Systems thinking is different from most other problem-solving tools because it takes into account the fact that we are a part of the system…

Making mental models explicit can enhance both individual and organizational learning by making individual learning more accessible and therefore more easily transferable to the…

Any time you hear the phrase, “Here we go again” in response to a problem, it is a clue that a pattern is in…

The drive toward improvement has become a way of life in corporations today. Total Quality Management, Business Process Reengineering, and other improvement techniques have…

Creating learning organizations takes more than a collection of individuals working toward the same cause; it requires building a community of learners who are…

As of 1993, Sigma Tech (a fictional name) was one of the most successful small corporations in the U.S. The company’s business was both…

The old adage, “if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail” can also apply to language.

The Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) is the largest two-year technical college in the U.S., serving nearly 70,000 students with an annual budget of…

You are a claims processor working for a large insurance company. You are good at what you do, but although you know where your…

Despite significant advances in personal computers and systems thinking software over the last decade, learning to apply systems thinking effectively remains a tough nut…

When something goes wrong in an organization, the first question that is often posed is, “Whose fault is it?” When there’s data missing in…

If you’re reading The Systems Thinker®, you probably have at least a general sense of the benefits of applying systems thinking in the work-place.

Imagine an organization in which all the records disintegrated overnight. Suddenly, there are no more reports, no computer files, no employee records, no operating manuals,…

As a global society increasingly becomes a reality and people strive to come together across divisions of culture, religion, race, age, gender, and other…

TEAM TIP Look for things that rise and fall in your organization, such as employee motivation, product sales, progress on goals, etc. What are…

So you’ve read The Fifth Discipline, attended the Pegasus “Systems Thinking in Action” Conference, bought simulation software, and created your first computer models. You’re…

In the book The Double Helix James Watson describes the process through which he and Robert Crick “cracked” the DNA code. While others were searching…

Your daughter was sick last night and you didn’t get much sleep. Tony’s car was rear-ended on the way to the office. Vivian has…

During the mid-1980s, a large high-technology company launched a project to begin thinking more systemically about strategy. “COPEX” (a fictional name) designed, manufactured, sold,…

Vision can be a powerful force for action when it is clearly articulated and there is a genuine desire to bring it into reality.

When Monsanto and American Home Products dissolved their intended merger last year, it was not due to a lack of strategic or market synergy,…

Much has been written over the years about leadership — the skills required, the dynamics involved, the characteristics displayed by outstanding leaders, and so…

Systems thinking can be thought of as a language for communicating about complexity and interdependencies (see “Systems Thinking as a Language,” Viewpoint, April 1991). To…

How many times have you heard someone say, “This is spiraling out of control”? When people use these kinds of phrases, they intuitively give hints…

All you need to do is read the paper or watch the news to realize that the world is becoming more difficult to understand…

“We change the culture by changing the nature of conversation. It’s about choosing conversations that have the power to create the future.” — Peter…

According to recent findings in neuroscience, not only do sensory experiences and actions change the brain’s physical structure, but so does thinking. Concentrating on…

For the past 15 years or so, I have told audiences a story about how my perception of what determines good business performance has…

The Systems Thinking Competency Course (STCC) project at the MIT Sloan School of Management is exploring how systems thinking can be translated into the workplace.

Making individual mental models explicit is only one step toward fostering organizationwide learning. Since perceptions of reality can vary widely among different people in…

There is a full array of systems thinking tools that you can think of in the same way as a painter views colors many…

The goal of education for sustainability (EFS) is “to develop in young people and adults new knowledge and new ways of thinking needed to…

We judge others by what they do; we judge ourselves by our intentions.” “What you do thunders so loud, I can’t hear what you…

In the “classic” systems thinking approach, a group uses mapping and modeling to help explain an important behavior over time. While we occasionally encounter…

Individual Practice Becoming a seasoned systems thinker starts with a strong commitment to developing your own awarenesses and skills. Ask Different Questions. Systems thinking offers…

Why are attempts to transform organizations usually painful and so often unsuccessful? Why is it that, even when leaders recognize the value of the…

In writing and teaching people about systems thinking, my colleagues and I at I see systems often refer to “mental models.” For some people,…

Corporations today face many pressures to become “lean.” Unfortunately, most people also attach “mean” to lean, which can lead us to confuse leanness with…

In a causal loop diagram of a systemic issue, variables are connected in cause-and-effect relationships. But often the implicit thought processes behind those links…

As members of communities and organizations, many people feel their days (and their energy!) being consumed by contentious conflicts between diverse stakeholder groups. Organizations…

We are living on the knife’s edge of one of those rare and momentous turning points in human history. Liveable lives for our grandchildren,…

Contrary to popular opinion, learning is not the process of merely accumulating more information. You have “learned” something only when you can produce a…

Consider all the learning that occurs as people move from place to place inside and outside an organization, carrying insights and ideas from one…

When faced with a problem, how often do teams within your organization become polarized around proposed solutions that are opposites? For example, one group…

If the element in greatest evidence in a school system is “young people,” and the second most prevalent feature is “desks,” surely a close…

The first three systems thinking skills help you establish an extensive (breadth) and intensive (depth) boundary for your mental or computer-based model. The next…

I frequently talk to groups of managers on the nature of systems thinking and its radical implications to management. In doing so, I use…

Today’s workforce represents a broad range of age groups. As a result of college internships, modern healthcare, antidiscrimination laws, and a plethora of lifestyle…