HOW TO BE A SYSTEMS THINKER (and not die trying...)

‘What would you like to be when you grow up?’

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I remember being asked this question when I was a little girl.? It felt like a big question. Especially when many of us adults, are still seeking the answer to such a significant question. My favourite answers included writer, philosopher, detective and even president!? And why not?? I had so many interests and wanted to be so many things in one package.

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Aspiring to Systems Thinking

Now that I am an adult, with an established career in engineering, if you asked me what I want to be, what my aspirations are, I would probably answer ‘I’d like to be a System Thinker’.

I write ‘Systems Thinker’ on my CV and in my bio.? But I still think of that as ‘aspirational’ because I don’t believe you can ever be the ‘finished product’ in this approach.? There will always be more to learn and improvements to be made.

Many of us are familiar with the concept of Systems Thinking. Here’s the definition I’ve been crafting over the years:

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Systems Thinking is an approach applied to complex environments, that requires curiosity, clarity and the willingness to see a situation fully. System Thinking is a philosophy that brings awareness of the multiple interventions to a problem as well as the realisation of the consequences of our own role in the system we operate.

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I like my explanation. I understand it and it resonates with me. But I’m sure I’ll keep refining it.? Because System Thinking is complex. I’ll gain more experience and I hope you’ll challenge me on it - I love the challenge, so bring it on!

You can also probably see that Systems Thinking allows me to live out all of my childhood aspirations in one.? It is about deep thinking (philosophy), exploring creative solutions (writing), looking both at the bigger picture and the fine details of a problem to find those solutions (OK, it isn’t crime fighting, but it feels like detective work to me!).

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What is Systems Thinking?

Let’s bring Donella Meadows into the picture. In her book ‘Thinking in Systems’, she masterfully explains that a system revolves around three basic concepts:

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·?????? Elements

·?????? Interconnections

·?????? Function or Purpose.

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The elements or the actors of the system interconnect with each other for a given function or purpose.

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Simple, right?

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But if we dig in a bit more in detail and start listing the elements of your system, the list might go on and on. There is almost no end to the process if you start listing all components (tangible and intangible) that the system is made of. You pretty soon might lose the sight of your system!

Then we have the interconnections (or the relationships) that hold things together along with the reactions that govern these relationships. It’s pretty challenging to understand all the interconnections of any system. We are talking about messages, signals, communication of knowledge, rules, standards, procedures and their interconnected response. Frankly, it’s easier to learn about the elements than the interconnections.

Then you have the function or purpose, which is even harder to define as it’s not necessarily spoken or written, except through the operation of the system and, if we come back to Donella’s explanation, ‘the best way to understand the system purpose is to watch for a while and see how the system behaves’.

But let’s consider one more thing on function or purpose: the different elements of the system have their own function or purpose, like having purposes within purposes. The question is, are these individual purposes in tune with the bigger picture, the end result, the bigger function or purpose?

Let's explore this with a metaphor and go back to my childhood plan to be a detective.? You’ve all seen crime shows on TV (I was a fan of ‘La Reportera del Crimen’ as a child…. That’s Murder, She Wrote to you!).? The seasoned detective has to investigate a crime.? She inspects all the elements of the crime (she’d call those clues and persons of interest), then she looks at the interconnectedness (who, what, where and when) and next she thinks about the function or purpose (that’s the motives to you and I!).? But the difficult bit is working out what matters, what is important, what leads to the killer, what the motivations of the key players are (and those are complex!).? Plus, she has to throw out the red herrings.? Because there is a whole world full of people, possible motives, clues and other ‘things’ that could distract her from finding the answer.

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Stay Flexible

Change is inevitable. The world is becoming more connected and complex, and so change happens. It shakes our societies, organisations, projects and even our own belief systems. But, for System Thinking, if there is an unexpected change in elements, interconnections or purpose, our System of Interest (that’s a Systems Thinker way of saying our focus) can suffer dramatic impacts. Imagine changes in leadership (elements) or in the organisation policies and the way to interact with employees (interconnections). Imagine a change in the purpose, for example, a changing from a non-profit organisation to a profitable one.

