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…

A simple balancing loop can be thought of as a basic control loop. In this type of feedback loop, any discrepancies between desired…

This pocket guide is a handy quick-reference guide to the full array of systems thinking tools–from dynamic thinking tools such as behavior over time graphs,…

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

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

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

There are many possible starting points for drawing a systems diagram. One way to begin is by telling the story behind the problem, and…

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

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

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…

This handy pocket guide presents a comprehensive example of how to actually use the Matrix. Includes step-by-step instructions. Download the PDF file .

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

Decision-makers often turn to computer models when they face a problem too “big” to grasp all at once. Having the computer keep track of…

What should be the outcome of a systems education? We do not expect most students to spend their lives in front of a computer…

Whether you are new to systems thinking or merely need a guide to available tools, this collection introduces you to dynamic, structural, and computer-based tools…

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

Language has a subtle, yet powerful effect on the way we view the world. English, like most other Western languages, is linear—its basic sentence…

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

In the streets of Seattle, Washington, last year, the world witnessed a striking expression of social concern. An array of highly disparate groups —…

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…

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

An old Winnie the Pooh cartoon sketch shows Christopher Robin dragging Edward the Bear down a set of stairs by one arm, while the…

This handy pocket guide shows you what the Matrix looks like, and helps you take the first step in diagnosing your organization’s current reality. Includes…

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…

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…

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

The first part of this article, which appeared in the previous issue of The Systems Thinker (May 2010, Vol. 21 N. 4), introduced the “people-in-context”…

Although the parable of the boiled frog has become a familiar story in organizational learning circles, it does not yet seem to prevent organizations…

Peasants in southwest France have been selling smelly but delicious black truffles to restaurants for more than $600 a kilo (2.2 lb). Not surprisingly,…

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

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

Feedback loops can be thought of as closed loops of interconnection; basically, sequences of mutual causes and effects. The links between each variable show…

In The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge posed the question, “How can a team of committed managers with individual IQs above 120 have a collective…

Imagine you are the human resources director for a company in a rapidly growing industry. Your latest strategy meeting focused on developing a human…

“TEACHER seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person.” Thus begins Ishmael, a compelling exploration of our shared assumptions…

TEAM TIP Apply this method to anticipate— and avoid—unintended consequences before taking action. Irecently read an article by Daniel Aronson called “Targeted…

Roger and his wife June had been struggling with differing views about how to bring up their children. Recently, Roger attended a program about…

It’s a good thing we have comfort zones, those ways of acting and thinking that do not cause us stress or require much thought.

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

Stress management — long the domain of psychiatrists and therapists — is increasingly being recognized by corporate America as a critical workforce issue. The reason…

World events over the past several years have highlighted the need for new ways of exercising leadership. Such events include the ongoing crisis in…

Imagine you are part of a healthcare team that has developed a computer model to grapple with the complex and often conflicting factors involved…

It’s Monday morning. You’ve just settled in at your desk to catch up on some reading, when the phone rings. The program manager of the…

Recently, I had a long conversation with my fifteen-year-old daughter, Elise, about why she had to learn algebra. I had helped her with a…

Suppose you have just been appointed the CKO—Chief Knowledge Officer—of your organization. You are responsible for managing the company’s knowledge capital, including how it…

The 1990s are shaping up to be a decade of dramatic changes. The recent shake-ups at IBM and General Motors are ominous signs that…