What Does It Mean to Apply Systems Thinking?
Applying systems thinking means that you skillfully operate with the concepts from the intellect stack transdisciplines in your work. Mastering the conceptual minimum involves not just knowing each concept, but also being able to connect them with one another and apply them to your own projects. In this course, you study systems thinking concepts, linking them not only with each other but also with concepts from entrepreneurship, engineering, and management.
If a person says they will use a systems approach, it means they will use the conceptual minimum of systems thinking in their work. If someone does not possess these concepts, they may be logical, systematic, professional, and skilled in many ways—but they are not systems-oriented.
A professional with an extensive track record does not necessarily possess systems thinking. Even if they can solve any complex problem in their subject area, we will consider someone a system constructor only if they have consciously[1] studied and apply the concepts of modern systems methodology in both their professional and personal projects[2].
A system constructor must also have a “type classifier/cognitive type machine” in place—the ability to track the types of concepts being used. For example, an average adult will notice a mismatch of types in the following list: “I visited New York, London, and China.” Here, the type “city” is used alongside the type “country,” which is incorrect from a systems thinking perspective, and it is better not to mix types. Similarly, a system constructor will notice inconsistencies in sentences like: “At the meeting were John Doe, Andrew Smith, and the contractor’s accountant,” or “I perform the roles of marketer, financier, and department head.” In the first example, the type “executor/performer (agent)” is used alongside the type “role,” and in the second, the type “role” is used alongside the type “position,” which is incorrect. It is better not to mix types in work activities[3].
The type classifier/cognitive type machine[4] allows you to fluently apply systems thinking without getting confused in descriptions (modeling) and communication in complex projects. In other words, you should not mix up the types of systems concepts, such as system, role, position, process, and so on. The development of the type classifier/cognitive type machine takes place in the “Rational Work” course, although some students had it set up back in university and quickly adapt it to the new conceptual base.
That is, their attention is focused on the conceptual minimum and on identifying these concepts in their work projects. ↩︎
At the same time, there is no 100% guarantee that all these projects will be successful. However, all else being equal, the likelihood of success increases with systems thinking. ↩︎
If these examples are unclear to you, take the “Rational Work” course. ↩︎
Like ontological mastery, which becomes embedded in the brain and body. The signal of a type error is noticed at the level of bodily sensations, which is why people talk about ontological jitter. In addition to jitter, it is recommended to pay attention to other bodily sensations in intellectual work, such as cognitive resonance and the creative click. Read more about this in the club post: https://systemsworld.club/t/drebezg-rezonans-shhelchok/9272 ↩︎