Systems thinking is a holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the way that a system’s constituent parts interrelate and how systems work over time and within the context of larger systems.
The systems thinking approach contrasts with traditional analysis, which studies systems by breaking them down into their separate elements.
Systems thinking can be used in any area of research and has been applied to the study of medical, environmental, political, economic, human resources and educational systems, among many others.
According to systems thinking, system behavior results from the effects of reinforcing and balancing processes. A reinforcing process leads to the increase of some system component.
If reinforcement is unchecked by a balancing process, it eventually leads to collapse. A balancing process is one that tends to maintain equilibrium in a particular system.
Systems thinking expands the range of choices available for solving a problem by broadening our thinking and helping us articulate problems in new and different ways.
The principles of applied systems thinking should make us aware that there are no perfect solutions, and that the choices we make will have an impact on other parts of the system.
In applied systems thinking it’s paramount to understand that by anticipating the impact of each trade-off, we can minimize its severity or even use it to our own advantage. In other words, systems thinking allows us to make informed choices.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Systems Thinking Training, a 2-day course that covers the theory, rational, tools, and techniques associated with systems thinking.
Systems thinking training course concentrates on determining the interconnections between the various components of a system and manufacturing them into a coherent perspective of the whole.
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.