Systems Thinking: What It Is, Characteristics, And How It Works
One of the most common procedures when analyzing a problem is to limit oneself to evaluating the parts or elements that compose it, believing that if the pieces of the problem are deeply analyzed, one will be able to magically understand the whole.
However, the truth is that this type of thinking is ineffective. The whole is always more than the sum of the parts, with properties that emerge from the interaction of these elements, something that can hardly be observed if one limits oneself to seeing the parts or elements of the system evaluated separately.
Systemic thinking evaluates the entire problem, evaluating each part of the system but trying to go beyond, seeing their interactions and how they influence each other. Let’s look in more depth at what it consists of.
Systems thinking is the ability to solve problems within a complex system, taking a perspective that takes into account the entire system and analyzing the interaction of its parts. It is based on the multidisciplinary study of systems, understood as entities made up of interrelated and interdependent parts, which together create something different than the simple sum of its parts.
This type of thinking differs from more traditional thinking because it does not attempt to isolate each variable of a situation or phenomenon and study it separately. Instead of doing this, try to understand what you want to study as a whole, whose parts influence each other, and that is why it is about understanding it as a whole.
Introducing systems thinking into our lives can be very beneficial in both our personal and work lives, helping us improve the productivity of work groups, companies and projects. Today it is used both in science and in other applied fields, especially in personal development and business management.
Systems thinking takes into account different elements or characteristic aspects of systems, which are mainly the following.
1. Interconnections
A key aspect of systems thinking is the ability to establish interconnections between the parts of the problem or phenomenon to be analyzed This type of thinking requires a change of perspective and going from linear to circular thinking, where it is assumed that each element is interconnected with the others.
2. Change
Thinking systemically requires the ability to detect change because, after all, systems are dynamic, not static There is always a flow of movement between its elements.
3. Feedback
Since all parts of a system are interconnected, systems thinking requires observing the balancing or reinforcing effects that each of them generates. It involves being aware of the feedback that occurs within the system knowing how to identify the flows and reactions within it.
Main characteristics of systems thinking
Next we will see the main characteristics of systemic thinking.
1. Based on systems theory
Systems theory is the interdisciplinary study of entities made up of different interconnected parts Each of these entities is called a “system” and is described based on its limits, purpose or way of functioning. In turn, these systems are made up of more basic elements that interact with each other.
According to systems theory, each of these entities is greater than the simple sum of its parts, based on ideas such as synergy or emergent behavior. Thus, this school of thought maintains that it is impossible to understand how a system works without understanding what and how its components are, and especially how they relate to each other.
The general purpose of systems thinking is discover what the limits, dynamics, conditions, purpose and relationships are within each of these systems
2. Goes from the specific to the most general
In systemic thinking, what is first done is to examine the objective data available at each moment, such as the observable results or the situation from which it is based. The next step is to try to find the underlying causes and extrapolate them to other areas. It goes from the most specific to go, progressively, to the most general
This way of thinking is, as a general rule, very different from what we usually resort to. What we usually do when we are faced with a specific problem is that we look for the causes in the recent past and in the closest situations. When trying to solve it, we focus on solutions that have good results in the short term, without worrying about what might happen in the distant future.
This is not the case of systems thinking. With the It is about finding all the causes of a situation and all the elements that could have influenced it, no matter how far away they are in time and space. When proposing solutions to a problem, their effectiveness in both the short and long term is considered, anticipating possible risks and unwanted effects that may occur in the distant future.
3. Allows a better understanding of the causes of the situation studied
It is considered that the main advantage of systems thinking is that, when applied, allows you to completely understand the causes that have led to a certain situation Furthermore, it helps us understand all the elements that are causing this situation to persist.
When you fully understand what the causes of a situation and its components are, it is easier to develop a solution that is effective in both the short and long term. In this way, despite being difficult to apply, systems thinking offers us great benefits in the areas in which it is applied.
You may be interested: “Metacognition: history, definition of the concept and theories”
Principles of systems thinking
The four fundamental principles when applying systemic thinking are what we will see below.
1. Acquisition of a global vision
The first step to apply systemic thinking to a certain situation is to take perspective regarding it It is necessary to acquire a global vision of the problem, something that is often difficult since the most immediate consequences of the situation prevent us from seeing the whole.
Before starting to analyze the situation, we must ask ourselves what we might be overlooking at first glance. In this way, it is possible to acquire a new vision of the problem, which will allow us to analyze it more effectively.
2. Identification of systems and their relationships
Once we have managed to get rid of the most immediate consequences of the situation addressed, the next thing is find all the systems that are part of the problem to be analyzed Here we must include everything, including both human systems (e.g., work groups, family relationships) and inanimate or structural elements (e.g., tools, environment, geographical organization…) or even intangible elements (e.g. ., belief system).
For example, in a labor problem, one of the systems involved is the company and the groups of workers who work in it. However, we should not neglect other aspects such as the beliefs of these people, the computer system used in the organization or the economic situation of the company.
3. Recognition of the elements that make them up
The next step can be understood as the same as the previous one, only this time we are going to try to detect which are the elements that make up the systems Here it is about identifying the elements that make up each of the systems and how these same elements influence each other.
4. Presentation of possible solutions
Finally, when the systems and elements that make up the problem to be analyzed have been identified, it is time to propose possible solutions to it. Thanks to the previous steps, it is easier to find a satisfactory solution for all parties
It is worth mentioning that, at this step, we should not adopt the first idea that appears after the analysis. Before applying a solution, it is necessary to identify the possible short- and long-term effects of each of the proposed alternatives. In this way, you can choose the one that most benefits everyone.
