Tools of a System Thinker

The 6 Fundamental Concepts of Systems Thinking

Leyla Acaroglu
Medium, 2017
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Most likely, you are familiar with this piece of advice: If you want to solve a
problem, break it down into its parts. But in today’s highly interconnected and
fast-changing world, you need to be able to connect the dots. Award-winning de-
signer and educator Leyla Acaroglu encourages you to think about the world in terms
of dynamic systems, whose individual components interact with and influence one an-
other. With roots in biology, ecology and other scientific disciplines, “systems
thinking” is becoming an increasingly important competency in solving issues in di-
verse areas such as public policy and managing corporations. In a short article
posted on the Medium platform, Acaroglu introduces six fundamental concepts on
which systems thinking is based. Her descriptions are easy to follow and supple-
mented with catchy graphics. Regardless of the problem you are trying to solve at
work or at home, getAbstract believes that you will benefit from this problem-
solving approach.

In this summary, you will learn:

What core assumptions underlie a systems mind-set and
How to benefit from systems thinking.
Take-Aways
A “systems mind-set” allows you to tackle complex problems more effectively.
Systems thinking is based on the premise that everything in the world is intercon-
nected and interdependent.
In contrast to analysis, which seeks to break down complexity into isolated compo-
nents, synthesis allows you to see “the whole and the parts at the same time.”
The individual parts of an interconnected system stand in a cause-and-effect rela-
tionship with one another, forming dynamic feedback loops.
Creating a visual representation that highlights how the system’s individual parts
interact with one another allows you to understand how an intervention will change
the system.
Summary
A “systems mind-set” allows you to tackle complex problems more effectively. These
six core concepts will get you started:

“A systems thinker uses this mind-set to untangle and work within the complexity of
life on Earth.”
“In the most abstract sense, emergence describes the universal concept of how life
emerges from individual biological elements in diverse and unique ways.”
“Interconnectedness” – To understand the complexity of life, assume that “every-
thing is interconnected” and depends on something else to survive. Humans can’t
live without air and water; a chair couldn’t exist without wood derived from a
tree, and so on.
“Synthesis” – The goal of systems thinking is to combine or synthesize disparate
elements to form something new. In contrast to analysis, which seeks to break down
complexity into isolated components, synthesis allows you to see “the whole and the
parts at the same time” and understand how they are connected.
“Emergence” – The interaction of small parts gives rise to larger, more complex
systems. A snowflake, for example, forms when a freezing water particle combines
with a tiny piece of matter. Emergence is a phenomenon that occurs in a nonlinear
and self-organizing fashion.
“Feedback loops” – The individual parts of an interconnected system influence one
another through “feedback loops and flows.” In a “reinforcing” feedback loop, an
event leads to more of the same, such as when algae multiply exponentially and come
to dominate a local ecosystem. In a “balancing” feedback loop, in contrast, the
components that make up the system create an equilibrium, such as in predator-prey
ecosystems.
“Causality” – Once you understand how the components of a system affect one an-
other, you will be able to determine the cause-and-effect relationships among them.
Causality thus helps you understand the dynamics of the entire system.
“Systems mapping” – If you want to introduce changes to a system through purposeful
intervention, you will first want to create a visual representation that highlights
how the system’s individual parts interact with each other. To do so, you may use
tools like “analog cluster mapping” and “digital feedback analysis.”
About the Author
Leyla Acaroglu is a designer and founder of the UnSchool of Disruptive Design, as
well as the two design agencies Disrupt Design and Eco Innovators.

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