A system is a set of connected things or parts that form a complex whole. Systems Thinking is a holistic method of approaching complex problems as part of a larger, dynamic system. It’s a strategy to uncover interconnectedness. A system at its simplest consists of elements that have emergent characteristics, and exist within a boundary. A bounded system always has a point of view, even if it doesn’t seem that way! Think of medical, educational, or economic systems. Sometimes it is easiest to see the point of view of any system by identifying what is NOT included. Systems thinking is expressed through diagramming, and many tools exist toward this end: feedback loops, boundary critique, concept maps, iceberg models.

//Guiding Questions

• What needs to be true to call something a system? Can anything be a system?
• What are the boundaries to a system? Are boundaries movable?
• Do systems have a point of view?
• Do systems affect me?
• What and who is excluded from systems and why?
• Is systems diagramming a tool for discovery, or description?

//Resources