Systems thinking is a social approach using systems theories to create desired outcomes, or change. It is an unique approach to problem solving, in that it views certain 'problems' as a part of the overall system so focusing on these outcomes will only further develop the undesired element or problem. ^[1] Systems thinking is a framework that is based on the belief that the component parts of a system will act differently when the systems relationships are removed and it is viewed in isolation. The only way to fully understand why a problem or element occurs and persists is to understand the part in relation to the whole.^[2] Standing in contrast to Descartes', scientific reductionism and philosophical analysis, it proposes to view systems in a holistic manner. Consistent with systems philosophy, systems thinking concerns an understanding of a system by examining the linkages and interactions between the elements that comprise the entirety of the system. In general, a things components are its parts; the things that compose it. ... For other uses, see System (disambiguation). ... René Descartes René Descartes (IPA: , March 31, 1596 – February 11, 1650), also known as Cartesius, worked as a philosopher and mathematician. ... The term scientific reductionism has been used to describe various reductionist ideas about science. ... Philosophical analysis is a general term for the techniques used by philosophers. ... The Earth seen from Apollo 17. ... Systems Philosophy - A study in the development of systems with emphasis on design and root cause analysis. ...

Systems thinking attempts to illustrate that events are separated by distance and time and that small catalytic events can cause large changes in complex systems. Acknowledging that an improvement in one area of a system can adversely affect another area of the system, it promotes organizational communication at all levels in order to avoid the silo effect. Systems thinking techniques may be used to study any kind of system — natural, scientific, engineered, human, or conceptual. There are many definitions of complexity, therefore many natural, artificial and abstract objects or networks can be considered to be complex systems, and their study (complexity science) is highly interdisciplinary. ... Organizational communication, broadly speaking, is: the transactional, symbolic process in which the activities of a social collective are coordinated to achieve individual and collective goals. ... The silo effect is a phrase that is currently popular in the business and organizational communities to describe a lack of communication and common goals between departments in an organization. ... Natural is defined as of or relating to nature; this applies to both definitions of nature: essence (ones true nature) and the untouched world (force of nature). Natural is often used meaning good, healthy, or belonging to human nature. This use can be questioned, as many freely growing plants... For the scientific journal named Science, see Science (journal). ... Engineering is the discipline of acquiring and applying knowledge of design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ... This article is about modern humans. ... A concept is an abstract, universal psychical entity that serves to designate a category or class of entities, events or relations. ...

The concept of a system

Both systems thinkers and futurists consider that: Futurists is a term often used to describe management consultants who advise corporations on a wide range of global trends, risk management and potential market opportunities. ...

• a "system" is a dynamic and complex whole, interacting as a structured functional unit;
• energy, material and information flow between the different elements that compose the system;
• a system is a community situated within an environment;
• energy, material and information flow from and to the surrounding environment via semi-permeable membranes or boundaries
• systems are often composed of entities seeking equilibrium but can exhibit oscillating, chaotic, or exponential behavior.

A holistic system is any set (group) of interdependent or temporally interacting parts. Parts are generally systems themselves and are composed of other parts, just as systems are generally parts or holons of other systems. For other uses, see System (disambiguation). ... Look up material in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The ASCII codes for the word Wikipedia represented in binary, the numeral system most commonly used for encoding computer information. ... Oscillation is the periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure as seen, for example, in a swinging pendulum. ... For other uses, see Chaos Theory (disambiguation). ... The exponential function is one of the most important functions in mathematics. ... Look up time in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A holon (from the Greek holos = whole and on = entity) is something that is simultaneously a whole and a part. ...

Systems and the application of systems thinking has been grouped into three categories based on the techniques used to tackle a system:

• Hard systems — involving simulations, often using computers and the techniques of operations research. Useful for problems that can justifiably be quantified. However it cannot easily take into account unquantifiable variables (opinions, culture, politics, etc), and may treat people as being passive, rather than having complex motivations.
• Soft systems — For systems that cannot easily be quantified, especially those involving people holding multiple and conflicting frames of reference. Useful for understanding motivations, viewpoints, and interactions and addressing qualitative as well as quantitative dimensions of problem situations. Soft systems are a field that utilizes foundation methodological work developed by Peter Checkland, Brian Wilson and their colleagues at Lancaster University. Morphological analysis is a complementary method for structuring and analysing non-quantifiable problem complexes.
• Evolutionary systems — Bela H. Banathy developed a methodology applicable to the design of complex social systems. This technique integrates critical systems inquiry with soft systems methodologies. Evolutionary systems, similar to dynamic systems are understood as open, complex systems, but with the capacity to evolve over time. Banathy uniquely integrated the interdisciplinary perspectives of systems research (including chaos, complexity, cybernetics), cultural anthropology, evolutionary theory, and others.

