Systems Thinking Job Aids 1 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Job Aids for Systems Thinking Copyright Notice: This “Job Aids” collection may be reproduced freely with the copyright/attribution as below. The latest version PowerPoint file for this collection is available on the web at the URL below. Please contact Richard Karash with comments and suggestions! For Systems Thinking Workshops Version – July 2011 – created and facilitated by – Richard Karash This PowerPoint file is available on the Web at the URL below. JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 2 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 What Does it Mean to See a System? ? ? When we see something (a whole)… With internal structure (that is, parts and their inter-relationships)… And, this is because of the way the parts relate… That produces an excess result… We call that a System. Beyond what would be produced by the parts acting separately… Systems Thinking — An approach for understanding a whole by examining it's parts and how they relate. JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 3 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 What is Systems Thinking? Systems Thinking: understanding a whole by examining it’s parts and their interrelationships. Our focus is “The System” Purpose: Increasing our collective capacity to produce the results we want to create. Propositions: Understanding guides effective action Leadership includes systems leadership JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 4 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Systems Thinking Process Observe Explain Design Act Ref: Many authors have emphasized the power of a Learning Cycle like this. Going back through time: Senge, Kolb, Deming, Shewhart, Dewey, Wm. James and Charles Sanders Peirce. Postpone Solutions Focus... Required to understand anything. Know what you know. … and what you Don't. Search for experiments and contexts which will give the data to illuminate the important "Don't Knows." Zen-like Openness to Data and Experience. Revisit Values... Strategies and Choices flow from tension between Vision and Current Reality. Create Alternatives. Look for Leverage. Choices. Action Planning. JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 5 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Going Deeper Questions Systems Thinking Process — More Detail Core Sequence START HERE Expanded Sequence: Proceed Clockwise... JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 6 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Emergent Learning Maps Framing Question: __________________ 1. Facts in Relevant Situations4. Application (Specifics) 3. Insights for the Future2. Explanations Past Thinking Tangible Future © 2006, Signet Research & Consulting, LLC JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 7 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Learning Disciplines Organizational Capabilities Aspiration Generative Conversation Understanding Complexity Personal Mastery Shared Visioning Team Learning Mental Models Systems Thinking Organizational Capabilities rest on three foundations… Like a three-legged stool. In these three areas, we distinguish five disciplines for organizational learning. Ref: Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline and related works. JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 8 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Feedback Loop Perspective — Dynamic Behavior Essential Elements of Systems Thinking: Surprising Nature of Accumulations & Delays Resource addingdepleting A Process... and Stance The System Drives Behavior Diagramming Cause – Effect Chains AB System Archetypes — Themes & Patterns Mental Models — Thinking as Part of Systems JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 9 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Questions to Open Different Levels of Seeing Patterns Events Explanation & Understanding (Understanding the Thinking) Action Perspective Questions What do you see? Observe? What did you experience? What’s been happening? What’s changing? Contrasts? Draw the graphs! Getting better?..or worse? Why? How? is this happening? Reas. explanation of mechanism? Causal connections... Make hypothesis... and test! What is the thinking? Assume reasonable and responsible. React... Faster! More Flexibility! Anticipate... Forecast Prepare Plan Design... Architect... Create... A structure which produces the results you want! Transformation Culture Change It’s Like an Iceberg! — Hard to See Below the “Water Line” JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 10 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Mapping — To Keep Track of Complexity Why diagram? To keep track of complexity. Without a graphic, human mind can handle only a handful of items. Differences that make a difference. Changes that change something. Arrows shows cause and effect. From Cause to Effect… Change causes change. Mark the most important delays. (Optional) Tell the story with directional arrows (up/down) to show which way things are changing. The causal arrow is different; it means “change causes change.” System Investments Workload Service Quality Delay Staffing Workload JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 11 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Mapping — More Details Cause can drive Effect in Same Direction. Mark with "S." Or, Cause can drive Effect in Opposite Direction. Mark with "O." When “B” is a human choice, the “thought bubble” shows the thinking that leads to the choice being made. Assume “Reasonable and Responsible” Financial Results Systems Investments S We can’t afford it. Staffing Workload Mistakes & Errors S O 11 S S O JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 12 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Mapping — Criteria for Links Criteria for good causal links: Does the causal link make sense logically? Tight Logic. Could this be an explanation, practically? Real Mechanisms. Not just loose analogy. Is it happening here? In the period of interest? Data Based. Is it important? Making a real difference? High Leverage. Workload Mistakes & Errors S 12 S JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 13 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Graphs — An A+ Example Customer Satisfaction None NOW 2000 Very Strong Desired Time Period is Explicit & Long Enough. Shows Where is NOW. Show Desired Level if appropriate. One Variable (graph) on a Post-It Note. Clear Identification of the Variable. Some Indication of the Scale. Graph shows Levels, Trends, and Bends. (Subjective or Data-based) JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 14 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Feedback Loop Perspective — Two Dynamics Positive FeedbackNegative Feedback Reinforcing LoopBalancing Loop Run-AwayControl, Stability (May Oscillate) Engineering: Systems Thinking: Behavior: time OR time OR time Actual Speed Power to Car’s Engine Excess or Shortfall Target Speed B Balancing Loop US Weapons Spending Russian Weapons Spending R Reinforcing Loop JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 15 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Fixes that Backfire Template Thinking that leads to this solution Title: _________________________ The Story: Results we really care about: JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 16 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Shifting the Burden Template Title: _________________________ The Story: JobAid

Systems Thinking Job Aids 17 May be reproduced with attribution © v. 7/2011 Diagramming with Resources and Flows In-FlowOut-Flow Resource A Factors affecting the In-Flow Factors affecting the Out- Flow Results affected by the level of the Resource Steps for Adding Resources and Flows to our Diagrams: 1. Identify and Name the critical resources that determine the results of interest. 2. Identify and Name the flows in and out of each resource. 3. Identify and diagram the factors which determine the In-Flows and the Out-Flows. 4. What results are affected by the resource level? Draw these causal relationships. Note: There is never a causal arrow into a resource. The level of a resource can only be affected by the flows in and out. JobAid