? Systems thinking has helped governance programmes in Tanzania experiment and adapt, has brought together stakeholders in the Tajikistan water sector in an effort to find innovative solutions, and has led to a radical change in how programmes are designed in Sri Lanka. In order to change the behavior, change the system. As usual, Joan listened in to your weekly video session. This has nothing to do with the loops themselves being good or bad. A good resource is the Systems Thinking Playbook which introduces thirty systems thinking exercises. By Richard Wilkinson, 2001 “Real life is lived in a complex world system where all the subsystems overlap and affect each other. Comment below on any examples where you have used system thinking. The author-editors of the first publications on SI were professors Raimo P. Hämäläinen and Esa Saarinen. (1) Taking medicine for your heart that hurts your liver. Imagine that you’re thirsty and decide to have glass of water. Systems thinking tries to understand the rules that determine how different systems—some seemingly unrelated—behave, ... You are probably very focused on getting your everyday tasks done, in resolving tangible problems. Systems thinking is a way of thinking that focuses on the welfare of the entire system, not the benefits to the component parts of the system. If the anarchists aren’t at fault, who is? Free will still exists and individuals need to take responsibility for their behavior. ST involves thinking of the organisation as a whole and its different parts. This is how we humans perceive the world most of the time, which is why our problem definitions are often so badly off the mark. For example, if you take all the parts of a person apart, you can’t put them back together. Examples where you have used system thinking in this case call linear thinking for defining as. The first publications on SI were professors Raimo P. Hämäläinen and Esa Saarinen for optimal human.! 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Patient and public involvement from understanding the real issues rather than static ‘snapshots’ your Pump never been relevant. Inherent characteristic within slinky itself learned along my studies video session often find in...: what made slinky bounce up and down address to follow this blog and Receive notifications of posts! Led by Dr Steve Shorrock from EUROCONTROL the situation looks different from a Rolls-Royce won ’ t put back... The product of their interactions re thirsty and decide to have a problem of stuff we worried over on daily. Performance of the principles Frankl believed, essential for optimal human development has an effect on current. And does correctly 99.9 % of the parts of a system are all interrelated with frequency. To your weekly video session I’ve learned along my studies SI were professors Raimo P. and. Our experience and, as Victor Frankl believed, essential for optimal human development won ’ t get interactions. Time when someone is angry at you, try to fix the issue from a more systemic perspective, by! Been influencing the dog will influence your behavior by kicking it and return!