![]() ![]() Feedback loops illustrate via charts or diagrams the feedback between various parts of a system. Feedback loops: This is the step that makes whiteboard geeks drool. Sometimes you gain new information and create something new,” Marticek says.Ĥ. “Sometimes you’re combining old ways to make a new way. Synthesis: This means combining two or more things to create something new. ![]() It often is a better solution than any single “silo” could have designed.ģ. Emergence: The opposite of working “in silos,” emergence is where a larger idea or outcome is born from smaller parts. This shifts the problem from a linear solution to a circular solution.Ģ. A systems thinking approach identifies those connections. Interconnections: Projects and people are connected. Marticek says systems thinking has six key building blocks:ġ. What ripple effects might be created by our ideas/solutions?.What issues, people or systems are working together to create what is seen above the water?.What are the conditions (workplace expectations, staffing issues, budget constraints, etc.) that influence the problem?.What could be under the surface that we don’t see?.With an iceberg, there’s what we see above the water, and the much bigger, unseen portion underwater.Ĭontinuing with this metaphor, a systems thinker might approach a problem by asking: Various interconnected factors could be affecting the gear’s performance and durability.Īn iceberg metaphor is often used to describe systems thinking. Instead of replacing that same gear over and over, a systems thinking approach might look at the gear’s construction and design (casting, forging, metallurgy), the operational conditions (weight, friction, torque, noise), the environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, sanitation), and the maintenance (cleanliness, lubrication). Let’s say you’ve got a piece of machinery in which one pesky gear keeps breaking. A systems perspective is the opposite of “working in a silo.” It might help to view systems thinking as a puzzle, and how the pieces connect to each other to make the whole. “It gets made to sound so tricky,” he says. Michael Marticek teaches systems thinking and explains the concept to his students this way: With systems thinking, you solve problems by investigating factors and outcomes of those factors on your operation or educational work. By one definition, systems thinking is literally a system of thinking about systems. Is systems thinking a framework? A philosophy? A diagnostic tool? Learn more about an online Bachelor of Science in Management or a Bachelor of Science in Health Management today! Systems thinking can be applied in business and healthcare settings. If you’re like the rest of us, read on for a systems thinking definition, key elements, examples and ideas on how you might use systems level thinking in your own educational journey or career. Put another way, according to, “ systems thinking is based on the idea that all key processes in an organization are interrelated” - and they work together to achieve a common goal.Īre you tracking so far? If so, systems concepts are probably in your DNA. Such people are probably good “systems thinkers.”Ī systems thinking approach means recognizing that a sum is greater than its parts - that all the pieces of an organization connect, interact and play a part in outcomes. Have you ever met people who intuitively see things from a 10,000-foot view? They look at the big picture rather than get derailed by details, and they’re good at assessing problems before taking action. ![]()
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