Systems Thinking Guide

Systems
Thinking
A Field Guide
Overview
This guide is designed for those teaching or facilitating people to learn and apply systems
thinking. It has been created particularly for those involved in the practice of systems change or
Systems Innovation Labs.
The guide gives an outline to what systems thinking is and the different aspects that constitute
it. This is done in a compact and succinct form so that facilitators can use it as a foundation to
scaffold their training. As such the contents of this guide should be complemented and fleshed
out by the facilitator with their additional material; worksheets, quizzes, games, workshop
methods, etc.
The guide has been designed as a synthesis of the many different perspectives and approaches
to systems thinking. After much time spent reviewing the subject in its many different guises,
we identify four basic interpretations to the term systems thinking that forms the structure to
this guide.
1. Systems Awareness 2. Systems Theory
Systems thinking as reflexive; Systems thinking as a holistic
looking at our worldview and paradigm helping us to see the
assumptions whole, not just the parts.
B 3. System Modeling 4. Complexity Theory

In this section we give a high- Systems thinking as a way to
level overview to systems better understand and deal with
A modeling complex systems
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What is Systems Thinking? 
Systems thinking is a very broad area that seeks to bring together the
many different ways of thinking that are holistic in their interpretation
of the world. Holistic thinking seeks to understand phenomena as
intimately interconnected and comprehensible with reference to the
whole system or environment they form part of. Systems thinking is:
• A synthetic modes of reasoning meaning that things are understood

by putting them together rather than taking them apart.[1]
• It uses the model of a system to interpret events and phenomena.[2]
• It is a relational paradigm interpreting things in the context of the

network of relations they form part of.[3]
• It is a dynamic way of looking at the world, understanding change in

terms of nonlinear feedback processes that shape system structure
and outcomes.[4]
Why Systems Thinking?
The primary aim of systems thinking is to elevate our thinking from
just seeing parts and linear interactions to seeing and understanding
whole complex systems.[5] In our everyday way of being we largely just
see events, things, actions and reactions. Rarely does our thinking
extend to seeing the broader systems that those events form part of.
 
Although our thinking is often piecemeal, the reality of the world we
live in is complex, messy and interconnected. Systems thinking helps
to illuminate how a complex world works. If we are ever to gain a
deeper more comprehensive understanding of the complexity of the
real world it will involve thinking in systems.[6]  
By becoming aware of the systems we form part of, the consequences

of our actions within that broader context we can start to act from a
different place, as individuals, as organizations, as whole societies, and
from this start to overcome the unintended consequences of a partial
view of the world.[7]
Reflexive Thinking
Systems thinking is, in its most generalized sense, a way of seeing the
world. Before anything, it places great emphasis on the question of
how do we see the world; asking us to start by being reflexive about
our ways of knowing and seeing; a strong emphasis on self-awareness,
awareness of one’s own way of looking at the world and the way that
others look at the world.[8]
 
At the heart of systems thinking is a recognition of our subjectivity.
That how the world appears to us is not merely in some objective
form, but in fact, our conceptual system structures, defines, and
interprets every impression we receive. Our worldview shapes our
every endeavor - whether in science, management, design or
everyday life - it shapes what we do and the world we create around
us. It is precisely because of this, systems thinking would posit, that
we need to first understand the nature and makeup of the paradigm
that we are using.
Holistic Thinking
Systems thinking forms a coherent set of basic concepts that we call
an "alternative" worldview. We call it alternative because what
defines systems thinking is that it is a holistic paradigm and this
stands in contrast to our more traditional reductionist ways of
thinking.[9] Thus, key to becoming a systems thinker is becoming
aware of the distinction between our more traditional analytical ways
of reasoning and the systems approach that is holistic in nature. 
Reductionism and holism form two very different views of the world
and how to best interpret it. Reductionism works by breaking things
down into their constituent parts and focusing on the static
properties of those parts and their linear interactions. Holism does
quite the opposite, trying to understand things within the context of
the whole environment they form part of, their functioning within
that broader context and how they are shaped by their nexus of
relations.[10]
System Modeling
Systems thinking is more than just a worldview, it also provides us
with a coherent model with which to try and reason about
phenomena in a more detailed and coherent form. This is done using
the model of a system. To be a systems thinker is not just to be
reflexive and holistic in our thinking but also to see the world in
B terms of systems; to do this we need to understand and be able to
apply the model of a system.[11]
 
