In This Issue

Feature

Thinking in Circles About Obesity
by Tarek K.A. Hamid

Systems thinking is a perspective and a set of conceptual tools that enables us to understand the structure and predict the behavior of complex systems. While already commonplace in engineering and in business, the use of systems thinking in personal health is less widely adopted. Yet health is a setting where dynamic complexity is problematic and where the stakes are high. The strength of the systems approach lies in its capacity to integrate variables that otherwise would be isolated from each other. In the case of human weight and energy regulation, it allows us, for example, to examine (and better understand) the feedback interactions between the physiological and the behavioral.

Dieters can seriously underestimate the escalation in hardship because, as psychologists have found, most people intuitively view causality in linear terms, expecting effect to always be proportional to cause. That is to say, we to tend to think that if A causes B to happen, then 2As must cause 2Bs to happen. But the effort needed to accomplish a task often increases exponentially, not linearly, as the difficulty of the task increases. This is one of the perspectives that a systems approach to weight management—and other cognitive and physical tasks—can offer.

Toolbox
Identifying and Breaking Vicious Cycles
by David Peter Stroh

Perhaps the most prevalent and accessible form of systems thinking for people new to the concept is the vicious cycle. For example, downsizing is likely to reduce an executive’s ability to generate revenue (not just costs), which in turn decreases profits and increases pressure to downsize yet again. Although people are easily caught in vicious cycles, they often do not see these cycles as endless spirals and do not know how to escape the dynamic. This article describes an easy way to identify vicious cycles that people are caught in; explains a four-step process to transform this dynamic into an engine of success instead of failure; and will expand your thinking beyond simple vicious cycles to enrich your understanding of common problems and identify specific interventions for complex systems.

From the Resource Shelf
The Practice of Managing
by James T. Brown

Maverick business professor Henry Mintzberg’s new book, Managing (Berrett-Koehler, 2009), is a must read for those serious about management. He bases his book on the idea that “It is time to recognize that managing is neither science nor a profession; it is a practice, learned primarily through experience, and rooted in context.” Everyone can get the basics right, but it is the subtleties that result from knowledge and real-life experience that result in exceptional levels of performance. If you believe that you can always improve your management skills, then you’ll get a lot out of Managing.

Building Blocks
Resolving to Stop Re-Solving
by Janice Molloy

According to Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire, most of us won’t achieve the goals we set on January 1. He and his team found that only 12 percent of the 700 people they polled fulfilled their New Year’s resolutions. Whenever we find ourselves re-solving the same problem repeatedly, we need to direct our attention deeper. Systems thinking tools, such as the “Iceberg,” can help us identify the beliefs, mindsets, policies, procedures, or practices that help perpetuate the same behaviors or outcomes. By making changes at the structural level, we may be able to solve problems once and for all.

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