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Copyright 2002 ã weLEAD, Inc.
Introduction
to Systems Thinking
Pegasus
Communications, Waltham, MA 1999 (20 pages)
Author Daniel H. Kim
ISBN 1-8838-2334-X
Peter Senge, author
of The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of
the Learning Organization (Doubleday, 1990) says “systems thinking” is the
fifth discipline of learning organizations. But what exactly is meant by
“systems thinking”? This concise, twenty-page publication, which is a part of
the Innovations In Management Series from Pegasus Communications, is an
excellent place to obtain an introduction to the world of systems thinking,
including why systems thinking is important to leaders and managers in
companies trying to become learning organizations.
Daniel Kim, the author of Introduction
to Systems Thinking, is co-founder of Pegasus Communications Inc., and co-founder of the MIT Center for Organizational
Learning. He is a trustee of the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL), and is the author of a number of publications dealing
with systems thinking.
We hear the word “system” used all the
time, but what exactly is a system, and what is meant by systemic behavior?
This to-the-point publication explains these terms, compares “systems” to
“collections”, and shows how one might convert a collection into a system. It
illuminates the importance of identifying a systems purpose, and briefly
explains how both physical and intangible systemic structures generate patterns
and events. It further explains how our tendency as human beings is to
see events (and possibly patterns from a number of similar events) yet remain
unaware of the systemic structures and processes that are actually generating
these events. By closely examining systemic behavior and redesigning systems,
the author shows how we can shift from simply reacting to events to more
proactive behavior.
Finally, this brief introduction
explains reinforcing and balancing processes, feedback, delay, flow, stock, and leverage points. It introduces the reader
to a number of important tools used in systems thinking such as the Behavior
Over Time (BOT) Graph, the Causal Loop Diagram (CLD), and Systems
Archetypes—the common patterns and structures that occur repeatedly in
different system settings.
If you are interested in learning how to
identify and solve real problems rather than just treating apparent problems,
then this brief introduction to systems thinking may be just the right place to
start you on your learning.
Review By Dr. J. Howard Baker
weLEAD rating recommended
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