Likewise X part of the map help explain past policy or implementation intervention successes or failures. The team use their behaviour over time graph to help them discuss and articulate the problem with the current system, for example the current system is producing an increase in an undesirable behaviour/outcome. The center for theory of change. Systems thinking is the process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole. Mess: Coined by Ackoff in 1974, a mess is not just one problem, but a system of interrelated problems. Business Dynamics, Systems Thinking, and Modeling for a Complex World. In addition, the introductory text to each of the book's three parts provides background information on the selected methods. This research cluster formed in the summer of 2021 with the goals of creating an effective and easy-to-use systems thinking toolkit for the design educator and design practitioner. Causal loop diagrams can reveal unexpected areas for intervention (such as in the Hackitt report into Building Regulations and Fire safety) and help you analyse previous policy interventions (such as in the Munro review of child protection). There are multiple visualisation tools available, and ultimately how you visualise your system and its behaviour is a pragmatic judgement call depending on what the data sets are, how they will be used, how often it will be updated and who the audience of it is. Success to the successful (or winner takes all): A process by which a winners gains lead to more gains, and a losers losses leads to more losses. Once the team have their stock and flow diagram they work with analysts to create a simulation from their stock and flow diagram (see figure 13). Toolkit Library/ Peter Senge: introduction to systems thinking. From these discussions they then consider what actions they could take that could have a ripple effect across the system, including where the areas of leverage are. Owners. Figure 10: Example of choosing scale for your map: a street map vs motorway map. Who are the disaffected victims (losers) and what are their costs? Creating Behaviour over Time Graphs or System Problem Statements will help you with this. The reason that it is so valuable is that deciding which part of the system to focus on and which lens to view the system through can be complicated to discuss if you dont have something down on paper. Time delays: The time between an action and the change(s) it manifests. Thus the value of stock and flow diagrams (Tool 9) and theory of change maps (Tool 10) is often found in explaining or describing a process rather than predicting a specific output. View Systems Thinking Toolkit - Print-Friendly Version.pdf from AA 1Systems Thinking Toolkit Putting Systems Thinking Into Practice in Your Organization About FSG FSG is a mission-driven consulting This toolkit aims to act as a springboard into systems thinking for civil servants unfamiliar with this approach. c. Consider how the issue could affect your system at different levels, start by considering the local system (for example, the effect on you and your immediate team). It may end up looking like a spider diagram, or a flow diagram. What surprises you? This is a group of stakeholders from across the system that can help you understand the context of your problem from multiple diverse perspectives. It is possible, however, to monitor and evaluate your intervention and determine the extent to which benefits are being realised. There is almost never a magic bullet whereby a challenging policy agenda can be addressed by one simple intervention from the department which owns that policy agenda. Once created, the parts of the stock and flow diagram can then have numbers and rules assigned to them to create a simulation of the system. #36. This introduction to six key concepts are critical building blocks for developing a detailed perspective of how the world works from a systems perspective and will enhance your ability to think divergently and creatively for a positive impact. #21. Requisite saliency: The idea that the parts of a system dont have equal importance or relevance, but that these factors can only be determined through a process of examination and comparison. Freely available online resources for systems thinking in practice The Open University, UK. Since they have very specific meanings in relation to systems, allow me to start off with the exploration of six* key themes. Thus the method we describe here embeds 3 systems thinking concepts into creating a theory of change: As with other tools it is important to recognise the map is a representation gathered from a sub-group of people (potentially a narrow one) and whilst it might be a good representation, it is also dynamic and continuously changing. It may have minimal text on it, or you may find it easier putting in some bullet points or words to help you and your team. They help you to explore the system and think broadly about the stakeholders. Each of the methods addresses several of the ten principles. In a word, sense-making. Likewise, in complex systems, different groups will have different ideas about the problem and the context in which it resides. Once they have agreed these as a team they identify the forces they feel are the most significant and circulate this among stakeholders for feedback to gain a more complete picture of the forces at play in the system. Using systems thinking when monitoring and evaluating the performance of complex systems is key, as seeing the whole system is a challenge in itself. This helps them start to formulate the first part of their problem statement. As little as 5 minutes to create a quick overview and get you thinking about the system. Many different types of SNA software are able to