A New Path to Understanding Systems Thinking
Jeff Frakes, Ph.D and Nalani Linder
Tools to Help with Systems Thinking Practices
Questions or comments about these tools? Contact Jeff or Nalani.
Systems Thinking Practice |
Suggested Tool or Resource |
| Considering Short and Long Term Consequences |
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| Looking at Multiple Perspectives |
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| Looking at the Big Picture |
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| Looking for Patterns |
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| Looking for Trends |
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| Being Comfortable with Ambiguity |
Polarity management maps:
learn more here |
| Checking Results for Lessons |
Exercises such as Barry Oshry’s ‘Time Out Of Time’ (TOOT) activity |
| Looking for Interconnected Issues |
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| Looking for Small Actions That Can Make Big Differences |
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| Considering the Impacts of Accumulations Over Time |
Online simulators, such as the 'Root Beer Game' by Harvard Business School on Forio
Click here |
| Being Comfortable with Questioning One's Deep Assumptions |
Reflection exercise using an alternative world map
Click here
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| Being Aware of Boundaries |
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| Thinking Critically about Causation, Not Just Correlation |
‘Living Loops’ Exercise
from Systems Thinking Playbook
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| Being Cautious of Adopting a Win/Lose Attitude |
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| Considering Unintended Consequences |
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| Seeing Self as Part of System |
7 column analysis
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| Recognizing that a System's Structure Drives Its Behavior |
‘Group Juggle’ Exercise
from Systems Thinking Playbook
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Other Resources
'Watch Your Language!: Clues to help you 'hear' systems vs. non-systems thinking'
Download handout
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