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Systems Thinking: A Defining Skill for Leadership  | Willy Donaldson | TEDxCNU

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Systems Thinking: A Defining Skill for Leadership  | Willy Donaldson | TEDxCNU

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Systems Thinking: A Defining Skill for Leadership  | Willy Donaldson | TEDxCNU

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Analysis Versus Synthesis: The Two Styles of Thinking

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Analysis Versus Synthesis: The Two Styles of Thinking

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Author: Frederick "Ken" Sexe

Link: https://asem.org/blog/3535050

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Systems Thinking is Not Optional: Lessons From a Pandemic

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Systems Thinking is Not Optional: Lessons From a Pandemic

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Systems Thinking is Not Optional: Lessons From a Pandemic | Steve Woodsmall | TEDxLakeJunaluska

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In the nutshell, the book is about different tools that helps map the system.

The authors said in the introduction to the book: "Systems mapping is also often subsumed into the world of ‘systems thinking’, somewhat hidden by that wider philosophy on how to understand, be, and act in the world. Put simply, systems mapping is a hard space to navigate. As we learnt and applied our knowledge, we often felt a little lost, without the right tools to guide us. This book is an attempt to solve that. In one sense, it is written for our former selves; it is what might have helped us accelerate our learning and practice more quickly"

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"It is a free-form drawing approach in which participants are asked to draw the situation or system under consideration as they wish, with no or only a handful or gentle prompts."

That is a method I have never heard of and as a person who is passionate about art that is very interesting. Also I think that is kind of a paradox that "art" is often connected with ideas of no limitations/rules etc., and you can use it to analyze something that structured as system.

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The steps are very simple

1. Planning- what is the main topic? What problem are we are solving? Who should be invited to the workshop?

2. Workshop- after the drawing part the crucial part is to also important to have a group discussion, taking notes and exchanging thoughts and insights in the group.

3. Analysis- summing up the results/interpretation and conclusion

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This is a tool- and tool is supposed to be helpful and actually help to solve the issue not make things more difficult.

Every step should be adjusted to the specyfic situation and as the author wrote: "The purpose and nature of the workshop will depend on the purpose of the project"

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And to state an obvious- the tool could be used in may business issues- to slove a bigger issues, to get a different point of view (for example from employees) and also get the holistic view over the discuessed matter.

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For starters I decided to look what exactly is Systems Thinking.

The video includes not a definition but an example to show what is it.

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An interesting point that was made in the video was about the cascade effect- something that seems to be a simple outcome of a given system can actually have a series of other interconnected systems.

Here the good example is the video shown on the lecture- "How Wolves Change Rivers". For me that was also and interesting matter that the longer I think about various systems around me- the closer I get to the conclusion that every system is connected to every system. The world is actually one big system...

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"Mind blowing" thinking about the amout of steps and connections

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"Mind blowing" thinking about the amout of steps and connections

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In te video there was an example of a hot dog. Did we ever think about how may steps needs to be taken before we eat this fast food?

Let's think about just mustard:

mustards seeds grows in India

mustard is produced mostly in France

paprica from Hungary or Netherlands

vinegar, salt water also needed...

And that is only ONE of the condiments. What about bread? Ketchup? The sausage? And all the steps that needs to be taken to make hot dog- employee, palace, storage, heat, electricity...

AND THE LIST GO ON!

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The simplest conclusion I get is that everything is somehow connected.

The company, for example, is not a single system; from the very beginning is connected with many, many systems inside and outside. It is good to keep in mind that every change made in the company will have an impact (bigger or smaller) not only in the particular team or beach but on the whole system/process or even the entire company

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"This blog intends to provide a small description of both of these thinking methods with the hope that it sparks curiosity in others to learn more about how these thinking styles work."

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Analysis is a reductionist method that involves studying an item by reducing it to its constituent parts

Synthesis is a systems-based method that involves understanding the role or function of the item within a containing system and studying how the interactions of the parts within it aid the item in fulfilling its role within the system

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While reading this short article, I had a thought that this is very interesting how we need both ways of thinking in life. Sometimes we need to look at the matter as a whole, and sometimes we need to dig deeper into the details. What is crucial to know when each of ways is supposed to be used- because mixing it could complicate our lives very much (as I can say from personal experience)

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While running a business or a company, the management faces a lot of challenges on a daily basis.

Analyzing each matter from every department is inefficient, which is why they use synthesis- in reports, for example. But if the matter is alarming or on the report something is off- then it is time to dig deeper- to analyze the details of the case.

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1. At the begining the speaker use a similar example of the previously mentioned wolfes (who change the rivers)

2. "System thinking helps good leaders to see a bigger picture"- to understand the reasons and consequences of the decisions

3. System thinking is a philosophy that everything is connected even it is not obvious

4. Systems are everywhere, the society is a system, the economy is system, our bodies are very, very complicated and advanced systems.

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Generally, the speaker explains what systems thinking is, what systems are and how this thinking applies to our lives.

He is also focusing on explaining a few of 11 laws of systems from the book "Fifth discipline" in the context of pandemic COVID-19

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The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization

Senge Peter M.

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Some thoughts (applied in business also)

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Some thoughts (applied in business also)

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"Today's problems come from yesterday's solutions"

"The harder you push, the harder the system push back"

"The easy way out usually leads back in"

"Faster is slower"

"Critics are optimists- they always think that there is a better way"

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Here the speaker explains why the systems thinking is one of the crucial skill not only for leaders but also generally for humans.

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We as humans we need the skill to navigate and act in todays's complex world.

These 4 skills could make the world better:

1. Futures literacy

2. Systems thinking

3. Anticipation

4. Strategic foresight

Everything is a part of systems, every action we take is part of the system- work, travel, university, family, nature, etc...

And connected to the analysis and syntesis- "the whole is a context to the each element"

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Not to repeat( becouse some of the learnings has been mentioned)

the key note would be "if you don't see the world as a system you are tripping over"

and

"leadership is a system not a person"

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Complex

Adaptive

Social and technical

Transfer of energy