Introduction to Systems Thinking

This 2-day course covers the WHY, WHAT and HOW of Systems Thinking:​

• Understanding the WHY: We are surrounded by Systems and some of us create new ones and they are all interconnected. Systems Thinking helps to untangle this web and allows us to define the boundary of one system, so that its relationships to the rest can be discussed more effectively. This helps us to better understand the challenges ahead, expand the range of potential solutions in new ways, unambiguously describe our findings and logically analyse the impact of trade-offs, and thus make well informed and more robust choices.​
• Explaining the WHAT: Systems Thinking is a method to broaden our thinking, help us to better articulate challenges, and to understand and accept that there are no perfect solutions. Every choice we make impacts the rest of the system, which is why we must be able to describe these relationships in the right language and express it using the appropriate Systems Thinking Tool for the problem at hand.​
• Introducing one HOW: Systems Thinking is a mind-set (some even call it a ‘philosophy’) that comes with collection of tools, some in form of software – most use pen and paper, which is more accessible and more appropriate for a flip-chart. We will go with the latter and focus on:​
• What is a System and which Systems can you readily identify in your environment?​
• What are the types of characteristics that describe a System? Are ‘engineered‘ Systems different from others?​
• Can we abstract the characteristics to define different types of System or at least use them for a Classification?​
• How to address Cause & Effect at the heart of System Dynamics? How does it relate to Complexity? ​
• Which types of negative behaviour can be found, which controlled, which accepted or turned into a positive?​
• What Thinking Tools are available, what are their strengths, and which can be applied to what challenge?​
• How having a set of standardized perspectives helps analysing and synthesizing Systems!​

The best way to learn Systems Thinking is to actively apply it. The course features three workshop sessions in which the learning is applied, discussed and transferred to your own practical System challenges.

GfSE-Mitglieder erhalten einen Rabatt.