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article is about the general term. ... This article is about the machine. ... Operations Research or Operational Research (OR) is an interdisciplinary branch of mathematics which uses methods like mathematical modeling, statistics, and algorithms to arrive at optimal or good decisions in complex problems which are concerned with optimizing the maxima (profit, faster assembly line, greater crop yield, higher bandwidth, etc) or minima... Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is an approach to organisational process modelling and it can be used both for general problem solving and in the management of change. ... British academic Peter Checkland is the developer of soft-systems methodology (SSM) in the field of systems thinking. ... Affiliations 1994 Group N8 Group Association of MBAs North West Universities Association Website http://www. ... For other senses of this word see morphology. ... Bela H. Banathy is a founder of the White Stag Program for Scouts, Professor Emeritus at Saybrook Graduate School and President of the International Systems Institute. ... Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is an approach to organisational process modelling and it can be used both for general problem solving and in the management of change. ... In engineering and mathematics, a dynamical system is a deterministic process in which a functions value changes over time according to a rule that is defined in terms of the functions current value. ... Interdisciplinary work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. ... For other uses, see Chaos (disambiguation). ... Complexity in general usage is the opposite of simplicity. ... For other uses, see Cybernetics (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about biological evolution. ...

The systems approach

The Systems thinking approach incorporates several tenets:^[3]

• Interdependence of objects and their attributes - independent elements can never constitute a system
• Holism - emergent properties not possible to detect by analysis should be possible to define by a holistic approach
• Goal seeking - systemic interaction must result in some goal or final state
• Inputs and Outputs - in a closed system inputs are determined once and constant; in an open system additional inputs are admitted from the environment
• Transformation of inputs into outputs - this is the process by which the goals are obtained
• Entropy - the amount of disorder or randomness present in any system
• Regulation - a method of feedback is necessary for the system to operate predictably
• Hierarchy - complex wholes are made up of smaller subsystems
• Differentiation - specialized units perform specialized functions
• Equifinality - alternative ways of attaining the same objectives (convergence)
• Multifinality - attaining alternative objectives from the same inputs (divergence)

Some examples: Bold text Not to be confused with interconnectivity. ... The Earth seen from Apollo 17. ... A termite cathedral mound produced by a termite colony: a classic example of emergence in nature. ... Philosophical analysis is a general term for the techniques used by philosophers. ... Global optimization is a branch of applied mathematics and numerical analysis that deals with the optimization of a function or a set of functions to some criteria. ... Information processsing In information processing, input is the process of receiving information from an object. ... In thermodynamics, a closed system, as contrasted with an isolated system, can exchange heat and work, but not matter, with its surroundings. ... This article is about systems theory. ... Look up transformation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see: information entropy (in information theory) and entropy (disambiguation). ... For the superhero, see Feedback (Dark Horse Comics). ... A hierarchy (in Greek: , derived from — hieros, sacred, and — arkho, rule) is a system of ranking and organizing things or people, where each element of the system (except for the top element) is a subordinate to a single other element. ... Differentiation can mean the following: In biology: cellular differentiation; evolutionary differentiation; In mathematics: see: derivative In cosmogony: planetary differentiation Differentiation (geology); Differentiation (logic); Differentiation (marketing). ... Equifinality is the principle that in open systems a given end state can be reached by many potential means. ... In general, polymorphism describes multiple possible states for a single property (it is said to be polymorphic). ...

• Rather than trying to improve the braking system on a car by looking in great detail at the material composition of the brake pads (reductionist), the boundary of the braking system may be extended to include the interactions between the:

• brake disks or drums
• brake pedal sensors
• hydraulics
• driver reaction time
• tires
• road conditions
• weather conditions
• time of day

• Using the tenet of "Multifinality", a supermarket could be considered to be:

• a "profit making system" from the perspective of management and owners
• a "distribution system" from the perspective of the suppliers
• an "employment system" from the perspective of employees
• a "materials supply system" from the perspective of customers
• an "entertainment system" from the perspective of loiterers
• a "social system" from the perspective of local residents
• a "dating system" from the perspective of single customers

As a result of such thinking, new insights may be gained into how the supermarket works, why it has problems, how it can be improved or how changes made to one component of the system may impact the other components.

