Inventing Elephants

I highly recommend Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows as an introduction to understanding the world as a collection of complex systems.

The book is clearly and logically laid out. Part One introduces you to the tools you need to discuss and think about systems. Part Two and Three build up layers of interactions and suggests ways to create change.

Systems thinking as a discipline ranges from from soft people-based approaches to the computer simulations of system dynamics. Thinking in Systems stays fully on the conceptual side. There's no math in this book, just some graphs to help illustrate key points in combination with other visualizations.

Many of the concepts are explained through the use of stories. The entire read is lightened up and made approachable by touches of Meadows' personal experiences and a bit of humor. And if you want a quick review later you can always turn to the summary at the back.

A Little Struggle, A Lot of Value

I did find the initial chapters a bit hard to get through. Sometimes I would feel bogged down in learning the mechanics of how to describe the systems, despite the stories and visuals. Yet, I really did need this information to understand the more interesting parts later on. You can skim and push past it, if needed, and return to it after you've gone through the book once and have a purpose for it firmly in mind.

Meadows does capture that purpose in the Introduction. She honors other ways of thinking things through and presents systems thinking as one option among many, one we need because

The systems thinking lens allows us to reclaim our intuition about whole systems and

• hone our abilities to understand parts,
• see interconnections,
• ask "what-if" questions about possible future behaviors, and
• be creative and courageous about system redesign.

Then we can use our insights to make a difference in ourselves and our world.

Have you read the book?

What were your general impressions or your favorite bits?

Is there anything you'd like me to highlight in the weeks to come?

This post is the second in a series that discusses the concepts in Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows. Read the other posts:

1. Book Review: Thinking in Systems
2. What is a System?
3. Feedback Entangles How Fast with How Much
4. Delays and Disasters at the Zoo
5. Effective Systems Beyond Our Control
6. Why Systems Surprise Us
7. The Same Story Retold
8. Four Approaches to Changing Systems
9. Dancing With Living Systems