Essence of Systems Thinking
By understanding all types of systems, you will be able to navigate any complex activity faster than others. You will literally be able to break the world into parts with your attention, identifying specific systems. The world is complex, and all its elements are interconnected. The human brain finds it difficult to grasp all these connections, which is why systems thinking establishes principles for logically dividing the world into parts. It is much easier to understand individual parts. At the same time, we do not lose the connection between each part and the whole.
For example, on the left side of the diagram from the “Systems Thinking” course[1] you can see the system levels in relation to the system of interest, which is marked with a red circle. At the top level is the supersystem (the large circle containing the red dot), inside which is the system of interest (the red circle), and at the same system level, there are two surrounding systems. At the system level inside the system of interest, we see three subsystems. This diagram fits well with our example of a car. Try to match the car with its subsystems, the driver, and the passenger.
Beyond the dashed line are numerous creation systems. Some of them create the supersystem, others are creation systems for the system of interest, and still others participate in the creation of subsystems. This diagram can be used to discuss not only a car or a factory, but also the system that builds the factory. Of course, such complex diagrams are not always necessary, but it is important to understand that systems thinking helps us consider even the most complex systems and activities. Try using this diagram to examine the activities of your own organization. I should mention right away that this will be quite challenging. We analyze student case studies in more detail during instructor-led training sessions.
You will become more familiar with this diagram when you describe your own activities, identifying the corresponding systems. ↩︎