he old adage “if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail” can also apply to language. If our language is linear and static, we will tend to view and interact with our world as if it were linear and static. Taking a complex, dynamic, and circular world […]| The Systems Thinker
eaving work at the end of the day, I turn the corner to the long front hallway of my office building. Ahead of me, I see a woman carrying a stack of three medium-sized boxes. Farther down the hallway in front of her are the large metal fire doors through which one must pass on […]| The Systems Thinker
The typical response to road congestion is to build more roads, or expand the current roads. In time the road congestion just seems to get worse than it was. We often ask whether the department of transportation has any clue as to what it’s doing because they just seem to make the situation worse. For […]| The Systems Thinker
Total Quality Control and systems thinking have complementary strengths that can greatly enhance an organization’s ability to improve its performance. How? Through a more balanced learning process. As Daniel Kim explains in this volume, the integration of TQC and systems thinking provides the synergistic boost that can help your company assert its competitiveness. This integration […]| The Systems Thinker
System. We hear and use the word all the time. “There’s no sense in trying to buck the system,” we might say. Or, “This job’s getting out of control, I’ve got to establish a system.” Whether you are aware of it or not, you are a member of many systems – a family, a community, […]| The Systems Thinker
Systems Archetypes I helps you understand the structure and story line of the archetypes–those “common stories” in systems thinking. Each two-page description leads you through an archetype and outlines ways to use the archetype to address your own business issues. Download the PDF file .| The Systems Thinker
Toolbox Reprint Series Systems Archetypes II Using Systems Archetypes to Take Effective Action More than just a “how-to” guide; this companion guide to our bestselling Systems Archetypes I provides a grounded approach to problem diagnosis and intervention that can lead to effective action. Learn how to use the archetypes for diagnosing a problem; planning high-leverage […]| The Systems Thinker
The latest volume of the acclaimed Toolbox Reprint Series, Daniel Kim takes a deeper look at the “signature” patterns of behavior associated with each systems archetype. For each archetype, Kim explains through a detailed graph how the associated behavior plays out over time, explores the special role that delays play in the archetypes storyline, and […]| The Systems Thinker
Whether you are new to systems thinking or merely need a guide to available tools, this collection introduces you to dynamic, structural, and computer-based tools – from stocks and flows to causal loop diagrams and management flight simulators. Download the PDF file .| The Systems Thinker
Innovation in Management Series Applying Systems Archetypes, So, you’ve chosen a problem you want to address using systems thinking tools. You gather together some coworkers, round up some flip-chart paper and markers, and sit down to work. But after an hour of trying to match your issue to a particular archetype (and drawing diagrams that […]| The Systems Thinker
Does your organization focus too much on the short term? Do you often use quick fixes? Do you find yourself saying; “We’ve been in this mess before?” Systems Archetype Basics; the second volume in The Pegasus Workbook Series; introduces you to eight systems archetypes—recurring systemic “stories” that crop up in all organizations. Like Systems Thinking […]| The Systems Thinker
sing a systems thinking approach can expand our understanding of a particular problem or issue by helping us view our actions in the context of the larger system. We often fail to anticipate the entire series of cause-and-effect relationships that will follow from a particular decision. As a result, when something happens in the “external” […]| The Systems Thinker