Systems Thinking: SPSF 1st Year Lecture to 3rd Year Seminar

What is Systems Thinking?

Before reading a book about systems thinking, we should draw the elements of reality and lines to connect them. We can find that one element affects a lot of others and some of them affect back the first element. One solution is not always good for everything (e.g. Cats in Borneo dispatched by WHO).

The first chapter of the below book (Stroh 2015) is titled, "Why Good Intentions Are Not Enough." We are first obliged to understand the whole system. Difference between conventional and systems thinking (Loc.420) (underline added):

• Conventional Thinking: The connection between problems and their causes is obvious and easy to trace; Others are to blame for our problems and must be the ones to change; A policy designed to achieve short-term success will also assure long-term success; In order to optimize the whole, we must optimize the parts; and Aggressively tackle many independent initiatives simultaneously.
• Systems Thinking: The relationship is indirect & not obvious; We unwittingly create our own prob & have significant control or influence in solving them through changing our behavior; Most quick fixes have unintended consequences - They make no difference / make matter worse in the long run; In order to optimize the whole, we must improve relationships among the parts; and Only a few key coordinated changes sustained over time will produce large systems change.

Systems Thinking for Social Change: A Practical Guide to Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results

The 6 concepts

1. Interconnectedness: Everything relies on something else.
2. Synthesis: the ability to see the interconnectedness
3. Emergence: larger things emerge from smaller parts.
4. Feedback Loops: connections can be shown as loops.
5. Causality: how one thing results in another thing
6. Systems Mapping: 

The 3rd Year Seminar will be something like this:

A Voluntary Workshop 

Prof. Maruyama plans to hold a study circle about systems thinking in March. If you are interested in joining it, please contact him before 22 Feb. 

Online courses must be also interesting for you!

Systems thinking: Understanding sustainability (English Edition)