analyze networks for key metrics like degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and closeness centrality. Appreciative inquiry: A method for helping a group of stakeholders find or create a common vision. It asks you to consider what questions you could ask to check that any change you make is achieving your desired outcome and how you would monitor and assess the performance of the system. It is a helpful and accessible approach to complex problems as it considers the forces and dynamics within the system, rather than relying on a simple linear cause and effect process. This slide deck, from a presentation to the Local Systems Community by Tjip Walker and David Jacobstein, shows various ways in which assessing the political economy of a context and. Look for the deep structure that serves as the anchor point for most of the loops on your systems map. #35. Systems thinking toolkit This toolkit from FSG identifies several key tools that support systems thinking. This is where systems mapping tools come in . The advantage of stock and flow diagrams is that when you create a simulation of them you can see how the system changes over time or in response to a new input. #6. However, this increase in the population is balanced (B) by the flow of deaths. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Rather, it tells this story by referring to important regions and feedback loops in your map. In the future they will be greatly helped in doing this by being able to use the truly helpful Systems Thinking Journey and Toolkit. b. Choose what feels most natural, as the process of discussion and iteration, rather than the end result, can give as much, if not most value from mapping. Midgley, G. (2001). Around 30 to 60 minutes to create a behaviour over time graph, write your goals and problem statement. This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. between two categories of problems or challenges which may in turn. This method can help identify closed loops that can be converted into causal loop diagrams. Especially engage with those with a different view of the system to you and aim to form a diverse range of stakeholders who can bring their experiences and expertise to your work. That means youre more likely to solve system problems and create the long-term impact you want. Create a robust methodology to achieve goals (leads to 4 with a secondary benefit to 5) that make sense with the topic of choice and strategies you chose. This toolkit aims to act as a springboard into systems thinking for civil servants unfamiliar with this approach. Your brain is a complex problem-solving machine. The team use data they have on the system to create a simple behaviour over time graph. Particular insights we have taken from the map are..the missing relationships between X loops or factors and the potential systemic failures or problems flow from that. Ladder of inference: A visual representation of steps one goes through, often without realizing it, to get from a fact to a decision. (Adapted from Systems Practice by Omidyar group). Acumen Academy Systems Practice course material for guidance on using systems thinking when approaching a problem and also on creating and analysing causal loop diagrams. Implies that trying to manage or control systems is difficult due to its own dynamics. Through the evaluative process, the employment of CSH questions prompts ways to improve the stakeholdings associated with stakeholder groups both involved and affected by the dynamics of the situation. The team test the map as they create it by talking through the loops and identifying repetitive elements or gaps. On one axis is a scale of agreement from close to and far from. Direct impact the action will have on specific factors, relationships or dynamics in the system. This tool will also allow you to challenge assumptions in your team, for example, what do you really have the power to influence in your system? If the delay is not understood by participants, action may under- or over-shoot the necessary amount to reach goals. Do the changes you want to make help the owner or hinder them? Continue learning about systems thinking. Causal loop diagrams are especially useful for identifying common system dynamics, or archetypes (see tools #9 through #20). The Systems Thinking Journey and Toolkit have been designed to help Enablers and inhibitors should be described in a short statement to clarify what they mean - even a few words are enough. #68. Description extracted from an original submission by Pete Barbrook-Johnson: Agent-based models are computer simulation models developed to represent social and policy systems. Hindle, G.A. These documents introduce a small sample of systems thinking concepts and tools, chosen due to their accessibility and alignment to civil service policy development, but which is by no means comprehensive. Leverage is a phenomenon where a small effort results in outsized impact. #64. GIGA-maps: A mapping process that emerged from how designers apply systems thinking, GIGA-mapping attempts to create extensive visual maps that transcend traditional boundaries of boundaries and scale. On the right are statements typical of complex problems, on the left are statements typical of projects that may be complicated, but that are still likely to obey a linear cause and effect when it comes to making changes. Consider repeating the drawing to capture a future situation and articulate how the stakeholders views and relationships have changed. Essentially, everything is reliant upon something else for survival. HealthEquityWorks@wustl.edu. Swamps: Developed by Schon, a swamp implies leaving the high ground of using research-based theory and techniques, and the necessity of using less