Systems Thinking
Systems thinking is the process of viewing the interrelatedness of each
part of a
system. This methodology is based on the principle that many of these
key interactions and relationships may not be visible from direct, up
close analysis of each component. Systems thinking involves stepping
back and taking not of how different components of a system may interact
in the "big picture." Thus, a duality is present in systems thinking,
where one must keep "one eye tuned to the biggest relevant picture, while
the other eye descends into the fray" (Stella II, page 20).
From systems thinking comes system dynamics, which has been most
recently applied to the analysis of organizations. This form of systems
thinking was developed by Professor Jay Forrester and colleages at
Massachusets Institute of Technology over the past few decades. System
dynamics involves modeling the systems using various tools (i.e. links,
loops, stocks, flows, etc.) to understand the interrelation between the
components of a system.
Compiled by
Chris Hagner cch1@cec.wustl.edu
Last updated 10/27/94.