• Systems thinking

    Apr 23.09 | Learn   

    I just finished reading Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella H. Meadows.  I came across the book through my LinkedIn group reading list and I’m glad I did.  “Systems fool us by presenting themselves — or we fool ourselves by seeing the world — as a series of events.”  According to Meadows we all too often react quickly, don’t take time to really understand the problem, and then readjust before the effects of our initial reactions have an effect.  Actions that often destablize and make the situation worse than when we started.

    Better to focus attention on behavior — performance over time — and structure.  What feeds the system?  Where does its results flow?  What reinforces or balances the system’s flow?  More than just a discussion of systems thinking, she offers practical advice and examples of applying this thinking to fix problems and make the world better.  From dealing with illegal immigration and the war on drugs, to filling your bathtub, systems big and small are addressed.  Add this one to your reading list.

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    • Author: Randy

    In my day job I serve as Information Technology Director for the Yale School of Drama. Otherwise I garden, play guitar, build stuff out of wood, take photos, play around with technology and have been blogging since 2003.

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    Comments / ONE COMMENT

    [...] attended a workshop yesterday on Thinking Systemically.  After reading Donella Meadows’ Thinking in Systems I wanted to learn more, and the workshop looked [...]

    RodeWorks » Blog Archive » Systems thinking workshop on Jun 17 09 at 4:23 pm

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Randall Rode's online home for thoughts, notes, and experiments with a wide range of technology topics. Visit the about page for info on my recent projects and professional background. I welcome your comments!

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