21st Century Systems Thinking Skills

Map Branches

• SYSTEM AS A CAUSE
  • Don't accuse others
  • To find a problem cause, uncover the systems' structure first
    • Hard structure
      • Physical world
    • Soft structure
      • Mental models
      • Policies
  • Seek for opportunities to learn and change
• 10 MILES VIEW
  • Overcome the influence of situation
  • Expand your perception
    • Problem boundaries
    • Time
  • Try to see both trees and forest
• CLOSED-LOOP THINKING
  • Find feedback loops of causal relationships
    • Reinforcing
    • Balancing
  • Search for feedbacks in both policies and mental models
• DYNAMIC THINKING
  • Search for recurrent patterns of behaviour over time
  • Don't overestimate events
  • Think in continuous terms
    • Try to perceive impacts of small changes
• OPERATIONAL THINKING
  • Be consistent in units of measurement
  • Think in the same way as things are already happening
• NONLINEAR THINKING
  • Try to find small changes with big effects
  • Use policies as a leverage
  • Action and reaction need not to be closely linked
    • In strength
    • In space
    • In time
• SCIENTIFIC THINKING
  • Formulate and test hypotheses
  • Quantify and measure
• CREATIVE THINKING
  • Surprise others and have fun
  • Use various supporting tools and methods
    • TRIZ and ASIT
    • Brainstorming
    • Lateral thinking
    • Concept mapping
    • Mind mapping
  • Overcome obvious solutions with unwanted side effects

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