Systems Thinking, Systems Practice
Some highlights I captured
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The book opens up with a clear definition of systems that I really like:
đ (paraphrasing)A system is some set of components that together form a whole, where the whole has properties that extend beyond the properties of its component parts
â Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 5, 2022
Definitions:
Systems thinkingââapplying the concept of wholeness captured in the word âsystemsâ [as a tool] to order our thoughtsâ
Systems practiceââusing the product of this thinking to initiate and guide actions we take in the worldâ
â Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 5, 2022
â¨Designers, if you are getting started with Systems thinking and practices, this is a good place to startâŚ
Design⢠can help stakeholders anticipate the system effects of iterative interventions, and challenge fixed assumptions about human behavior to reach better outcomes https://t.co/ubc9V3GoyR
â Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 6, 2022
A system map of the universe, segmented into classesâŚ
⨠I love how Checkland presents this.
Designed physical systems = âresult of conscious designâ
Designed abstract systems = âthe ordered consciousness of the human mindâ that can be presented in designed physical systems pic.twitter.com/6Uq2VngMub
â Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 6, 2022
This book was written well before any naval gazing by digital designers, and itâs important to read his definition of an engineer closely to understand how we might get back to the basics of the role of design
â¨It raises the thought: are designers (sometimes) engineers? pic.twitter.com/iFlZzYeSnG
â Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 12, 2022
I love that this book combines theory AND action by showing how they support each other. Itâs not just high minded intellectualism
âIn short, science concerns itself with what is, technology with what is to beâ
So our lens now is through the eyes of the technologist pic.twitter.com/LdgnSbmz5R
â Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 12, 2022
Hereâs Checklandâs model for Hard systems practice, and the starting point for his Soft systems practices methodology
â¨again-this looks veeeery familiar to what we call the design process! pic.twitter.com/gOpAcCTTcL
â Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 12, 2022
Conclusions
Some final thoughts as the books winds downâŚ
1. Human systems are multi-valued. Determining which problems to focus on, when, for-whom, is an act of centering the needs of that person/group within a system pic.twitter.com/U9j0yTCGrT— Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 12, 2022
2. Unstructured problems are by their nature unsolveable. The role of a systems practice is to understand the system, nudge it, and learn more about the system through the nudges. Our goal is iterative change towards something betterâNOT a fundamental change pic.twitter.com/8pTUrPi1Ia
— Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 12, 2022
3. Hard systems are concerned with a single perspective. With soft systems we need to consider the perceptions of all participants, including the systems engineers themselves, in assessing and nudging a system pic.twitter.com/Ml4Upg7hyh
— Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 12, 2022
â¨E.g. donât mistake models for truth, no matter the fidelity! pic.twitter.com/cA4v2haa33
— Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 12, 2022
4. There are hidden power structures, information networks, and value systems embedded in any problem space. The act of choosing a perspective or role in the system to focus on does not render it more valuable than others. pic.twitter.com/e2OWE94PPW
— Emily Campbell on mastodon elou@discuss.systems (@elou) February 12, 2022