Present and Future
Topic: Systems thinking
by Rishab, 2020 Cohort
Since the early centuries, Reduction theory was widely used to analyze, understand and solve problems. Reductionism involved looking at the system as smaller entities which when summed would lead to a greater purpose. This helped scientists and researchers comprehend and explain various theories, concepts and problems. However, as knowledge and technology advanced, the problems arising required a robust framework in order to be solved. Entered systems thinking, a refined approach to look at complex issues and theories.
Before jumping into what systems thinking is, we have to define a system. In simple terms, it is a group of interacting, interrelated parts that form a complex and unified whole with a purpose [1]. Often systems are confused with collections which are independent items that do not have an interdependency. For example, tools in a toolbox are just a collection. Only when a human is introduced into the picture, we can observe an interconnectedness between each tool. Being able to identify a system is crucial to systems thinking. When we say that something is a system, there are important characteristics to look out for- systems have purpose, every part must be present for system to perform its functions optimally (otherwise it is just a collection), arrangement of parts affects the performance of the system and systems maintain stability through
Systems thinking is a new perspective to look at complex problems. Let us consider an example of a smartphone and how a system thinking approach can be useful to develop one. In a broad sense, we have some key components in the phone namely, screen, camera, battery, processor and software. When developing a smartphone, it is necessary that each of these independent parts work together optimally to provide the best experience to the consumer. Thus, we need to look at the inter dependencies of these smaller sub systems that will solve the final purpose. A larger screen would require bigger batteries, reducing the space for other components. On the other hand, a smaller screen would be efficient but result in poor user experience. Such issues can be solved through systems thinking, wherein we can come up with optimal sizes based on the interdependency of the components. This approach enables designers to integrate numerous ideas and concepts into one design and improve the final form via feedback. Hence, systems thinking allows us to design and integrate the optimum features for our desired requirements into the smartphone.
With such a powerful framework to solving complex issues, the range of problems it can be applied to increases exponentially. Predicting system behaviour is another highly useful application of systems thinking. The possibilities of such an approach are nearly limitless. A key takeaway of systems thinking is differentiating between working on the system *from working in the system.* Daniel explains this with an example in his introductory volume on systems thinking that the pilot of an aircraft does not have the greatest impact on the safety and comfort of the airline in fact it is the designers who are responsible for it. Hence, your flying experience is highly dependent on people working on the system rather than in the system.
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