Applications

Systems thinking is increasingly being used to tackle a wide variety of subjects in fields such as computing, engineering, epidemiology, information science, health, manufacture, management, and the environment. RAM (Random Access Memory) Look up computing in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Engineering is the discipline of acquiring and applying knowledge of design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ... Epidemiology is the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations, and serves as the foundation and logic of interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine. ... Not to be confused with informatics or information theory. ... Manufacturing is the transformation of raw materials into finished goods for sale, or intermediate processes involving the production or finishing of semi-manufactures. ... For other uses, see Management (disambiguation). ...

Some examples:

• Organisation Design and Development
• Job Design
• Team Population and Work Unit Design
• Linear and Complex Process Design
• Supply Chain Design
• Business continuity planning with FMEA protocol
• Critical Infrastructure Protection via FBI Infragard
• Delphi method — developed by RAND for USAF
• Futures studies — Thought leadership mentoring
• Leadership development
• Oceanography — forecasting complex systems behavior
• Quality function deployment (QFD)
• Quality management — Hoshin planning methods
• Quality storyboard — StoryTech framework (LeapfrogU-EE)
• Software quality

Business continuity planning life cycle Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is an interdisciplinary peer mentoring methodology used to create and validate a practiced logistical plan for how an organization will recover and restore partially or completely interrupted critical function(s) within a predetermined time after a disaster or extended disruption. ... Failure Mode and Effect Analysis is a method that examines potential product or process failures, evaluates risk priorities, and helps determine remedial actions to avoid identified problems. ... Critical Infrastructure Protection or CIP is a national program to assure the security of vulnerable and interconnected infrastructures of the United States. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... InfraGard is a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) program that began in the Cleveland, Ohio, Field Office in 1996. ... The Delphi method has been an anticipatory thinking (futures) technique aimed at building an agreement, or consensus about an opinion or view, without necessarily having people meet face to face, such as through surveys, questionnaires, e-mails etc. ... The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... Future studies reflects on how today’s changes (or the lack thereof) become tomorrow’s reality. ... Thought leader is a buzzword or article of jargon used to describe a person who is recognized among his or her peers for innovative ideas and demonstrates the condfidence to promote those ideas. ... Mentoring refers to a developmental relationship between a more experienced mentor and a less experienced partner referred to as a mentoree (sometimes vernacularized into mentee) or protégé. // Historical The roots of the practice are lost in antiquity. ... In organizational development, leadership development is the strategic investment in, and utilization of, the human capital within the organization. ... Thermohaline circulation Oceanography (from Ocean + Greek γράφειν = write), also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth Sciences that studies the Earths oceans and seas. ... QFD House of Quality for Enterprise Product Development Processes Quality function deployment or QFD is a flexible and comprehensive group decision making technique used in product or service development, brand marketing, and product management. ... Quality management is a method for ensuring that all the activities necessary to design, develop and implement a product or service are effective and efficient with respect to the system and its performance. ... A Quality storyboard is a visual method for displaying a Quality Control story (QC story). ... Arthur Harkins, Ph. ... Edutainment (also educational entertainment or entertainment-education) is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse. ... When applied to software the adjective quality may apply to source code as seen by software developers, or to applications software as seen by the end-users of the software. ...

