This document defines key concepts in systems thinking, including:
- Defining a system as something that takes inputs through a process to produce outputs.
- Types of systems include natural, designed abstract, engineered/technical, and human activity systems.
- Habits of effective systems thinkers include considering how mental models impact understanding of systems.
- Structures are stable system components, while processes involve change. The environment affects the system.
- Hierarchy and resolution involve adjusting the level of detail in analysis. Prediction and control relate to anticipating and correcting deviations.
- Emergent properties are behaviors that cannot be predicted from individual components alone.
- System ownership relates to who controls and maintains the system and can cause
2. Agenda
Definition of system
Types of system
Systems thinking
Habits of a systems thinker
Structures and processes
System environment
Hierarchy and resolution
Prediction and control
Emergent properties
System ownership
World-view
3. Definition of system
System
something which operates in an organized
way
take ingredients (inputs) through a procedure
(process) which is expected to convert them
into useful products (outputs)
The input-process-output principle is essential
to all systems
4. Definition of system
The effort of systems analysts towards making
the input-process-output procedure more
efficient
Ends-and-means dominated
Feedback loops and control typify an emphasis
on improvement of system
5. Definition of system
Since the mid-1980s, there has also been a
steady development of systems thinking in
management
The most notable application has been in the
three functionally related areas of quality
management, environmental management and
safety management
Establish a cycle of continuous improvement in
aspects of management
6. Definition of system
A system may be described as a recognizable
whole which consists of a number of parts
(called components or elements) that are
connected up in an organized way (the system's
structure)
7. Definition of system
Characteristics
A system does something
Addition or removal of a component changes
the system
A component is affected by its inclusion in
the system
Components are perceived to be related in
hierarchical structures
8. Definition of system
Characteristics
There are means for control and
communication to promote system survival
The system has emergent properties, some
of which are difficult to predict
The system has a boundary
Outside the boundary is a system
environment which affects the system
A system is owned by someone
9. Types of system
Natural systems (e.g. biological systems,
disease, the weather)
Designed abstract systems (e.g. computer
programming languages, simulatory models,
signing systems)
Engineered or designed technical systems (e.g.
process plant, computer systems)
Human activity systems (e.g. work
organizations, a department, a committee
10. Types of system
Information systems are often classified
separately, although they are likely to combine
aspects of abstract, engineered and human
activity systems
Engineered systems, natural systems and
designed abstract systems are perceived by
them to be hard
The properties of hard systems typically have
(or are perceived to have) a high degree of
predictability and attributes which are readily
quantifiable and measurable
11. Types of system
Compared with soft systems, hard systems are
assumed to have fewer unpredictable
properties
Soft systems have a much higher degree of
assumed unpredictability because they involve
(perceived) people's values attitudes and
behavior which are complex and variable
Soft systems are perceived typically to have
properties which are difficult to quantify and
measure e.g. view-points, conflicts, vested
interests and other qualitative characteristics
15. Structures and processes
Two kinds of system component - structural and
process components
Systems structure is represented by relatively
stable, lasting components which either carry
out processes or are acted on by processes, i.e.
the “doers” and the “done-to”
The processes within a system are represented
by transient, changing components, i.e. action,
change, growth, decline or “doing” of some
kind
16. System environment
The system environment comprises
components which affect the system but which
the system is unable to control directly and is
unable to affect to any significant extent
The environment of the overall management
system of an organization is likely to include
public policy, legislation, the economy,
technology, product markets and so on
17. Hierarchy and resolution
Resolution and hierarchy concern the level of
detail appropriate to the analyst’s task
It is common in systems practice to adjust levels
of resolution up and down as the work
progresses
Hierarchy is allied to resolution in that some
components are considered by the analyst to be
subordinate to others in terms of authority,
time, sequence or some other characteristic
18. Prediction and control
Prediction and control relate to the system’s
ability to head off dysfunction and survive when
things go wrong.
Knowledge of a system’s structure, processes
and control characteristics enables its behavior
to be predicted in a range of circumstances
Systems have a mixture of predictable
properties and properties which are difficult to
predict
19. Prediction and control
In man-made systems, the job of system
specifiers and designers is to
look beyond the expected, desirable
outcomes and
try to identify undesirable possibilities so
that they can be designed out or their
consequences mitigated
Monitoring performance against criteria is a key
control requirement and enables the system to
correct deviations from desired outputs
20. Emergent properties
A system is not just a collection of
interconnected components
Interactions as a whole, or “synergy,” produces
emergent properties or behavior
not readily be predicted simply by examining
each component in isolation or even some of
the components together
21. Emergent properties
Emergence is consistent with holism
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Systems designed with noble intentions
sometimes can have devastating consequences
for those who were meant to be helped
22. System ownership
Persons interested in the particular systems for
the purposes of design, improvement,
implementation, problem-solving, study and so
on
Who controls and maintains the system
The system owners are likely to be particular
managers, possibly at a senior level
Who can cause the system to change
significantly or cease to exist, while
stakeholding employees or operational
individuals cannot
24. World-view
The complex set of perceptions, attitudes,
beliefs, values, assumptions and motivations
which characterize an individual or a group of
people
World-view is a kind of perceptual window
through which each person interprets the world
and his or her relationship with it
It has immense importance in systems work
because it concerns characteristic biases, not
only of key figures and other owners of the
particular system but also of the system analyst
25. World-view
As world-views affects system behavior and
outcomes, the world-views both of the social
actors in the setting being examined and the
analyst need to be identified
It should not be taken for granted that in a
given setting everyone holds the same views
about problems, issues, solutions and priorities
It would be impractical to consider the world-
views of hundreds of individuals but it is
important to identify the world-views of key
individuals exerting particular influence
26. References
Waring, A. (1996). Practical Systems Thinking,
International Thomson Business Press.
Systems Thinking White Boarding
https://youtu.be/lhbLNBqhQkc
Habits of a Systems Thinker
https://goo.gl/zzqqc1
What’s your worldview?
https://youtu.be/VXnSE0uvwzM