What Is Systems Thinking?
There is no single, precise definition of “systems thinking,” just as it is impossible to give a single, complete definition of the concept of “mother.” We can say that systems thinking is a way of thinking in which the concept of a system and other concepts from the intellect stack are used. Or that to think in a systems way is to think in the systems language[1]. Or that systems thinking creates successful products and services by taking into account numerous interests[2].
There is nothing supernatural, mystical, or esoteric about systems thinking. We will not be delving into the structure of thinking at the neural level or discussing various psychological aspects. We believe that any kind of thinking is developed by studying certain theories (disciplines and transdisciplines) that are applied in real life. These are the concepts you will study and apply in your work and personal projects.
Why is systems thinking necessary?
Our world is complex and changes rapidly. But what makes it complex, and what exactly is changing so quickly?
The complexity lies in the fact that there are many different people’s interests. And not only do these interests change quickly, but so do knowledge and work methods, workplaces, teams, and fields of activity. To create successful products and services, you need to be able to work with today’s speed and complexity. This is the problem that systems thinking solves.
For example, when creating a car, you need to consider the interests of the driver, the passenger, the pedestrian[3], the car owner[4], and the automotive corporation[5], the aesthete[6], the environmentalist[7], and the interests of several hundred other roles. Each interest is based on a particular worldview (model, description). You can identify similar interests in your own systems. For example: a renovated apartment, a child raised and ready for adult life, a planted tree, an IT application, an enterprise, and so on.
In addition, in today’s world, you need to adapt quickly to new conditions and learn new things in the shortest possible time. Now, everyone constantly has to master new practices or professions and figure out new fields of activity—ideally, without stress or delays.
Mastery of systems thinking will help you get up to speed in a new field in just two weeks. Someone without systems thinking might spend several years learning the same thing. Why is that? It's because a person with systems thinking will pay attention to the system of interest and other systems (supersystem, creation system, etc.), roles, methods, work artifacts, functional and modular parts, system architecture, enterprise architecture, and other objects of focus in any field of activity. All these concepts can be found in IT, in cooking, or in infrastructure projects (such as transportation operations).
Humanity is moving toward the division of labor. For example, several centuries ago, there was just one role—the “medicus,” who dealt with all human illnesses. Now, in medicine, there are several hundred (if not thousands) of roles. This division of labor is happening in every field of human activity. At the same time, no one can master all roles in depth. But to understand which specialists you need (and which roles they should play in your projects), you need systems thinking. It allows you to “slice” the world into separate but interconnected systems and subsystems.
Developed systems thinking helps you not only quickly adapt to a new world or new projects, but also manage your attention—discarding what is unimportant at a given moment and maintaining the integrity of your vision. Our brains may not have enough processing power to handle every detail of a project, so it’s necessary to focus all resources in the right “place” and to shift that focus at the right time. You also need to understand the principle of how all these “places” are arranged and connected. By applying the principles of systems thinking, you can reduce a work meeting from an hour to just 10 minutes[8].
It’s important to note that while systems thinking allows you to quickly address problems in various fields, it does not replace applied mastery. However, with systems thinking, you will progress more quickly in your applied field and become a professional faster.
Systems thinking allows us to break down complex projects into simpler parts, connect theory and practice, work in large teams, and organize our own teams. It also helps us keep all important aspects of a project in mind—and in special modeling tools[9]—so we don’t forget them in the rush of activity.
Systems thinking is universal and scale-free, which means it can be applied to objects of any complexity: inert substances, living beings, cyber-physical systems, individuals, organizations, communities, and even humanity as a whole.
We believe that systems thinking is necessary for any modern person who wants to build a career and become a Chief Transformation Officer of a large business. But systems thinking is universal, so it is also suitable for developing yourself, your child, your community, and society.
What do the words “systems thinking” mean?
In the previous subsection, we already discussed that most people operate with a colloquial understanding of systems thinking and confuse the concepts of using a systems approach and systematicity.
Sometimes, “systems thinking” is taken to mean some kind of exceptional human ability. For example, the ability to combine analysis (understood as the skill of diving deep into details) and synthesis (understood as the skill of surfacing from those details at the right time). This is what is called the ability to see the big picture. It’s good to have this ability, just as it’s good to be rich and healthy rather than sick and poor.
