Systems Thinking Articles

Systems Thinking for Foggy Situations

Systems Thinking is where real world situations are treated as systems to learn more about them. Treating situations as systems provides a viewpoint to explore the situation in a subtly different but powerful way, hereby affording insight and understanding that would remain hidden by traditional reductionist approaches. Full article

An Overview of the Soft Systems Methodology 

The Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) was born out of research conducted at Lancaster University to apply Systems Engineering approaches to solve “management/business problems”. In other words they attempted to apply a Hard Systems approach to fix business problems.  Full article

An Overview of the Hard Systems Methodology 
It is perhaps interesting that the term “hard systems” thinking appeared not to exist until Peter Checkland used it in 1975 to justify the development of “soft systems” approaches. It can be argued that its basis existed in the Systems Analysis and Systems Engineering and does now have a life of its own. It is a systems-based process that can be used to take a problem or opportunity through to the implementation of change. Or in plain English it can help you fix things. Full article

Systems Thinking
Systems Thinking is where we treat world things (objects, products, situations, organizations etc.) as systems to learn more about them. By treating things as systems make us think differently about them providing insight and understanding that could not be gained any other way. Full article

System Purpose
All systems seek to achieve a purpose. Whether human made or natural, all systems strive to do something. When creating a new system or modifying an existing one, it is done in order that the resultant system does something “useful”. Full article