systems thankings for business

 Understanding Systems In the previous chapter, we asked the question ‘What is a system?’ and defined it as a collection of interacting parts, components, or actors in which the interactions result in system-level properties and behaviours not attributable to the sum of individual parts. With this definition, we also introduced several concepts that underpin systems thinking, including hard and soft systems; open and closed systems; complex vs. complicated systems; systems behaviour and emergence; systems problems (tame, messy, and wicked); worldview; and self-organization. In this chapter, we will build upon these concepts and definitions to provide you with a deeper and more complete understanding of systems, their structure and properties. LEARNING OUTCOMES Understand the function and purpose of a system systems inputs and outputs system performance stocks, flows, and forces system structure and boundary interconnections and feedback loops processes in the context of systems ent...

 Everything in this world, and indeed the universe, is connected to something else and is part of something bigger. Our actions have wide consequences that affect people, organizations, and society around us. These consequences may be negligible or significant; they may be immediate or several years down the line. Have you ever made a decision or done something expecting one outcome, but the result was quite different and unexpected? Most of us have had this experience. It might have happened in the school playground, in a sports team, on a social network with family and friends, or at work. In fact, the world's history is full of examples of unintended consequences. Two such examples include: In Borneo in the 1950s, to eliminate the problem of malaria, the World Health Organization recommended spraying DDT pesticide to kill the carrier mosquitoes; it had two unrelated consequences. First, DDT also killed a species of wasp that controlled the population of caterpillars. Most roofs ...