The one thing that doesn’t change is that changes will happen and it’s a fundamental variable to consider when you are Systems Thinking.

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My bias is not yours, and your bias is not mine

If that was not enough to describe how challenging System Thinking can be when applied, let’s add one more layer of complexity: Bias. We rely on the information we already possess and from the channels available to us. You bring your own biases and so do I.?

Systems Thinking invites us to see the system from different perspective and different lenses.? It takes a huge amount of courage to question our own beliefs and bubble of knowledge, but if we don’t, we create an unconscious weight or prejudice when interpreting a system, which could distort the reality and our outcomes.

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So, how to be System Thinker, then?

I hope you appreciated the title of this article.? It’s not there because this is about to become a murder mystery.? It’s because powerful Systems Thinking is difficult to achieve.?

One of the most important principles in Systems Thinking, is the invitation to look at the system as a whole, and not just one part in isolation. In our large corporations we tend to work in siloes.? But in Systems Thinking we have to look beyond our small horizons. Systems Thinkers are problem-solvers, communicators, listeners and watchers.? They are the guardians of the grey areas that so often fall between the siloes.??

When I approach my System of Interest, I always want to know the bigger picture, the ‘Why?’. I’m curious about the helicopter view of the system and I want to understand the interconnections.

But I also ‘zoom in’.? Get out of that helicopter (how did that even get here?) and get down to ground level.? See the small detail and see how that figures into the ‘why’.? The system thinker can see all the pixels that make up the big picture, as well as the masterpiece as a whole.

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How to do it all (the ‘not die trying’ bit)

That is great but… where do you start so that you can see the whole system and the fine details all at once?

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Fear not, my Systems Thinker wanna-be, we are all on this learning journey together.? I’m not in fully enlightened Systems Thinker Nirvana yet.? But I do have a few tips I apply to help me move between the big picture and the little details.

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I unconsciously go through three phases: Explore, Scope and Assess.

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Exploration Phase

Here’s where I take a deep dive into research.? I read and analyse the project literature.? Internal stuff is great but there is plenty ‘out there’ too. I read articles and books.? I listen to podcasts and interviews to have a better idea of my system of interest. I become a philosopher – thinking widely about the ‘why’, the big question that needs to be answered.

Then, I start to identify the main players (elements), how they interact with each other (interconnections) and why we are doing all this (purpose).? I’m getting into detective mode.

Next: question time. I approach a wide range of experts and colleagues. I often ask: ‘I know what I know, but I need to know what I don’t know’.? I make a list of my unknowns.

This stage of the process comes with a warning.? It can be a bit discouraging.? You will find many aspects and processes and procedures (and stuff) that you didn’t appreciate before. At times, you may feel inadequate or confused or ‘not up for the task’. You may doubt yourself.?

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Please, don’t.

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When that happens to me (because it does!) I reassure myself that I don’t need to be the expert in everything, I just need to be curious, be conversational and have the courage to ask the ‘silly’ questions to know my unknowns. Take a break, have a nice cuppa and trust the process.?

Throughout this phase, I heavily rely on visualisation tools. I take, for instance, a big piece of paper and create my ‘Board of Thoughts’.? I draw circles and arrows and questions that makes sense only to me, for now. Like the detective’s ‘murder map’ on those Netflix crime thrillers I was just talking about: noisy, busy, full of colours, string and sticky notes. But visualisation techniques work wonders, especially when analysing dependencies and variables (or fighting crime).

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Scoping Phase

You’ve been digesting a huge amount of literature and information during the exploration phase.? But if you don’t scope it, and work out what isn’t important here and now, you’ll be trying to trap water in a sieve.

