Systems Thinking Resources - The Donella Meadows Institute

Concepts and Frameworks The Five Learning Disciplines Developed by renowned systems thinker Peter Senge, these five disciplines each enhance the ability of a person or organization to use learning effectively. Leveraged together, they contribute heavily to the success of learning organizations, defined by Senge as, “…organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together.” The five learning disciplines are Personal MasteryMental ModelsShared VisionTeam LearningSystems Thinking For descriptions of each of these disciplines, visit the Society for Organizational Learning’s website. U Process U Process, also know as Theory U, is a useful methodology for collectively approaching difficult problems and developing innovative, appropriate solutions. Biomimicry Double Loop Learning Tools

Peter Senge and the learning organization contents: introduction · peter senge · the learning organization · systems thinking – the cornerstone of the learning organization · the core disciplines · leading the learning organization · issues and problems · conclusion · further reading and references · links Peter M. Senge (1947- ) was named a ‘Strategist of the Century’ by the Journal of Business Strategy, one of 24 men and women who have ‘had the greatest impact on the way we conduct business today’ (September/October 1999). On this page we explore Peter Senge’s vision of the learning organization. Peter Senge Born in 1947, Peter Senge graduated in engineering from Stanford and then went on to undertake a masters on social systems modeling at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) before completing his PhD on Management. Peter Senge describes himself as an ‘idealistic pragmatist’. The learning organization According to Peter Senge (1990: 3) learning organizations are: The core disciplines Personal mastery. Mental models.

10 Useful Ideas on Systems Thinking - Futurist.com: Futurist Speaker Glen Hiemstra By Richard Wilkinson, 2001 “Real life is lived in a complex world system where all the subsystems overlap and affect each other.” At the heart of systems thinking is the principle of interconnectedness. I compiled the following list to make this core idea translatable to daily life. 1. Real life is lived in a complex world system where all the subsystems overlap and affect each other. 2. This follows from the preceding idea. 3. Charlotte Roberts asks, “Who has the most influence on the performance of an ocean liner when it is out at sea in route to its destination?” 4. There is no inherent end to the system. 5. We often err when we think in mutually exclusive opposites. 6. Dennis Meadows of the University of New Hampshire said, “When you see whole systems, you start noticing where things come from and where they go. 7. A common blunder is to grab for a solution prematurely without appreciating the underlying root causes driving a situation. 8. 9. 10. And, there are no final answers.

Systems thinking primer printable version THE LANGUAGE OF SYSTEMS THINKING Linear Thinking Focuses on the immediate cause and effect of events. Cause and effect are assumed to occur together. Systems Thinking Focuses on the interrelationship and dynamics among system components. Cause and effect are separated in time and space. Example of a reinforcing loop: Balancing Processes - stabilizing processes that operate whenever there is goal oriented behavior at work. All balancing processes contain a self-correcting or governing function that attempts to attain some goal or target. PRINCIPLES OF SYSTEMS THEORY System structure causes its behavior. System interrelationships cause their own crises. Understanding these structural interrelationships is necessary to understanding system behavior. The ability to influence fundamental change comes from understanding the structures and relationships controlling events and behavior. Changing the output or behavior of human systems requires changing beliefs. Creating systems models.