A model is an abstract and compact representation of some
A phenomena that enables us to conceptualize and communicate its
basic structure and dynamics in a coherent form. The model of a
system enables us to reason about and make sense of a very wide
variety of phenomena in our world in a coherent fashion. Just as
importantly it provides us with a standardized language to
communicate this to others. Understanding and being able to use
system models is key to shifting our perception from seeing not just
parts but whole systems.
Complexity Theory
Systems thinking is a way of thinking that helps us understand
complex systems and better deal with complex environments.
Complexity theory provides us with a more advanced set of models
for understanding the nature and dynamics of complex systems; a
body of knowledge grounded in decades of scientific research.
Complexity theory has emerged out of a wide variety of different
domains to form a core generic framework for studying complex
systems in the abstract.[12]
 
Complexity theory encompasses a very broad and diverse set of
models and methods, such as; network theory, nonlinear systems
dynamics, game theory, adaptive systems, and evolutionary
dynamics. Through the use of computational tools - such as
network analysis and agent-based modeling - complexity science
can help us to better understand and visualize the complex systems
that make up our world. The aim is that we will ultimately become
better at designing and managing these systems.
1. Teaching Systemic Thinking: Educating the Next Generation of Business Leaders - The Systems Thinker. (2015). Retrieved 22 August 2020, from https://bit.ly/32fBBMX 
2. Wikiwand. (2020). Systems theory | Wikiwand. [online] Available at: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Systems_theory [Accessed 25 Aug. 2020]. 
3. Goodreads.com. (2010). The Fifth Discipline. [online] Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255127.The_Fifth_Discipline [Accessed 25 Aug. 2020]. 
4. Breslin, M. (2019). What Is SD. [online] Systemdynamics.org. Available at: https://www.systemdynamics.org/what-is-sd [Accessed 25 Aug. 2020]. 
5. OpenLearn. (2020). Systems thinking and practice. [online] Available at: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/computing-ict/systems-thinking-and-practice/content-section-3.4 [Accessed 25
Aug. 2020]. 
6. OpenLearn. (2013). Managing complexity: A systems approach – introduction. [online] Available at: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/computing-and-ict/systems-computer/managing-
complexity-systems-approach-introduction/content-section-4.2 [Accessed 25 Aug. 2020]. 
7. Metabolic. (2020). Lessons in systems thinking – exploring unintended consequences. [online] Available at: https://www.metabolic.nl/news/lessons-in-systems-thinking-exploring-unintended-consequences/ [Accessed
25 Aug. 2020]. 
8. The Schumacher Institute (2014). Introduction to Systems Thinking, Part 1 - How do we view the world? (with Martin Sandbrook). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH94PMHPZW8 [Accessed
25 Aug. 2020].
9. Cabrera, D. and Cabrera, L. (2019). What Is Systems Thinking? Learning, Design, and Technology, [online] pp.1–28. Available at: https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-319-17727-4_100-1
[Accessed 25 Aug. 2020]. 
10. Hantula, D.A. (2018). Editorial: Reductionism and Holism in Behavior Science and Art. Perspectives on Behavior Science, [online] 41(2), pp.325–333. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/
s40614-018-00184-w [Accessed 25 Aug. 2020]. 
11. Open.edu. (2020). Systems modelling: View as single page. [online] Available at: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/mod/oucontent/view.php?printable=1&id=3474 [Accessed 25 Aug. 2020]. 
12. Wikiwand. (2020). Complexity theory and organizations | Wikiwand. [online] Available at: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Complexity_theory_and_organizations [Accessed 25 Aug. 2020]

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Systems

B 3. System Modeling 4. Complexity Theory

• A synthetic modes of reasoning meaning that things are understood

• It uses the model of a system to interpret events and phenomena.[2]

• It is a relational paradigm interpreting things in the context of the

• It is a dynamic way of looking at the world, understanding change in

By becoming aware of the systems we form part of, the consequences

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