Systems Thinking vs. Being Systematic
Most people operate with a “colloquial” understanding of the terms “system” and “systems thinking.” They interpret “the use of a systems approach or systems thinking” as mere personal organization, diligence, and the desire to anticipate every possible detail. That is misguided!
Using a systems approach is often confused with a systematic approach—and systematically poor (or incorrect) thinking leads to disastrous results. Although many dictionaries define the use of a systems thinking or systems approach and systematicity as synonyms, we will differentiate between these concepts. Systematicity, regularity, and discipline mean that a person does something consistently, on a schedule, while using a systems approach means that a person is able to “cut” the world into different systems with their attention and work with these systems and the various interests of people. This is a distinct cognitive (systems-oriented) technique that requires systematic training.
The use of a systems approach determines “what to do,” while systematicity means that this should be done regularly, consistently, and rhythmically. One concept does not replace the other. It is necessary to be both systems-oriented and systematic. This course addresses the use of a systems approach, while systematicity is covered in the course “Practices of Self-Development.”
It is widely known that in the world, everything is interconnected; that's why we identify systems by focusing our attention on them—just as we distinguish the parts of an elephant. However, using a systems approach is not just about making sure no detail is overlooked. It is necessary to single out what is important from the general background and, conversely, to place something important into the broader context. Systems thinking directs the attention of a specialist or team during project implementation. Objects of focus are designated by specific concepts[1]. With these concepts, we use our attention to identify both what is important and the relevant contexts. Therefore, our course:
- introduces several dozen such systems concepts;
- teaches thinking techniques and corresponding systems modeling that connect these concepts;
- develops the skill of identifying these concepts in work and personal projects.
Let’s consider two systems thinking techniques, among others, that will be explored in the course.
The first technique draws attention to the fact that any activity can be viewed through three interconnected domains. They should answer the following questions:
- Why, for what reason, and for whom should something be done, and how will their behavior change if they are offered something new?
- What is this new thing from the perspective of the product (system), what are its characteristics, how is it structured, and what is it made from?
- Who and how will create the system, including which methods and resources will be used?
The second technique concerns the relationship between analysis and synthesis, or distinguishing the functions and structures of a system. In corporate culture, there is much discussion about analysis. And that is correct. But it is important not to forget that analytical activity is only one part; synthesis is also needed. Analysis is breaking something down into parts, while synthesis is combining and producing a work artifact (system). Systems thinking uses both functional analysis—that is, dividing a system into functional parts—and modular synthesis—that is, assembling a complete system from structural parts. It is the work artifact or physical structure that is truly new and changes behavior (changes the world), and it is for this that people are paid.
With all of the above in mind, you should be prepared for many of your current ideas to come into conflict with the methodology of systems thinking. If you work through these inconsistencies using thinking through writing (modeling), by the end of the course your worldview will be significantly updated.
At the beginning of the previous subsection, such concepts were listed: roles, methods, work artifacts, systems, architecture, etc. In this course, we will study several dozen systems thinking concepts. ↩︎