Now, we all know the theory and the importance of having a clear scope in any project. But many of you would agree that it’s easier said than done. In practice, it is very common to land in projects with poor definition. Frustrating? Yes.? But our job as professionals is to bring clarity in our domain, and applying Systems Thinking is a great start.

To scope your task, first things first: what’s your Problem Statement? Show me a short statement describing the issue, why it is important and how it can be improved. This is indispensable, as it will lead you to your scope and objectives.

Then, think about what you wish to achieve. Go back to your ‘board of thoughts’ or any other tool you used. Revisit the conversations you had, the literature you read. What is useful? What isn’t? Whatever is useful, bring it closer and highlight it. Whatever is not, put it aside for now. This is why I love a sticky note – you can rip it off your board and throw it away – or just move it further out as you realise it counts but isn’t as vital as you first thought.

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Some people scope first and then explore, which is valid of course, but I find it easier to understand what is going on first (explore phase), then bring in my limits and boundaries (scope phase). Maybe this is a parallel activity? Try different ways! Regardless of your preference, I do a couple of things to guide me:

-? Formulate the ‘Exam Question’ to provide clarity on what you are delivering. I even write it down and have it always on display. Once I have this answer clearly understood, it helps me to make progress and ground myself on what is useful and what is not, saving me a lot of time and effort.

- Establish clear boundaries and be very particular about the Elements, Interconnections and Purpose within my scope.

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This last bullet might raise an eyebrow from my fellow systems engineering colleagues (I told you I like a challenge!) but hear me out:

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I box my system of interest first.

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I have to. I can understand that it might silo me at the beginning, but if I don’t do it, the amount of information that needs to be dealt with is beyond overwhelming. So, I prefer to understand, really understand my system of interest and once I am completely confident in the fundamentals, I gladly lift my boundaries and welcome more complexity my way.

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Assessing Phase

This is my favourite stage, where we proudly socialise our findings with interested parties, stakeholders and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for one purpose: to hear diverse point of views and challenge our own perception.

Gather their insights to get a comprehensive understanding of your System of Interest and assess and refine your findings. Show them your elements and actors, the interconnections (present and future), and the big question that needs an answer.

When approaching these expert and bodies of knowledge, I find it useful to take them on a journey of discovery. Take your time.? You’ve earned that through your hard work.? Show them your step-by-step systematic approach. Welcome every opportunity for them to share knowledge and encourage a healthy debate.

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I cannot stress enough just how important it is to communicate this journey of learning in a strategic way, rather than just offering the very end result. That might seem counter intuitive.? You might think you need to gift wrap a ‘ready-to-go’ answer and move on. But I can promise that you don’t want that.? You want the doubts, the concerns, the challenge. You’re Systems Thinker (a philosopher, a detective, a writer) testing your theory and getting feedback on your thoughts, so you get as many views as you can.

The assessing phase doesn’t stop here.? Now you circle back and refine your analysis of how the system of interest behaves over time and on a regular basis.

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A lifetime of thinking

I warned you, being a System Thinker is not easy peasy (lemon squeezy, as my childhood self would have said).? But it is fascinating.? System Thinking comes with a great responsibility: to have a curious mind, to care about how the system behaves and evolves, and the knock-on effect on others. But once you have a great understanding of your System of Interest and consider, as reasonably practicable, all the variables and dependencies, your elements and interactions and the purpose or function, you can analyse complexity, develop more holistic solution and more: be able to pioneer a real impact.

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So, I never made it as a writer, or a philosopher, or even detective.? But practising System Thinking means I am all three and more.? It means I can wear not just one ‘job title hat’, but many at once. It invites me to go out there and explore all nooks and crannies.? To think deeply.? To engage with those around me.?

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I also know that there’s still plenty left to learn and to be a system thinking in an ever-evolving society, it will take me a lifetime…

#humanasingengineering #systemsengineering #engineeringmanagement #systemsintegration