29/09/2023, 13:00 Tools for Systems Thinkers: The 6 Fundamental Concepts of Systems Thinking | by Leyla Acaroglu | Disruptive Design

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Tools for Systems Thinkers: The 6

Fundamental Concepts of Systems Thinking
Leyla Acaroglu · Follow
Published in Disruptive Design
7 min read · Sep 8, 2017

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In this series on systems thinking, I share the key insights and tools needed to
develop and advance a systems mindset for dealing with complex problem solving
and transitioning to the Circular Economy.

I have taught thousands of hours of workshops in systems, sustainability and

design, and over the years refined ways of rapidly engaging people with the three
dimensional mindset needed to think and work in circular systems. My motivation

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for writing this online toolkit is to help expand the ability of professionals to rapidly
adopt to a systems mindset for positive impact.

Words have power, and in systems thinking, we use some very specific words that
intentionally define a different set of actions to mainstream thinking. Words like
‘synthesis,’ ‘emergence,’ ‘interconnectedness,’ and ‘feedback loops’ can be
overwhelming for some people. Since they have very specific meanings in relation
to systems, allow me to start off with the exploration of six* key themes.

*There are way more than six, but I picked the most important ones that you definitely
need to know, and as we progress through this systems thinking toolkit series, I will expand
on some of the other key terms that make up a systems mindset.
1. Interconnectedness
Systems thinking requires a shift in mindset, away from linear to circular. The
fundamental principle of this shift is that everything is interconnected. We talk
about interconnectedness not in a spiritual way, but in a biological sciences way.

Essentially, everything is reliant upon something else for survival. Humans need
food, air, and water to sustain our bodies, and trees need carbon dioxide and
sunlight to thrive. Everything needs something else, often a complex array of other
things, to survive.

Inanimate objects are also reliant on other things: a chair needs a tree to grow to
provide its wood, and a cell phone needs electricity distribution to power it. So,
when we say ‘everything is interconnected’ from a systems thinking perspective, we
are defining a fundamental principle of life. From this, we can shift the way we see
the world, from a linear, structured “mechanical worldview’ to a dynamic, chaotic,
interconnected array of relationships and feedback loops.

A systems thinker uses this mindset to untangle and work within the complexity of
life on Earth.

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2. Synthesis
In general, synthesis refers to the combining of two or more things to create
something new. When it comes to systems thinking, the goal is synthesis, as
opposed to analysis, which is the dissection of complexity into manageable
components. Analysis fits into the mechanical and reductionist worldview, where
the world is broken down into parts.

But all systems are dynamic and often complex; thus, we need a more holistic
approach to understanding phenomena. Synthesis is about understanding the
whole and the parts at the same time, along with the relationships and the
connections that make up the dynamics of the whole.

Essentially, synthesis is the ability to see interconnectedness.

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3. Emergence
From a systems perspective, we know that larger things emerge from smaller parts:
emergence is the natural outcome of things coming together. In the most abstract
sense, emergence describes the universal concept of how life emerges from
individual biological elements in diverse and unique ways.

Emergence is the outcome of the synergies of the parts; it is about non-linearity and
self-organization and we often use the term ‘emergence’ to describe the outcome of
things interacting together.

A simple example of emergence is a snowflake. It forms out of environmental

factors and biological elements. When the temperature is right, freezing water
particles form in beautiful fractal patterns around a single molecule of matter, such
as a speck of pollution, a spore, or even dead skin cells.

Conceptually, people often find emergence a bit tricky to get their head around, but
when you get it, your brain starts to form emergent outcomes from the disparate
and often odd things you encounter in the world.

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it will be a butterfly — R. Buckminster

Fuller

4. Feedback Loops

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Since everything is interconnected, there are constant feedback loops and flows
between elements of a system. We can observe, understand, and intervene in
feedback loops once we understand their type and dynamics.

The two main types of feedback loops are reinforcing and balancing. What can be
confusing is a reinforcing feedback loop is not usually a good thing. This happens
when elements in a system reinforce more of the same, such as population growth or
algae growing exponentially in a pond. In reinforcing loops, an abundance of one
element can continually refine itself, which often leads to it taking over.

A balancing feedback loop, however, is where elements within the system balance
things out. Nature basically got this down to a tee with the predator/prey situation —
but if you take out too much of one animal from an ecosystem, the next thing you
know, you have a population explosion of another, which is the other type of
feedback — reinforcing.

5. Causality
Understanding feedback loops is about gaining perspective of causality: how one
thing results in another thing in a dynamic and constantly evolving system (all
systems are dynamic and constantly changing in some way; that is the essence of
life).

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Cause and effect are pretty common concepts in many professions and life in
general — parents try to teach this type of critical life lesson to their young ones,
and I’m sure you can remember a recent time you were at the mercy of an impact
from an unintentional action.

Causality as a concept in systems thinking is really about being able to decipher the
way things influence each other in a system. Understanding causality leads to a
deeper perspective on agency, feedback loops, connections and relationships, which
are all fundamental parts of systems mapping.

6. Systems Mapping
Systems mapping is one of the key tools of the systems thinker. There are many
ways to map, from analog cluster mapping to complex digital feedback analysis.
However, the fundamental principles and practices of systems mapping are
universal. Identify and map the elements of ‘things’ within a system to understand
how they interconnect, relate and act in a complex system, and from here, unique
insights and discoveries can be used to develop interventions, shifts, or policy
decisions that will dramatically change the system in the most effective way.

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This introduction to six key concepts are critical building blocks for developing a
detailed perspective of how the world works from a systems perspective and will
enhance your ability to think divergently and creatively for a positive impact.

Working and teaching systems thinking for years has led me to develop additional
new tools, as well as employ these time-honored concepts from the pioneers.

What stands out to me as critical in order to make a positive impact, is the ability to
develop your own individual agency and actions. To do that, you first have to wrap
your head around the core concepts. I have an online class where I explain all of this
here.

In the next chapter in this series, I will go into more detail on understanding
systems dynamics, a core part of the practice. If you want to go even deeper, check
out the full suite of programs I have created with my team at Disrupt Design and the
UnSchool. We designed them to help individuals and organizations level up their
change making abilities for a positive, regenerative, and circular economy.

—————

Looking for more on Systems Thinking? Join any of the UnSchool System Thinking
programs, from short introductions to full classes.

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