Systems Thinking

Description

Kathia Laszlo:

"The word “system” derives from the Greek “synhistanai” which means “to place together.”

In his seminal book Systems Thinking, Systems Practice, Peter Checkland defined systems thinking as thinking about the world through the concept of “system.” This involves thinking in terms of processes rather than structures, relationships rather than components, interconnections rather than separation. The focus of the inquiry is on the organization and the dynamics generated by the complex interaction of systems embedded in other systems and composed by other systems.

From a cognitive perspective, systems thinking integrates analysis and synthesis. Natural science has been primarily reductionistic, studying the components of systems and using quantitative empirical verification. Human science, as a response to the use of positivistic methods for studying human phenomena, has embraced more holistic approaches, studying social phenomena through qualitative means to create meaning. Systems thinking bridges these two approaches by using both analysis and synthesis to create knowledge and understanding and integrating an ethical perspective. Analysis answers the ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions while synthesis answers the ‘why’ and ‘what for’ questions. By combining analysis and synthesis, systems thinking creates a rich inquiring platform for approaches such as social systems design, developed by Bela H. Banathy, and evolutionary systems design, as Alexander Laszlo and myself have developed to include a deeper understanding of a system in its larger context as well as a vision of the future for co-creating ethical innovations for sustainability.

Just like the first image of Earth from outer space had a huge impact on our ability to see the unity of our planet, systems thinking is a way of seeing ourselves as part of larger interconnected systems." (http://saybrook.typepad.com/complexity/2011/07/from-systems-thinking-to-systems-being.html)

Characteristics

Tom Atlee:

"To give a sense of the eclectic nature of my view of systems thinking, here are some of the interconnected system-related understandings and resources that I believe we can and should be attending to and using more consciously:

• feedback dynamics: incentives and disincentives, reinforcers and magnifiers, resistance dynamics, resilience...

• self-organizing dynamics: the intrinsic nature of things and motivations of people, actual and potential connections, diversity, shared purpose...

• positivity: the attractive powers of possibility, appreciation, fun...

• collectivity: networks, relationships, community and tribal dynamics, mutuality, empathy, interdependence...

• co-evolutionary dynamics: learning systems, developmental patterns, interactive processes...

• paradigms: narratives, stories, scenarios, worldviews, assumptions and beliefs that shape a whole activity...

• power dynamics: freedom, privilege, oppression, vulnerability, limitations, leverage, different forms of power...

• life energy: the spirit, essence, aliveness, needs, passions, aspirations of the whole system and of its parts...

• contexts: physical, temporal, social, psychological contexts - including history, expectations, culture, circumstances...

• discernment without judgment: the gifts and limitations of each person, thing, or dynamic, and where it fits in the bigger picture...

• holonics: nested systems - the reality that every thing is both a whole and a part of larger wholes, and what that means...

• perspective: scale, deep time (long-term), multiple viewpoints, multiple intelligences...

• emergence: novelty, breakthrough, co-creativity, surprise...

• ultimate oneness: the non-local, non-dual, intuitive, resonant, synchronous, transcendent unity of life, its manifestations and dynamics...

• inquiry: humility, curiosity, and exploration in the face of complexity, novelty, contradiction, paradox, and uncertainty...."

(http://www.co-intelligence.org/)

Discussion

From Systems Thinking to Systems Being

Kathia Laszlo:

"Systems being involves embodying a new consciousness, an expanded sense of self, a recognition that we cannot survive alone, that a future that works for humanity needs also to work for other species and the planet. It involves empathy and love for the greater human family and for all our relationships – plants and animals, earth and sky, ancestors and descendents, and the many peoples and beings that inhabit our Earth. This is the wisdom of many indigenous cultures around the world, this is part of the heritage that we have forgotten and we are in the process of recovering.

Systems being and systems living brings it all together: linking head, heart and hands. The expression of systems being is an integration of our full human capacities. It involves rationality with reverence to the mystery of life, listening beyond words, sensing with our whole being, and expressing our authentic self in every moment of our life. The journey from systems thinking to systems being is a transformative learning process of expansion of consciousness—from awareness to embodiment." (http://saybrook.typepad.com/complexity/2011/07/from-systems-thinking-to-systems-being.html)