What is Systems Thinking

A concept for describing a way of helping people view systems from a wide perspective, seeing overall structures, patterns and cycles in subsystems, rather than seeing only specific events in the main system.

A manner of thinking that takes into account how the things being studied relate and connect to each other. A key idea embedded in systems theory is that it can assist us in understanding of phenomena and that its holistic emphasis will promote orderly thinking. It is an apt approach to use when thinking about complex issues and interactions.

An approach that underscores the interrelated and bounded nature of elements that constitute an environment and attends to the perspectives of members.

A holistic approach in which the system components are treated as an integrated structure where it is believed that the individual behaviors of the components would be different than their behaviors within the integrated system.

A relevant scientific instrumentarium, based on principles of General Systems Theory, which uses the systems ideas in order to research and solve complex strategic problems/problem situations.

A comprehensive approach to understanding interactions and relationships through a system's components. People can resolve complex issues by acknowledging a system's dynamics and the possible impact of its actions.

System are made up of interrelated components. A change in one component will necessarily reverberate through other components. Systems thinking is therefore a holistic view of the world in which the focus is on how various elements relate to and influence each other is the focus, rather than solely on a single element itself. Systems thinking is essential for dealing with complexity.

Systems thinking is a theoretical lens that centers around how a complex system operates and promotes change through the relationships and interactions of its parts.

An approach to analysis, based on the insight that components of a system or (sub)systems may act differently when isolated from the interacting environment and hence the basic concept for studying systems in a holistic way as a supplement to traditional reductionistic techniques.

A holistic concept of tackling problems and events by taking into account the larger scope in the complete environment.

The use of conceptual system models and other tools to improve the understanding of how the feedback, delays, and management policies in a system’s structure generate the system’s behaviour over time. Systems thinking involves seeing interrelationships instead of linear cause-effect chains, and seeking processes of change over time rather than snapshots.

A holistic approach that focuses on the way a system's constituent parts interrelate and how systems work over time, within the context of larger systems.

Critical to this definition is the term ‘interaction’, in that systems thinking is a form of analysis that goes beyond specific causes and effects to the discernment of hidden patterns of behaviors and underlying systemic interrelationships.

Systems thinking involves the use of various techniques to study systems of many kinds.

Systems thinking involves the use of various techniques to study systems of many kinds.

A perspective and approach to problem-solving that emphasizes understanding the world in terms of dynamic systems, the interrelationships among elements of systems, and how systems influence each other.

An approach that emphasizes the interconnected nature of the different components that make up a system. Thus, to understand a problem with performance in an organization, you must analyze the whole organizational system not just the component (process, unit or individual) that on the surface seems to be the root of the problem.

Systems thinking, in contrast, focuses on how the thing being studied interacts with the other constituents of the system—a set of elements that interact to produce behaviour—of which it is a part. This means that instead of isolating smaller and smaller parts of the system being studied, systems thinking works by expanding its view to take into account larger and larger numbers of interactions as an issue is being studied. This results in sometimes strikingly different conclusions than those generated by traditional forms of analysis, especially when what is being studied is dynamically complex or has a great deal of feedback from other sources, internal or external. Systems thinking allows people to make their understanding of social systems explicit and improve them in the same way that people can use engineering principles to make explicit and improve their understanding of mechanical systems.

Strategic and visual approach to understanding complex entities and problems.

An approach to understanding the interconnectedness of components when grouped together in order to solve a problem and how the grouped components behave under different stimuli.

A holistic approach analysis to leadership and decision making.

Systems thinking is an approach to problem-solving and analysis that views a system as a complex and interconnected whole, rather than as a collection of isolated parts. It involves understanding how components within a system interact with each other and how the system as a whole interacts with its environment. Systems thinking emphasizes the interrelationships and dependencies among various elements within a system, considering the dynamic and holistic nature of systems. This approach is used to gain insights into complex situations, identify patterns of behavior, and develop strategies for addressing challenges by considering the broader context and the relationships between different components. Systems thinking is applied in various disciplines, including business, engineering, ecology, and social sciences (OpenAI, 2023 AU47: The in-text citation "OpenAI, 2023" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).

In a system dynamics context, a way of thinking based on system dynamics. It is also used to mean system dynamics analyses without quantitative definitions. It focuses on feedback loop structure in order to forecast the direction of performance and find pertinent elements for controlling systems. This is also called qualitative system dynamics.

Is thinking holistically and conscientiously about the world by focusing on the interaction of the parts and their influence within and over the system.

The process and understanding of how items influence one another within a whole.

A holistic approach that focuses on how a system’s constituent parts are interrelated and how systems work over time and within the context of larger systems. The systems thinking approach contrasts with traditional analysis, which studies systems by breaking them down into their separate elements. Systems thinking is applied in different fields such as medicine, the environment, politics, economics, and educator training.

The ability to draw conclusions is enhanced because the implications to the fact finding are revealed by the data (Jay Forrester, 1994 ).