RUSSELL GLENN S.

COMIA

BS INFO 3SMP1

ITST 304 - Principle of Systems Thinking

 UNDERSTANDING THE SYSTEM – Systems thinking is the process of

understanding how things, regarded as systems, influence one another within
a whole. In nature, systems thinking examples include ecosystems in which
elements such as air, water, plants, and animals work together to survive or
perish.

Example: Some examples include transport systems; solar systems;

telephone systems; the Dewey Decimal System; weapons systems;
ecological systems; space systems; etc. Indeed, it seems there is almost no
end to the use of the word “system” in today’s society.

 CO-DESIGNING SOLUTIONS – “Co-design” refers to a participatory

approach to designing solutions, in which community members are treated
as equal collaborators in the design process. Co-design is also a well-
established approach to creative practice, particularly within the public
sector.

Example:
 Hosting public events
 Conducting feedback surveys
 Collaborating on open-source tools
 Posting things on Google Docs to solicit comments
 Hosting design workshops
 Gathering experts to comment
 User testing

 MONITOR, REFLECT AND ADAPT – monitoring the entire system by

viewing multiple inputs being processed or transformed to produce outputs
 while continuously gathering feedback on each part in system thinking.
Reflective thinking means taking the bigger picture and understanding all of
its consequences. It doesn’t mean that you’re just going to simply write
down your future plans or what you’ve done in the past. Moreover, because
complex adaptive systems are continually evolving, systems thinking is
oriented towards organizational and social learning – and adaptive
management.

Example: examples include ecosystems, cars and human bodies as well as

organizations

 DIALOGUE AND COLLABORATION – The practice of collaborative

learning moves relationships beyond the mere exchange of information that
characterizes most project teams or corporate partnerships. Dialogue,
however, is a discipline of collective learning and inquiry. It can serve as a
cornerstone for organizational learning by providing an environment in
which people can reflect together and transform the ground out of which
their thinking and acting emerges. Dialogue is not merely a strategy for
helping people talk together. In fact, dialogue often leads to new levels of
coordinated action without the artificial, often tedious process of creating
action plans and using consensus-based decision-making. Dialogue does not
require agreement; instead it encourages people to participate in a pool of
shared meaning, which leads to aligned action.

Example: For example, labor and management representatives from a steel

mill have discovered dramatic shifts in their ways of thinking and talking
together. In a recent presentation by this dialogue group, one union
participant said, “We have learned to question fundamental categories and
labels that we have applied to each other.”

“Can you give us an example?” one manager asked.

“Yes,” he responded, “labels like management and union.”

 This particular group has transformed a 50-year-old adversarial
relationship into one where there is genuine and serious inquiry into “taken-
for-granted” ways of thinking. The steelworkers, for example, recognized
that they had far more in common with management than they had
previously realized or expected. “We quit talking about the past,” said the
Union President.“ We didn’t bring any of that up, all the hurt and mistrust
that we’ve had over the last twenty years.” Another steelworker noticed that
the category “union” limited him as much as it protected him.“ It’s
important to suspend the word ‘union,’” he said.