Systems Thinking Training

Systems thinking is an approach to analysis that zeros in on how the different parts of a system interrelate and how systems work within the context of other, larger systems.

Systems thinking is generally regarded as a holistic approach that can be used in many areas of research. It can be useful in analyzing a variety of operational systems, such as medical, political, economic, environmental, and educational systems.

For organizations, leaders often discover that systems thinking is an effective approach to management as it sees how different complex entities interact and influence each other and make up the whole system. 

Different divisions or teams within an organization connect with and affect each other. Ideally, they work together toward a goal. Business leaders who are systems thinkers tend to see “the big picture,” which is what they focus on to maximize performance within the organization.Maximizing operational efficiency is a primary goal of using systems thinking analysis.

Many observers of this modality believe that an essential component of systems thinking is focusing on feedback. Giving attention to relevant feedback enables business leaders to come up with solutions to problems and to avoid wasting resources. 

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.

Systems thinking is especially trenchant when applied to address complex or wicked problem situations. That’s because complex problems aren’t remedied be any one actor, any more than a complex system can be fully understood from only one perspective.

Systems thinking is an essential skill for systems engineers because it is shared with many disciplines and provides a key intellectual underpinning for systems engineering.

Systems Thinking Training Course by Tonex

Systems Thinking Training 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. Systems thinking training course provides structures and tools, which help comprehending the relationship between the framework of a system and the behavior that the system presents. In particular, leaders can take advantage of systems thinking to thoroughly value, model, and resolve complicated business issues.

Systems thinking training helps you develop the necessary skills, which considerably enhance the leaders’ capability to strategically use restricted sources for the best outcome. Systems thinking training presents three separate stages of systems thinking:

• Comprehending the system
• Mapping the system
• Taking Action through system

Why Do You Need Systems Thinking Training?

Complexity is an unattached part of corporation life-style. Most problems that leaders deal with include multilayer contributing components, implications, and effects that employing one-dimensional solutions only generates a completely brand new series of difficulties. Therefore, learning the approaches and skill of Systems Thinking seems to be vital.

Added Value of Systems Thinking Training

• Risk reduction
• Determining developing markets and product lines
• Crucial tools for competitive strategy
• Tools for scenario building in a non-linear world
• Effective assessment of the already existing reality and SWOT
• Tools for productive involvement with diverse stakeholders
• Enhanced determination of most efficient actions to drive greater “bang for the buck”

Audience

Systems thinking training is a 2-day course designed for:

• Business leaders
• Executives
• Strategic leaders
• Mid-level and senior managers

Training Objectives

Upon the completion of systems thinking training, the attendees are able to:

• Determine repeating patterns, or models, in systems — according to the behavior of the system over time
• Plot the components in a system and the streams between those components
• Determine causes and effects within a system
• Involve stakeholders in cooperative action to impact the results of a system
• Explain systems thinking
• Improve their comprehending of complicated and changing organizational problems
• Derive their abilities to model and examine business postulations, problems and decisions
• Plot the cause-and-effect relationship of issues and decisions associated with them
• Comprehend the principles of systems thinking and how it can be used to generate a new system through the suitable combination of people, process and tools
• Think about problems and chances in a new and exciting way
• Apply a number of systems tools and approaches to assess complicated situations and to address problems and opportunities

Course Outline

Overview

• Systems thinking definition
• Why Systems Thinking is necessary?
• The rational behind systems thinking
• Untangling complexity
• Map of methods
• Systems challenges
• Control engineering
• Organization and management theory
• The physical sciences
• Why is the systems language so powerful?

Systems Methods and Techniques

• Types of systems
• Demonstrating systems with models
• Overview of a relevant set of systems methods and techniques
• Multiple methods

Application of Systems Methods

• Practical use of methods and approaches
• Discussion on systems, methods and techniques
• Hard systems thinking
• The development of applied systems thinking
• Problem contexts
• Systems methodologies related to problem contexts
• The main strands of applied systems thinking

Creativity and Systems

• Creativity and metaphor
• Creativity and paradigms

Hard Systems Thinking

• Description of Hard Systems Thinking
  • Historical development
  • Philosophy and theory
  • Methodology
  • Methods
  • Recent developments
• Hard systems thinking in action
• Critique of hard systems thinking
• The value of hard systems thinking to managers

System Dynamics: The Fifth Discipline

• Description of system dynamics
  • Historical development
  • Philosophy and theory
  • Methodology
  • Methods
  • Recent developments
• System dynamics in action
• Critique of system dynamics
• The value of system dynamics to managers

Complexity Theory

• Description of complexity theory
  • Historical development
  • Philosophy and theory
  • Methodology
  • Methods
  • Recent developments
• Complexity theory in action
• Critique of complexity theory
• The value of complexity theory to managers

Strategic Assumption Surfacing and Testing

• Description of Strategic Assumption Surfacing and Testing (SAST)
  • Historical development
  • Philosophy and theory
  • Methodology
  • Methods
  • Recent developments
• SAST in action
• Critique of SAST
• The Value of SAST to Managers

Interactive Planning

• Description of interactive planning
  • Historical development
  • Philosophy and theory
  • Methodology
  • Methods
  • Recent developments
• Interactive planning in action
• Critique of interactive planning
• The value of interactive planning to managers

Soft Systems Methodology

• Description of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)
  • Historical development
  • Philosophy and theory
  • Methodology
  • Methods
  • Recent developments
• SSM in action
• Critique of SSM
• The Value of SSM to managers

Critical Systems Heuristic

• Description of Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH)
  • Historical development
  • Philosophy and theory
  • Methodology
  • Methods
  • Recent developments
• CSH in action
• Critique of CSH
• The value of CSH to managers

Team Syntegrity

• Description of team syntegrity
  • Historical development
  • Philosophy and theory
  • Methodology
  • Methods
  • Recent developments
• Syntegrity in action
• Critique of syntegrity
• The value of syntegrity to managers

Postmodern Systems Thinking

• Description of postmodern systems thinking
  • Historical development
  • Philosophy and theory
  • Methodology
  • Methods
  • Recent developments
• Postmodern systems thinking in action
• Critique of postmodern systems thinking
• The value of postmodern systems thinking to managers

Total Systems Intervention

• Description of Total Systems Intervention (TSI)
  • Historical development
  • Philosophy and theory
  • Methodology
  • Methods
  • Recent developments
• TSI in action
• Critique of TSI
• The value of TSI to managers

Critical Systems Practice

• Description of Critical Systems Practice (CSP)
  • Historical development
  • Philosophy and theory
  • Methodology
  • Methods
  • Recent developments
• CSP in action
• Critique of CSP
• The value of CSP to managers

Hands-On Activities

• Labs
• Individual/small group activities
• Workshops

TONEX Systems Thinking Training Sample Workshop

• Reviewing the system
• Evaluating the entire system and its components
• Identifying the potential problems
• Identifying the current issues
• Calculating the risks
• Identifying the reoccurring patterns and models
• Demonstrating the elements in a system and the flows between those elements
• Identifying all the causes and effects
• Discussing your systems thinking strategy
• Modeling and testing business assumptions, problems and decisions
• Producing a new system by using the appropriate combination of people, process and tools

Systems Thinking Training