Systems Thinking

• “Systems Thinking” Core Concept
  All systems are part of larger systems, and every system is defined by its function in the larger system
  
• Systems and cannot be taken appart analytically (according to the Cynefin Framework , systems are complex, not complicated) ⇒ you cannot disassemble and then reassemble something complex, because it emerges from its parts
  
  • (taken apart,) the system loses its essential properties. And so do its parts. It loses its function and how it fits into the larger system.
    
• systems thinking is looking at the world as a series of interconnected ecosystems orbiting and interacting with each other over time.
  

My favourite definition of a system, from Gerald Weinberg is “a way of looking at the world”. In a sense, systems aren’t “out there” in the world, waiting to be studied. Systems are a convenient mental tool for making sense of how things in the world interact with one another.
Steve Easterbrook

• Systems Thinking reveals properties and causal relationships in systems that do not exist in their components.
  
• Emergence occurs when an entity is observed to have properties its parts do not have on their own. These properties or behaviors emerge only when the parts interact in a wider whole.
  Emergence is a process in which component parts interact to form synergies, which in turn introduce new qualities into the system. So emergence is a process, synergy is an element of the process. Emergence is the holistic sum of all the parts and all of their synergistic interactions.
  
• How to Do Systems Thinking
  
  • Step 1: Define the the inputs, outputs and movements
    
  • Step 2: Distinguish Linear from Circular
    The fundamental parts of systems tend to be circular not linear
    
  • Step 3: Look for Patterns
    
  • Step 4: Find the Feedback Loops
    
  • Step 5: Understand the Balancing Processes
    
  • Step 6: Study Its Interaction with Other Systems
    

System

An entity made up of interrelated, interdependent parts.

Boundaries

Barriers that define a system and distinguish it from other systems in an environment.

Homeostasis

The tendency of a system to be resilient with respect to external disruption and to maintain its key characteristics.

Adaptation

The tendency of a system to make the internal changes to protect itself and keep fulfilling its purpose.

Reciprocal transactions

Circular or cyclical interactions that systems engage in such that they influence one another.

Feedback loop

The process by which systems self-correct based on reactions from other systems in the environment.

Throughput

Rate of energy transfer between a system and its environment over time.

Microsystem

The system closest to the client.

Mesosystem

Relationships among systems in an environment.

Exosystem

A relationship between two systems that has an indirect effect on a third system.

Macrosystem

A larger system that influences clients, such as policies, administration of entitlement programs, and culture.

Chronosystem

A system composed of significant life events affecting adaptation.

http://ryanbarringtoncox.github.io/notes/an-introduction-to-general-systems-thinking/