UATS food for thought
Try to figure out different ways to answer the question
Week 1
Senge, P. (2014) Systems Thinking for a Better World-Aalto Systems Forum (YouTube video)
In Peter Senge's presentation, he highlights the significance of systems thinking and its role in
addressing complex global challenges. He introduces the concept of a "learning organization" where
continuous learning, adaptation, and innovation are essential. Senge outlines seven core capabilities,
including personal mastery, shared vision, and systems citizenship, that are crucial for creating a
better world. He stresses the importance of collaboration, dialogue, and leadership in promoting
systems thinking and driving positive change. Systems thinking is portrayed as a powerful tool to
understand and solve interconnected problems in our complex and interdependent world.
White. M.A. (2013). Sustainability: I know it when I see it. Ecological Economics, (86), 213 – 217.
White's article focuses on the concept of sustainability, emphasizing its elusive nature and the
difficulty in providing a precise definition. The key points are as follows:
1. Elusive Nature of Sustainability: White highlights that sustainability is a multifaceted concept that
can be challenging to define precisely. It varies depending on cultural, environmental, and value-
based factors.
2. Context-Specific: Sustainability is context-specific, and what is considered sustainable in one
setting may not be in another. This contextuality makes a universal definition elusive.
3. Recognizing Sustainability: While a universal definition is challenging, people can recognize
sustainability when they see it in practice. Tangible actions and initiatives that address environmental,
social, and economic concerns embody sustainability.
4. Diverse Perspectives: White stresses the importance of diverse perspectives and ongoing
discussions to better understand and achieve sustainability. Different stakeholders bring unique
insights and ideas to the sustainability discourse.
5. Practical Actions: Instead of getting caught up in abstract definitions, the focus should be on
practical, real-world actions that promote sustainability. These actions can be more effective in
advancing sustainability goals.
6. Holistic Approach: Sustainability involves addressing environmental, social, and economic
concerns in a holistic and integrated manner. It requires balance and trade-offs to achieve a
sustainable future.
In summary, the article underscores that while sustainability might not have a universally agreed-upon
definition, it is recognizable through concrete efforts that consider the complexities of different
contexts and promote a holistic (= geheel) and integrated approach to addressing environmental,
social, and economic challenges.
Meadows, D.H. (2008). Thinking in systems. A primer. Sustainability Institute. (chapters 1, 3, 6 and
7).
"Thinking in Systems" by Donella H. Meadows is a seminal work that introduces readers to the
concept of systems thinking and its application to understanding complex, interconnected issues.
,The book explores various aspects of systems thinking, including feedback loops, stocks and flows,
and the behavior of dynamic systems. Key points from chapters 1, 3, 6, and 7 are summarized below:
Chapter 1 - The Basics of Systems Thinking:
This chapter lays the foundation for understanding systems thinking. It introduces key concepts such
as systems, feedback loops, and stocks and flows. Systems thinking emphasizes the
interconnectedness of elements within a system and the dynamic nature of those relationships.
Systems: Systems are interconnected elements working together for a specific purpose.
Feedback Loops: These are mechanisms that either amplify (positive) or counteract (negative)
changes within a system.
Stocks and Flows: Stocks represent accumulations of quantities, while flows are the rates of change
for those quantities within a system. Think of stocks as reservoirs and flows as faucets and drains in a
bathtub.
Chapter 3 - Dynamic Systems:
Chapter 3 delves into the behavior of dynamic systems, emphasizing the importance of feedback
loops. It explains how systems change over time and how reinforcing and balancing feedback loops
can lead to growth or stability. The chapter highlights the potential for unintended consequences
within dynamic systems.
Chapter 6 - The Tragedy of the Commons:
Meadows discusses the concept of the tragedy of the commons, where shared resources are
overused and depleted due to individual self-interest. She explores how systems thinking can
provide insights into managing common resources sustainably and addresses the need for collective
action and policies.
Chapter 7 - The Road to Hell:
In this chapter, Meadows discusses how well-intentioned policies or actions can lead to unintended
negative consequences in complex systems. It emphasizes the importance of considering the long-
term effects of decisions and policies and the need for systems thinking to avoid unintended
negative outcomes.
