Solve Big Problems With Systems Thinking

It’s fun to fix things. Solving problems- whether it’s fixing a squeaky door hinge or dealing with a complex interpersonal work situation- feels good. In a complicated world full of serious problems that most of us simply don’t have the bandwidth or ability to solve on our own, it can feel empowering to be able to handle our own “small” problems and resolve them. One effective way to problem solve and “think big” is systems thinking. If you’re looking to expand your toolkit, systems thinking can help you be a sharper, more holistic problem solver.

What Is Systems Thinking?

When we think of problem solving, we often focus on the tree—not the forest. There’s something that needs to be addressed, so we focus on that singular issue and try to resolve it. Systems thinking is about expanding the lens that we view a situation through. It’s looking at the tree AND the forest. 

Systems thinking is holistic in nature. It examines how different elements interact, synergize, and conflict with each other within a system or structure. Consider how much of the field of medicine revolves around systems thinking: the human body is a system, and in order to properly diagnose patients a doctor needs to understand how every element inside the human body interacts with each other. How can you heal a kidney illness if you don’t understand how the kidney impacts and influences the rest of the body? 

For businesses and large organizations, systems thinking can help address complex problems. You may notice recurring problems in your organization that can’t be easily fixed; systems thinking can help you see beyond the initial problem, analyze how the pattern affects everything else, and through those ripples the true cause of the problem may be revealed.

“Systems thinking helps us zoom out—to see that what looks like a problem is often just a signal from a larger pattern,” said Dr. Lily Davidov, Rio Salado Faculty Chair for Accounting and Small Business. “When we approach challenges with curiosity instead of control, we create space for smarter, more sustainable solutions.”

The Six Components Of Systems Thinking

In order to cultivate a systems thinking mindset, you’ll need to get a handle on the six components that constitute systems thinking:

• Interconnectedness: Understanding that a system is a web of interconnected elements, each of which may have additional elements and subsystems that they are connected to as well. All of these parts can have multiple cause-and-effect relationships between each other. You have to understand the myriad ways these individual pieces can affect the greater whole.
   
• Synthesis: If interconnectedness is about what parts hold a system together, synthesis is about how they succeed together. Synthesis is about understanding the harmony of a system: how they combine to achieve optimal results. It’s about understanding how they complement one another. It’s the “why” to interconnectedness’s “how.”
   
• Emergence: This focuses on the outcomes of that synthesis. What does the system produce? What is the successful end result of all these interactions? There’s an expression for this in engineering circles: “The purpose of a system is what it does.” A great way to know that something is broken when the system doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do. Understanding what a system is supposed to produce can help you deal with aberrations and unexpected outcomes.
   
• Feedback Loops: Cause-and-effect is an important part of understanding systems thinking. You have to learn to recognize recurring patterns of cause and effect in a system: what is reinforcing positive or negative outcomes? What keeps things balanced, and is something disrupting that cycle? Feedback loops involves watching the system play out, studying these patterns and seeing where they can be changed (as needed) to improve a system or fix a flaw within it.
   
• Causality: Sometimes while studying the forest you do have to narrow your vision a bit and focus on a tree. Causality involves focusing on how individual elements influence each other in a dynamic system. How does one specific part impact the others? If you notice a feedback loop where something seems to be going wrong, causality can help you solve the problem by focusing on each individual part, observing their relationships, and seeing where the weak point is.
   
• Systems Mapping: This is the part of systems thinking where visual learners can really shine. Systems mapping is what it sounds like: you’re charting out this system as you understand it, mapping out the relations between each element. This is one of the important functions of an organizational chart for a large organization: understanding who is “under” who and who is responsible for what creates a chain of custody- of responsibility- that we can work our way down to understand why something has gone wrong.

“In teams, every role or reaction exists for a reason,” said Davidov. “Systems thinking invites us to stop firefighting symptoms and start mapping relationships—because real progress happens when we address root causes, not surface issues”

The Benefits of Systems Thinking

Systems thinking done right takes time. You have to carefully consider a lot of different factors and piece together how they work in harmony or clash with each other. That effort can pay off, however, in a few ways:

1. Optimization: Understanding how a system works means that you can find weak points that can be bolstered and optimized. Knowing how something is done affords you the knowledge you need to make it work better.
2. Study tool: The holistic approach of systems thinking can be quite useful for studying and memorization. Learning how to look for connections between different things can strengthen your memory, as per the memory palace technique of associating one object with something else entirely. Knowing what connects with what and what influences each other forms mental associations that will make them easier to recall.
3. Workplace savvy: Principles like systems mapping and interconnectedness can make navigating the workplace a smoother process. Instead of viewing departments or co-workers in isolation you can teach yourself to see them as strands in a greater fabric.
4. Correct mistakes and minimize harm: Systems thinking can help you solve problems and also minimize their impact on the rest of the system.
5. Set realistic goals: If you work within this system, understanding it means you can have a better idea of its strengths and limitations. You can learn what is possible to accomplish and what isn’t, which means you’ll be in a better position to direct your energy toward the things that are achievable and most supported by this system.
6. Improved problem solving: Not every problem requires systems thinking but it is an effective tool to add to your soft skills toolbox.

“Systems thinking reminds us that no problem exists in isolation—where every part plays a role in a larger internal network,” said Davidov. “When we stop trying to 'fix' what looks broken and instead ask how it's connected, we open the door to real insight and lasting solutions.”

Learn More

Interested in learning more about this style of analysis and problem solving? Here’s a few books that explore the subject in greater detail:

• Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows 
• Systems Thinking For Social Change by David Peter Stroh 
• The Systems Thinking Playbook by Linda Booth Sweeney 
• Internal Family Systems by Richard C. Schwartz

Article by Austin Brietta