Unfortunately, such explanations are not about “system” or the systems approach. Talking about the need to dive into details and surface from them in time does not help you understand how to master this technique or how to apply it in the daily work of an entrepreneur, engineer, manager, or other specialist.
Systems thinking refers to human thinking that operates in a certain systems language. Systems thinking is thinking that uses the concept of “system” and other concepts defined in certain transdisciplines of the intellect stack. This includes conceptualization, ontology, physics, mathematics, and others. You could also add that it is the application of thinking techniques from the systems approach.
There are many variants of the systems approach[10]. In general, an approach means that concepts, thinking methods, and action techniques developed within one discipline (subject area) are then applied to other disciplines and subject areas. Our version of the systems approach is the application of concepts, techniques, and methods from the transdisciplines of the intellect stack to work and personal domains[11].
The systems approach is a methodology. The main thing in methodologies is the approach, as a way of transferring knowledge. And systems thinking is a human capability (with the key word here being “thinking”).
Human thinking is intellectual activity through which we form a description of reality. This helps us take necessary actions, including creating products (systems) and services. To form such a description, we use words (terms, concepts). And if you have not specifically studied systems thinking, you will most likely use everyday words rather than the concepts of the modern intellect stack.
The difference between a layperson and a systems professional is that the latter operates with system concepts such as system, role, method (practice), work artifact, architecture, alpha, function, functional and physical objects, emergent properties, and others, which are studied in our course.
Systems thinking must be learned deliberately, just like mathematics or physics, marketing or management. The first thing you need to do in this learning process (as in any other) is to pay attention to the conceptual minimum and apply it in practice[12].
Our course also trains thinking techniques. Thinking techniques are the ability to connect different concepts and to find physical objects in real projects that are associated with these concepts. For example, find the system of interest and its creator, delineate the link “role-method (practice)-work artifact,” and divide the system into functional and modular parts. That’s why we recommend studying this course with mandatory modeling. By applying the concepts and techniques of systems thinking to a work project, a team saves time and resources in creating a successful system and reaches substantive agreements more quickly.
Throughout the process, you will need to learn to think simultaneously about the three interrelated systems: the “system of interest,” the “supersystem,” and the “creation systems.” You will need to master systems thinking at several logical levels. You will need to identify these systems in your own activities, in your clients’, and in your suppliers’. You will need to think about the many stakeholders of these systems and work with them, distinguishing their interests, roles, and positions, and, based on this, prepare different descriptions (models) of these systems for them. All the while, you must not confuse positions and roles.
It is important to emphasize that systems thinking is a particular behavior of the intellect. The intellect is responsible for solving new problems—that is, things you have not encountered before. And for this, you need the concepts and techniques of systems thinking.
A person thinks using the concepts and techniques they have mastered, describing the world, a work project, and the systems they create with them. So you could say that systems thinking reproduces the knowledge from the “Systems Thinking” course just as mathematical thinking reproduces the knowledge from a mathematics course. A person with systems thinking literally speaks a systems language, formulates system descriptions, and creates successful systems. In systems thinking, a “successful system” means that, in its creation, the interests of all identified project roles related to that system have been addressed.
Systems thinking brings universality, speed, and quality to solving new complex problems when working with different stakeholders. Systems thinking is evident in the speed of creating successful systems. To achieve this, one must be adept at handling various interests, which are accommodated (satisfied) through the formation of a system description. This ability to address different interests allows you to solve the most complex problems facing humanity or an individual—in any field of activity.
Post “What language do you think in?” in the Aisystant club: https://systemsworld.club/t/na-kakom-yazyke-ty-dumaesh/7878 ↩︎
Throughout the course, you will encounter dozens of explanations of what systems thinking is. You will even come up with your own explanations and analogies. ↩︎
So as not to cause severe harm in a collision. ↩︎
So that it doesn’t break down and doesn’t lose value too quickly. ↩︎
So that the car sells well. ↩︎
The car should be beautiful. ↩︎
So that the car does not pollute the environment. ↩︎
We don’t discuss everything indiscriminately, but instead manage attention wisely and identify objects of focus for the whole team. ↩︎
Our course, as a simulator, also trains you in modeling. ↩︎
You will learn more about this in the “Systems Thinking” course. ↩︎
And accordingly, to the disciplines needed to implement numerous work and personal projects. We are talking about the third generation of the systems approach. ↩︎
Systems thinking does not arise from practice alone without studying transdisciplines, or it would take decades. ↩︎