We are on blog #4 for Systems Thinking. It is important for me to tell you that this blog is intended for the layman. There is plenty of top notch scientific information, diagrams, etc. on systems thinking. Two of my favorite books on systems thinking are Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows and The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge. There are many sites that go into a lot of detail on systems thinking, systems dynamics as well. But my objective with this blog is to encourage you to take a whole system view when looking at problems and issues, and maybe even spur your interest to learn a little more about systems thinking. I find the basic foundation I have in systems thinking has and continues to change my mental models of the world and problems. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Systems Thinking’ Category
Systems thinking (part 4)
Friday, June 19th, 2009
Systems thinking blog (part 3)
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009Easy Way to Identify A System
From Thinking In Systems by Donella Meadows:
How to know whether you are looking at a system or just a bunch of stuff:
A) Can you identify the parts? AND
B) Do the parts affect each other? AND
C) Do the parts together produce an effect that is different from the effect of each part on its own? AND perhaps
D) Does the effect, the behavior over time, persist in a variety of circumstances. (more…)
Systems thinking blog — our energy system traps (part 2)
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009Our energy system actually exhibits three kinds of system traps or archetypes. The first is Tragedy of the Commons in two ways:
- No one is managing the atmosphere, so everyone is free to pollute. Everyone keeps polluting until some kind of management of the commons, our atmosphere, is put in place. (more…)
Systems thinking introduction and our energy system (part 1)
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009Humans are linear thinkers and event focused. Our focus on events is natural and fed by the media that provides event after event, usually giving no context of time or quantity. The complex systems of our energy structure do not behave linearly. Broad understanding of systems thinking is pivotal to accelerating the deployment of renewable energies, energy efficiencies, and lifestyle change. The public is perfectly capable of understanding the concepts of systems thinking. However, I am not sure any of us understand the lifestyle sacrifices we have to make to fulfill our moral obligations to the planet and humanity. (more…)