These chapters collectively provide an introduction to systems thinking and its relevance in
addressing real-world challenges, particularly in the context of sustainability and environmental
issues. Meadows encourages readers to adopt a holistic, systemic perspective when analyzing and
solving complex problems to better understand the dynamics of interconnected systems and make
more informed decisions.
1. Apply Meadow’s work on a system of your choice
Looking to the class as a stock-flow diagram:
- Inflow: students walking in the class and sit-down
- Outflow: students walking out
- Stock: the classroom
→ the in- and outflow are not directly coupled, but they are contingent (afhankelijk) on
factors to which the stock is subject.
Example: Is there a lecture given? Is the professor interesting? Could there be a virus
around, limiting the inflow? This all depends which boundaries you give the system and
how complex one dares to make the system.
2. Explain the importance of the buffer. What are the important criteria for the buffer itself?
Buffer: improves system resilience. → A buffer allows a system to decouple its inflow and
, outflow, which allows it to be imbalanced for some time before returning to a balanced
state if it is not stretched or pushed too far for an extended period.
3. Explain the importance of the feedback loop in Meadow’s work
Feedback loops: the interconnection between elements and the function/purpose a system
is trying to achieve. → they convey information between elements so elements can respond
to information so that the function or purpose of the system may be achieved, changed or
evolve. Systems are interconnected elements with a purpose, or function, in which feedback
loops convey the information.
4. What are the leverage points in the intervene in a system?
- Parameters: the relatively mechanistic characters typically targeted by policy makers
→ such as subsidies, taxes and standards
→ size of buffer stocks relative to their flows
→ the structure of material stocks and flows
- Feedback: interactions between elements within a system of interest that drive internal
dynamics
→ length of delays, relative to the rate of system change
→ strength of negative feedback loops
→ gain around driving positive feedback loops
- Design: the social structures and institutions that manage feedbacks and parameters
→ structure of information flows (access to information)
→ rules of the system (incentives & constraints)
→ power to add, change or self-organize system structure
- Intent: the underpinning values, goals, and world views of actors that shape the
emergent direction to which a system is oriented.
→ goals of the system
→ mindset/paradigm out of which the system arises
→ power to transcend paradigms
5. Explain the influence of the system’s goal as a leverage point
If the goal of systems changes radically, then all lower leverage points change automatically
with that change.
6. What and how are the rules of the system defined and influence the system as a leverage
point?
a. Define its scope, boundaries and degree of freedom
b. Designed and created by mental models and paradigms we have regarding the
system
i. Human made systems → purpose is explicit and does not evolve over time
ii. Natural/social systems → purpose is implicit and may evolve over time
7. How can you apply concepts from the reading in daily life?
- Integrated model of thinking → one can in an organized manner, analyse their
surroundings and test their findings against the framework to see in what layer their
findings should go, to see wether changing something there would be a sustainable
solution to their problems
, - 3 great systems thinking questions:
→ why do I see what I see?
→ Why do things stay the same?
→ Why do things change?
- 7 thinking competencies:
o Define the university appropriately
o Define the overall systems appropriately
o See relationships
o See thing holistically
o Understand complexity
o Communicate across disciplines
o Take advantage of broad range of concepts, principles, models, methods and
tools → because any one view is inevitably wrong
8. Give the list of ‘take away’ messages for systems (thinking) practitioners.
Take away messages for systems thinking
a. Celebrate complexity
b. Defy the disciplines
c. Do not erode the goal of goodness
d. Expand the boundary of caring
e. Expand time horizons
f. Expose your mental models to the light of day
g. Get the beat of the system
h. Go for the good of the whole
i. Honour, respect and distribute information
j. Listen to the wisdom of the system
k. Locate responsibility in the system
l. Make feedback policies for feedback systems
m. Pay attention to what is important, not just what is quantifiable
n. Stay humble, stay a learner
o. Use language with care and enrich it with systems concepts
Monat, J.P.: Amissah, M. and Gannon, T.F. (2020). Practical Applications of Systems Thinking to
Business. Systems, 8, 14 (Sections 2, 3, 4.1, and 4.5)
The paper "Practical Applications of Systems Thinking to Business" by Monat, Amissah, and Gannon
explores the practical utilization of systems thinking in the business context. The summary below
covers key points from Sections 2, 3, 4.1, and 4.5 of the paper:
Section 2: Systems Thinking Concepts and Fundamentals
