Thinking Systemically About Complex Systems

Abstract

As machine age problems have given way to systems age messes, the underlying complexity associated with understanding these situations has increased exponentially. Accordingly, the methods we use to address these situations must evolve as well. Unfortunately, many antiquated methods for dealing with situations remain prominent. Systems engineering, traditionally, is the practical application of procedural problem solving, typically geared toward the acquisition of large-scale systems. The underlying paradigm for solving these problems can be characterized as systematic thinking. While quite appropriate for machine age problems, this approach lacks the theoretical rigor to deal with systems age messes. Thus, a new paradigm of systemic thinking, conceptually founded in systems theory, is necessary. This paper briefly discusses systems engineering, contrasts it with systemic thinking, and introduces practical guidelines for the deployment of a systemic thinking paradigm.