Preface
The course "Introduction to Systems Thinking" will help you take your first step into the fascinating world of systems thinking. In this course, you will get acquainted with the fundamental concepts of systems thinking and begin applying them to both your work and personal projects.
You can take the "Introduction to Systems Thinking" course independently or as part of a group class with an instructor. If you enroll in the course with an instructor, you will receive feedback on all your questions and have your homework assignments reviewed. The instructor will draw your attention to numerous pitfalls, help you navigate challenging moments, and accelerate your understanding of the complex field of systems thinking.
The course consists of 7 sections[1] and 7 homework assignments (hereafter referred to as HW), which you need to complete using examples from your own life and work projects. In each HW, you should practice thinking through writing[2] and, as a result, publish a draft (post) in the AISYSTANT club. In your draft, use the notes and rough drafts you write during the course.
When completing your homework, it is highly recommended to model using the corresponding tables. This work serves as a training ground for systems thinking. The development of systems thinking occurs through:
- studying the theory (concepts, principles, thinking techniques) presented in the "Introduction to Systems Thinking" course;
- modeling based on the examples provided in the homework;
- modeling on several of your real projects, which you will primarily carry out during the second semester.
Each homework assignment contains several modeling exercises in the form of template tables, which you need to fill out following the provided examples. The headers of the template tables are meta-meta-models ("from the textbook") for describing some project activity, while the content of the completed tables is usually meta-models or models (from a specific applied subject area). By filling out the template tables, you are engaging in modeling.
Almost all template tables are divided into the following sections:
- an example of a completed table, which you must study carefully, paying attention to the connection between systems thinking concepts in the table header and specific real-life examples;
- an assignment to fill in the missing cells based on the example;
- an assignment to model a work project;
- an assignment to model a personal project (for example, for systems such as your body, teeth, abs, workspace, etc.).
In the "Introduction to Systems Thinking" course with an instructor, you will study the corresponding online course, model simple personal and work projects in tables, and receive feedback from the instructor. At the end of the course, it is recommended to write a final systems essay.
Systems thinking is no easier than mathematical analysis. However, even students who were not outstanding in school managed to master it through certain self-development practices. Therefore, as part of the course, each student will need to complete the following independent work:
- organize systematic, slow reading of each section of the online course and additional literature over the course of a week (it is better to do this daily, rather than reading everything in one day) and take educational notes[3];
- systematically implement the practice of thinking through writing while completing HW and write 8 drafts (one for each of the seven sections and a final draft about completing the course);
- adjust your current schedule to allocate 10–15 hours per week for 2 months to study the course[4], and also maintain a daily routine during this period[5];
- keep a constant record of the time invested in your studies according to your schedule and the time slots allocated for each day of the week.
Pay attention to your personal organization: systematically completing HW, planning, and tracking your study time. It is important to keep track of the total time invested so you can get used to challenging learning and see early positive results in the form of meeting your planned time investment for the course[6]. After this, you will gain a deeper understanding of the essence of systems methodology.
During the course, it will be helpful for you to broaden your activity-related horizons, specifically by learning the names of roles, methods, systems, and work artifacts in a wide variety of fields. You probably have a decent activity-related outlook in anatomy (the "organism" system), but you are likely less familiar with the terms used in entrepreneurship, engineering, or management. Systems thinking is not a desk job—you will need to communicate with many different people! Don’t put this off; start today. For example, write to, call, or have a coffee chat with colleagues or friends. In addition, use our AI bot Aisystant, ChatGPT, and Google.
I hope your first step into systems thinking will be productive, and that you will discover a methodology that truly transforms your worldview and your life.
To complete your homework, use your personal workspace for modeling:
Course author, founder, and managing partner of Aisystant – Tseren Tserenov.
We strongly recommend having a pen handy or taking notes on your computer as you read. It has been proven that if you consume information and simultaneously jot down ideas and questions that arise, your learning will be much more effective. ↩︎
Thinking through writing is the main method for mastering a complex methodology: if you are not writing, you are most likely not learning. If you complete your HW in writing, it means you are engaging and developing your intellect. ↩︎
On the Aisystant platform, educational notes are automatically sent to the club, where you can collect them as drafts and later write a post draft, also publishing it in the club. ↩︎
If you prefer a comfortable and unhurried pace: complete one section per week. If you have more time, you can finish the course faster. However, it is recommended to dedicate at least a month to the course to thoughtfully complete all HW assignments. ↩︎
If you do not change your schedule and, for example, do not get enough rest and sleep or do not lead a healthy lifestyle, you may not have enough energy for demanding intellectual work. ↩︎
Tangible results in your work projects and life as a whole will appear later. You will need to persevere until you achieve them. Focusing on investing your time will help you reach your goal. ↩︎