What is Systems Thinking?
Flexibility
A necessary component is a flexibility and holding ideas lightly. There is an acceptance that people need to work together and differences in opinions are vital to enable growth. Systems thinking brings groups together and uses models to explore ideas which are complex and multilayered.
The same situation may be explored in several ways and the systems thinking facilitator will draw out commonalities, patterns and learnings to share with the team.
Bias Awareness
Systems thinking requires self reflection and an understanding of what you bring to a situation as a person. In the classroom this can be how you experienced school or what your children feel about school if you are a parent/carer. As a leader, how you approach leadership can be influenced by your own personal experience or training. Understanding where these boundaries are drawn can support the development of systems which aren't built on bias or at the very least, are explicit about these boundaries.
Systems thinking is a school of thought which encourages reflection and accepts that life is messy. It is uncertain and unpredictable. It looks to explore situations and understand multiple perspectives, starting points and options. It keeps an open mind and through enquiry, it works to identify ways of working which can be iterative and adaptable.
There cannot be systems thinking without collaboration. It is through discussion and time spent together that understanding and cohesion is achieved. Whilst there are opportunities to reflect which can be independent, the majority of the work and subsequent actions are group based. This ensures that everyone owns both the situation and the outcomes.
Collaboration
Using systems thinking to navigate complexity with confidence
We help individuals and organisations to develop systems that flex and adapt to the needs of the situation.
We support groups and individuals to reflect on their situations using three key themes from systems thinking:
Interrelationships: how people and situations work together, identifying positive and negative feedback loops and gaps in the system where information may be lost or miscommunicated.
Boundary Judgements: what are the limitations both intentional and unintended on a situation, how can they be explored to extend or retract. How do these boundaries serve you as a practitioner?
Multiple Perspectives: how many voices are consulted in making changes? What influence do these voices have and how can that be managed? What can be learnt from seeking out multiple perspectives?
