Introduction to Systems Thinking

Rating:
Summary: Good introduction but pricey
Review: Good, clear introduction to systems thinking but there are much better values out there (eg Systems Thinking: Managing Chaos and Compexity or Peter Senge's books). Would be useful in a seminar or classroom setting but I have to say I was very disappointed when it arrived (at that time the page information was not listed on Amazon). Maybe if it was packaged with some of the other systems thinking booklets produced by Pegasus I would have been more satisfied. If you are really interested in the topic ... is a very good resource.

Rating:
Summary: weLEAD Book Review from leadingtoday.org
Review: 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