Bibliography

• Russell L. Ackoff (1999) Ackoff's Best: His Classic Writings on Management. (Wiley) ISBN 0-471-31634-2
• Bela H. Banathy (1996) Designing Social Systems in a Changing World (Contemporary Systems Thinking). (Springer) ISBN 0-306-45251-0
• Bela H. Banathy (2000) Guided Evolution of Society: A Systems View (Contemporary Systems Thinking). (Springer) ISBN 0-306-46382-2
• Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1976 - revised) General System theory: Foundations, Development, Applications. (George Braziller) ISBN 0-807-60453-4
• Peter Checkland (1981) Systems Thinking, Systems Practice. (Wiley) ISBN 0-471-27911-0
• Peter Checkland, Jim Scholes (1990) Soft Systems Methodology in Action. (Wiley) ISBN 0-471-92768-6
• Peter Checkland, Jim Sue Holwell (1998) Information, Systems and Information Systems. (Wiley) ISBN 0-471-95820-4
• Peter Checkland, John Poulter (2006) Learning for Action. (Wiley) ISBN 0-470-02554-9
• C. West Churchman (1984 - revised) The Systems Approach. (Delacorte Press) ISBN 0-440-38407-9.
• John Gall (2003) The Systems Bible: The Beginner's Guide to Systems Large and Small. (General Systemantics Pr/Liberty) ISBN 0-961-82517-0
• Jamshid Gharajedaghi (2005) Systems Thinking: Managing Chaos and Complexity - A Platform for Designing Business Architecture. (Butterworth-Heinemann) ISBN 0-750-67973-5
• Charles François (ed) (1997), International Encyclopedia of Cybernetics and Systems, München: K. G. Saur.
• Charles L. Hutchins (1996) Systemic Thinking: Solving Complex Problems CO:PDS ISBN 1-888017-51-1
• Bradford Keeney (2002 - revised) Aesthetics of Change. (Guilford Press) ISBN 1-572-30830-3
• Peter M. Senge (1990) The Fifth Discipline - The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization. (Currency Doubleday) ISBN 0-385-26095-4
• Lars Skyttner (2006) General Systems Theory: Problems, Perspective, Practice (World Scientific Publishing Company) ISBN 9-812-56467-5
• Gerald M. Weinberg (2001 - revised) An Introduction to General Systems Thinking. (Dorset House) ISBN 0-932-63349-8
• Brian Wilson (1990) Systems: Concepts, Methodologies and Applications, 2nd ed. (Wiley) ISBN 0-471-92716-3
• Brian Wilson (2001) Soft Systems Methodology: Conceptual Model Building and its Contribution. (Wiley) ISBN 0-471-89489-3

Look up Wiley in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

References

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Image File history File links Emblem-important. ...

See also

• Information Flow Diagram
• Soft systems methodology
• System dynamics
• Systematics - study of multi-term systems
• Systemics
• Systems engineering
• Systems intelligence
• Systems philosophy
• Systems theory
• Systems science
• Terms used in systems theory
• World-systems theory

Information Flow Diagram (IFD) is a term that refers to the illustration of information flow throughout an organisation. ... to start the page ... System dynamics is an approach to understanding the behaviour of complex systems over time. ... SYSTEMATICS – study of multi-term systems Systematics was developed by John G Bennett in the mid twentieth century. ... Systems theory or general systems theory or systemics is an interdisciplinary field which studies systems as a whole. ... Systems engineering techniques are used in complex projects: from spacecrafts to chip design, from robotics to creating large software products to building bridges, Systems engineering uses a host of tools that include modeling & simulation, requirements analysis, and scheduling to manage complexity Systems Engineering (SE) is an interdisciplinary approach and means... Systems intelligence is a concept developed in the fields of engineering sciences and applied philosophy. ... Systems Philosophy - A study in the development of systems with emphasis on design and root cause analysis. ... Systems theory is an interdisciplinary field of science. ... Systems science is the science of complex systems. ... Systems theory as an area of study followed the World Wars from the work of Ludwig von Bertalanffy, Anatol Rapoport, Kenneth E. Boulding, William Ross Ashby, Margaret Mead, Gregory Bateson, C. West Churchman and others in the 1950s, specifically catalyst from the Macy conferences. ... World-systems analysis is not a theory, but an approach to social analysis and social change developed principally by Andre Gunder Frank and Immanuel Wallerstein, with major contributions by Samir Amin, Giovanni Arrighi, Christopher Chase-Dunn, Peter Turchin, Andrey Korotayev, Janet Abu Lughod, Tom Hall, and others. ...

External links

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• Bibliography of Systems Philosophy hosted by Valdosta State University.
• Dancing With Systems from Project Worldview
• Overview Systems thinking from systems-thinking.org
• Systems-thinking.de: systems thinking links displayed as a network
• Systems Thinking from SystemsThinker.com
• Systems Thinking from the Thinking Page

Organizations: Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Valdosta State University is a public university located in the city of Valdosta, Georgia in the United States, and is part of the University System of Georgia. ...

• ACASA: The Ackoff Center for Advancement of System Approaches. (they have a blog, too)
• ISSS: International Society for the Systems Sciences
• New England Complex Systems Institute