Systems Thinking

Hunger, poverty, environmental degradation, economic instability, unemployment, chronic disease, drug addiction, and war, for example, persist in spite of the analytical ability and technical brilliance that have been directed toward eradicating them. No one deliberately creates those problems, no one wants them to persist, but they persist nonetheless. That is because they are intrinsically systems problems. They will yield only as we reclaim our intuition, stop casting blame, see the system as the source of its own problems, and find courage to restructure it. - Donella Meadows

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. - Einstein

Learning Objectives

• Communicate a complex theory, simply
• Compare “siloed” and “systems” approaches to solving problems.

Agenda

1. 5 minutes individually for resilience op-ed topic 
2. 10 minutes talking with your neighbor about your resilience op-ed topic
3. Activity - Speed Dating  
4. Review Systems Thinking
5. Complete Discussions and Assignments/Quiz

Speed Dating

You should have already watched the video from the Complex Science Course Links to an external site. related to your assigned topic and googled your topic to learn as much as you can. 

You will have 5 minutes to meet with each person with a different topic than yours. You should take turns explaining the topic. Record how their topic is connected to yours and an example of their topic in the real world. Here is a note sheet to record your answers Links to an external site.. 

As a class, reflect about how the topics are connected. 

Systems Thinking

Systems thinking is useful for investigating complex situations. It involves a holistic approach that looks at the behaviour of wholes, and the many interconnections between the components, using a variety of methods. Some of these methods are systematic and orderly but in general systematic thinking is more prevalent in reductionist thinking where situations are broken down into parts and mostly simple, linear cause and effect relationships examined. Systems thinking is useful for investigating complex situations. It involves a holistic approach that looks at the behavior of wholes, and the many interconnections between the components, using a variety of methods. Some of these methods are systematic and orderly but in general systematic thinking is more prevalent in reductionist thinking where situations are broken down into parts and mostly simple, linear cause and effect relationships examined.

slides Links to an external site.

Discussions 

1. Watch Don Norman's video Links to an external site. and answer the question: Overall, does engineering education help or hinder systems thinking? Post your answer to the Discussion Engineering Education.
2. Watch (Only minutes 5-37) of lecture #1 and post your thoughts to the Discussion about Building Systems on why or why not more buildings are not constructed using a systems perspective. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5txQlEI7bc (Links to an external site.)

Assignment 

In preparation for next class, estimate your carbon footprint:

• Use the nature conservancy's calculator Links to an external site. to estimate your carbon footprint.  
• Bring your score card. Also think about one recommendation to cut your carbon emissions