Unit 4 : Systems Thinking & Organizational Innovation Flashcards
What is system thinking ?
- An approach to integration that is based on the belief that the component parts of a system will act differently when isolated from the system’s environment or other parts of the system
- Approach that focuses on understanding the whole system, including the linkages and interactions between its components, rather than viewing them in isolation
What does system thinking concerns about?
- Understanding of a system by examining the linkages and interactiions between the elements that comprise the whole of the system
How is the difference between system thinking and traditional analysis thinking
- It was because analysis thinking is to break things down into managable pieces, while system thinking thinks that the relationship between pieces is also important
- Analytical thinking thinks that the relationships between the pieces aren’t important
Why analysis thinking therefore gives us a limited understanding of reality?
- It was because analysis thinking viewing infomation as a smaller piece, not as a whole
What can we get when we implement system thinking ? ( 2 )
- See the world around us in terms of wholes, rather than as single events, or “snapshots of life”
- See and sense how the parts of systems work together, rather than just see the parts as a collection of unrelated pieces
How does systems thinking help us understand patterns of behavior and events? ( Benefit )
- Systems thinking helps us see how relationships between elements in a system influence the patterns of behavior and events to which we react
What does systems thinking help us understand about life and situations? ( Benefit )
- Systems thinking helps us understand that life is always moving and changing, rather than being static
How does systems thinking explain the influence of events over time and space? ( Benefit )
- Systems thinking helps us understand that one event can influence another, even if the second event occurs a long time after the first and “far away” from it
What does systems thinking reveal about our perspective within a system? ( Benefit )
- It shows that what we see happening around us depends on where we are in the system.
How does systems thinking challenge our understanding of the world? ( Benefit )
- Systems thinking challenges our assumptions about how the world works (our mental models) and makes us aware of how these assumptions limit us
What dual focus ( short-term and long-term ) does systems thinking encourage when evaluating actions? ( Benefit )
- Systems thinking encourages us to consider both the long-term and short-term impacts of our actions and others’ actions.
What should we do when things don’t turn out as planned, according to systems thinking? ( Benefit )
- Systems thinking suggests asking probing questions to understand why things didn’t turn out the way we planned.
What is the overall benefit of systems thinking?
- Systems thinking is a powerful approach to understanding why situations are the way they are and how to improve results.
Question: What do we try to do when observing the phenomena around us? ( Problem Solving Treadmil )
- We try to make sense of the phenomena we perceive in our environment and use our explanations to predict what may happen in the future
( Make sense of the phenomena and use our explanations to predict the future )
What common issue arises from our explanations of how the world works?
- Our explanations often contain misconceptions about causes and outcomes and have incomplete or overly simple assumptions about how the world works
( Contain misconceptions and have incomplete assumption )
What happens when our explanations and assumptions are flawed?
- We struggle repeatedly with what seem like the same problems, taking actions we think will solve fundamental issues, but these actions often fail or worsen the original problem
( fail or worse the original problem )
What is the “problem-solving treadmill”?
- The “problem-solving treadmill” refers to the cycle of repeatedly facing the same problems and using ineffective solutions that don’t address the root cause, leading to ongoing struggles
- Cycle of repeatedly facing the same problems and using ineffective solution
How can we break free from the problem-solving treadmill?
- Systems thinking can help us break free by providing a deeper understanding of the underlying structures and relationships that contribute to problems.
- System Thinking
What are the 5 questions can get us to understand the basic characteristic of a system
- Is it a heap or a system?
- Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts?
- What is the purpose?
- Are the causes and effects shaped like a circle?
- Are we experiencing déjà vu?
What do both a heap and a system consist of?
- 2 or more parts
- Heap - A collection of parts
System - Interconnecting parts functioning as a whole
What happens when we remove or add parts to a heap?
- Nothing changes if we add or remove parts to a heap
- Example : Changing a bowl of cashews then add hazelnuts still leaves us with just a bowl of nuts
What happends when we remove or add parts to system?
- Will change the system
- Example : A car is considered a system because its parts are interconnected and removing a crucial part ( battery ) changes its functionality ( car won’t start )
What does it mean in systems thinking that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”?
- In systems thinking, it means that the interactions among parts in a system give rise to qualities or properties that cannot be measured by merely adding up those parts
- Example : In team sports, the T.E.A.M acronym - Together, Everyone Achieves More - illustrtes this concept
What question do systems thinkers often ask to understand a system better? ( 2 )
- Ask “What is the purpose of this system?”
- Understanding the various and sometimes conflicting purposes within a system can provide insight into why the system functions as it does and how it might be improved.
