Systems-thinking Models and Thinking Skills


Overview/Description
Target Audience
Expected Duration
Lesson Objectives
Course Number


Overview/Description
How is "systems" thinking different from everyday thinking? Learning to apply systems thinking involves more than just knowing what it is. There are many ways to look at a problem, and how you approach it can drastically change the outcome. This course looks at the four-step systems-thinking method for addressing issues. It covers four different styles of thinking: dynamic thinking, big-picture thinking, operational thinking, and quantitative thinking. Each style will bring you closer to the core of your problems or concerns and enable you to make changes that will benefit your organization in the long run. No more quick fixes that only cause more problems and don't really treat the problem at hand. No more shrugging your shoulders when asked why a problem has come up once again. No more explaining away certain aspects of a situation only to have them come back to haunt you at a later date. Learning the "thinking" of systems thinking will quickly put you in the driver's seat of problem solving within your organization.

Target Audience
Managers, supervisors, and team leaders

Expected Duration (hours)
2.5

Lesson Objectives

The Method of Systems Thinking

  • recognize the value of using the method of systems thinking.
  • identify the core characteristics of an active systems thinker.
  • sequence the four steps of the method of systems thinking.
  • distinguish between examples of conventional models and systems-thinking models.

    • Defining the Scope

  • recognize the value of using dynamic, system-as-source, and big-picture thinking skills to define the scope of a problem.
  • determine the scope of a problem by using the most appropriate factors in a patterns graph.
  • match variables relative to an organization with their locations.
  • use elevation and filtering to define the scope of a problem.

    • Creating a Systems-thinking Model

  • recognize the benefits of using operational, closed-path, and quantitative thinking skills to create a systems-thinking model.
  • match operational thinking and factors thinking with their characteristics.
  • match statements to complete circles of causality.
  • differentiate between situations that call for quantifying and those that call for measuring.

    • Testing Your Model and Implementing Change

  • recognize the benefits of testing and revising systems-thinking models and implementing change based on these models.
  • differentiate between questions testing face validity and robustness.
  • revise nonworking models by applying systems-thinking skills.
  • sequence systems thinking's five phases of implementing change.

    • Course Number:
    STGY0403