Hull University Business School

An Introduction to Systems Thinking:

Integration and Implementation in the Face of
Wicked Problems

Gerald Midgley

1
This Talk will Cover…

• What are ‘wicked problems’?

• What is systems thinking?
• Different systems approaches for different
purposes, with practical examples
• Three systemic principles for addressing wicked
problems

2
Wicked Problems involve…
• Many interlinked issues, cutting across the usual silos
(e.g., economy, health and environment), making for a
high degree of complexity
• Multiple agencies (across the public, private and
voluntary sectors) trying to account for multiple scales
(local, regional, national and global)
• Many different views on the problem and potential
solutions
• Conflict over desired outcomes or the means to achieve
them, and power relations making change difficult
• Uncertainty about the possible effects of action

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Four Systems Thinking Skills
(adapted from Cabrera et al, 2008)

Boundary Relationship

System Perspective

4
Emphases of Different Systems Approaches
Approaches for Approaches for
exploring value and understanding complex
boundary judgements causality; feedback;
about what should be vicious and virtuous
included in or excluded circles; and the possible
from analysis consequences of
intervention
Boundary Relationship

System Perspective

Approaches for
Approaches for addressing conflict;
developing viable and exploring multiple
highly responsive perspectives; developing
organisations at mutual understanding;
multiple levels (global and agreeing solutions
to local) that people are willing to
implement

5
Emphases of Different Systems Approaches
Approaches for
exploring value and
boundary judgements
about what should be
included in or excluded
from analysis

Boundary Relationship

System Perspective

6
The Boundary Idea

Values

Inclusion of
stakeholders
and issues

Boundary Exclusion of
stakeholders and
issues

7
Developing Services for Young People (under
16) Living on the Streets
Young people on the streets are marginalised in two
ways:

• As young people under 16, they are regarded as less

rational and less able to make informed decisions
about their own lives than adults
• Living on the streets, they can easily be regarded as
‘troubled teenagers’ on the fringes of society, and are
often vilified for their involvement in petty crime,
prostitution, etc.

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Developing Services for Young People
(under 16) Living on the Streets
To deal with this marginalisation we:

• Sought the views of young people before involving

professionals so the voices of the former were not crowded
out
• Communicated their words (not just ours) to professionals,
to convey the emotional experience of being on the streets,
thereby securing multi-agency commitments to change
• Used the same design methods with young people as with
professionals to ensure we did not reproduce the perception
that young people are less ‘rational’

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Emphases of Different Systems Approaches

Approaches for
understanding complex
causality; feedback;
vicious and virtuous
circles; and the possible
consequences of
intervention
Boundary Relationship

System Perspective

10
System Dynamics Second draft of simulator based on end-user interviews

Extent that dairy

farm zoonoses are
seen as important
public health issue
‘Green’ variables are
Stocking ghosts i.e. they appear
rate more than once in the
+
influence diagram

No. Immunity
notifications to levels
public health
service +
+ +
No. immune
No. people people Vol. human
suffering from sewage
- containing
serious sequale
+ No. bugs
e.g. Guillain Barre

D
e
l
a
susceptible +

y
syndrome
+ + people

No. infected
Degree of
+ people + feral shellfish
Drinking - bed
+ +
water contamination
+ treatment
Degree of
-
effiacy Recreational
drinking water
water
source
+ contamination
contamination -
Degree of Lowland
groundwater + - stream
contamination + water
Stocking + Amount of - quality
rate dairyshed +
effluent
Bug Degree of
+ concentration + surface water
in
Infected cow + Irrigation vol. surface/ - contamination
regurgitation
+ Cumulative
Needed to subsurface run
support + off Aquatic + contamination
+ + in catchment
productive farm + die off
Bug input into
Extent stock
drinking water surface water
contaminated + from direct cow
Level of contact
Extent cows + pasture
exposed to contamination
bugs
Herd + +
accessibility to +
Bug + +
surface water No. Pressure to
shedding adopt farming
occupationally
rate best practice
- infected
people + Bug levels
+ +
Worker - in cows
hygiene Viability
Farm Virulence
worker + Infectivity
immunity +
-
Herd Cost to
Industry skill composition farmer
Stocking
shortage rate
+
+ + +
Pressure to
adopt once a
day milking -
- Profitability
- Pressure to
of farm
intensify
Regardless of whether
farming
the price inc. or dec.
there is pressure to
intensify production

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Emphases of Different Systems Approaches

Boundary Relationship

System Perspective

Approaches for
developing viable and
highly responsive
organisations at
multiple levels (global
to local)

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The Viable System Model
5

4
3*

1 3

1
2
1

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Emphases of Different Systems Approaches

Boundary Relationship

System Perspective

Approaches for
addressing conflict;
exploring multiple
perspectives; developing
mutual understanding;
and agreeing solutions
that people are willing to
implement

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Soft Systems Methodology

• Map the mess!

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Example of a Rich Picture of Water
Management Issues

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Soft Systems Methodology

• Map the mess!

• Identify possible transformations that different people want
• Explore what these mean to different people to ensure that
people are not talking past one another

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BATWOVE

• Beneficiaries
• Actors
• Transformation
• Worldview
• Owners
• Victims
• Environmental Constraints

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Soft Systems Methodology

• Map the mess!

• Identify possible transformations that different people want
• Explore what these mean to different people to ensure that
people are not talking past one another
• Map the activities that would be needed to make the
transformations a reality

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Example of a Conceptual Model
(1) Introduce the roadmap
concept to people in the
relevant sectors (e.g., through
meetings, documents)
(2) Set up the individual
roadmaps (e.g., form steering
groups, develop generic tools
and templates, collate
evidence)

(3) Communicate early thinking with a

wide range of stakeholders (e.g.,
circulate drafts, hold workshops)

(4) Finalise thinking in

consultation with key
agencies (e.g., steering
groups, ministries)

(5) Support implementation in

relevant science sectors

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Soft Systems Methodology

• Map the mess!

• Identify possible transformations that different people
want
• Explore what these mean to different people to ensure
that people are not talking past one another
• Map the activities that would be needed to make the
transformations a reality
• Compare back to the earlier picture of the mess
• Look for accommodations between different
perspectives and agree desirable and feasible changes
• Move to action

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Three Systemic Principles for Managing
Wicked Problems
1. Explore boundaries (stakeholders and issues), values
and processes of marginalisation up-front, and revisit
the boundaries of your work when new aspects of a
wicked problem present themselves.
2. Draw upon and mix methods from across the systems
approaches (and the biophysical and social sciences)
to be as responsive as possible to the multiple
dimensions of wicked problems.
3. If you have no previous (or limited) experience, start
from where you are. Try new methods when the need
arises, and build capacity for the longer term.

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