rigorous techniques for swampy low land problems that dont have a technical solution. #60. Government Operational Researchers have a long history of using system thinking and I highly recommend the Systems Thinking Toolkit and Journey to assist others in approaching and structuring their problems. (2010). The T on the top of the arrow can be thought of as a tap, and it is there to remind you that the flows can be changed, in other words births and deaths can go up or down. Consider the interdependencies and system-wide links between each stage of your map. Tony OConnor, Head of the Government Operational Research Service. Approaches adopted by service design around building empathy and, particularly ethnographic studies which involve living and observing life with and alongside people, can be valuable here. Having a monitoring and evaluation plan in place will capture any unintended consequences or any external factors driving change early and allow the sustainability of an intervention to be assessed and explore whether it could be adopted elsewhere. They want to understand and articulate why the system is not currently producing the desired outcome and use this to inform what their goals for the system are. The fundamental observation of systems thinking is that the links between events are often more subtle than they appear. a near-term goal (1 to 5 years) for your system. Figure 7: A diagram of your systems boundaries. Words commonly used in System Dynamics Thinking . (2021). Ulrich, W. and Reynolds, M. (2020). This isnt about returning to a linear way of thinking of cause and predictable effects, but instead considers how to make changes with the system in mind, acknowledging and working with its inherent complexity. It can be used on a map that you have created or one you have inherited. The process has value, but the map can also be exposed to a range of analyses aimed at generating new narratives and questions; ultimately helping policy makers move from the overwhelming complexity of the system to actionable complexity understanding. Check benefits and financial support you can get, Limits on energy prices: Energy Price Guarantee, How systems thinking can help develop policies and deliver services, Introduction to the Systems Thinking Toolkit, Use of data and data visualisation tools in systems thinking, Iterative and cyclical flow of the Toolkit, Policy design stage: Confirm the goal and understand the system, Policy design stage: Co-design and test possible interventions, Policy design stage: Implement systemic interventions, monitor and evaluate, Annex 2 Further reading and additional systems tools, Annex 3 Data Mapping and Visualisation Tools, Annex 4 Methodology for creating the toolkit, Annex 5 - Testimonials and acknowledgements, nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3, system problem statement template in Annex 1, enablers and inhibitors template is included in Annex 1, Hackitt report into Building Regulations and Fire safety, systems map template to help you get started is in Annex 1, causal loop diagram: analysis template is in Annex 1, template to help you start drawing/brainstorming your model is in Annex 1, consultation Impact Assessment on Heat Network Zoning policy, theory of change template can be found in Annex 1, monitoring and evaluation template in Annex 1, The Civil Servants Systems Thinking Journey: Weaving Systems Thinking Throughout the Policy Design Process, Creating systems that work: Principles of engineering systems for the 21st century, Open policy making toolkit, Section 2. The behaviour over time graph can either be created in excel or other graph-plotting software or just drawn as a back of the envelope trend to help inform your goal setting. How can journalists apply systems thinking? It is a useful technique to start to identify the different parts of the system and the relationships between them. The team use the feedback from these conversations to adapt their problem statement. We have identified several tools that are helpful in this practice, whether you are looking to understand an issue and its system, create a plan for action, or learn and refine as you go. A simple example of emergence is a snowflake. #75. The HM Treasury Magenta Book - section 3 covers the different evaluation methods. For example, putting yourself in the shoes of different people in the system and drawing different rich pictures of the system for each of their views? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. #7. Thinking in Systems (TiS) can help public health professionals think more effectively, and systemically, about the issues they face. You will want to sense-check this with others in the system. The information presented on the site does not necessarily represent the official views of DHHS. To remain efficient and stream-lined, it is important to identify and articulate how mapping the system aligns with your goal for your work, and what the so what of your map is before starting. We support social change leaders and their teams in applying the principles and practices of systems thinking to their work using a variety of tools and approaches. [Logic mapping Hints and tips: for better transport evaluations, produced for the DfT] ](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/logic-mapping-hints-and-tips-guide). Reference to cost is accurate at the time of publication. Intermediate requires some systems thinking expertise and knowledge to understand which factors to include and the relationships between them. In complex problems it is unlikely that you, your policy team or the wider civil service will have a full understanding or access to the evidence and data flows that affect the system. If you want to become a systems thinker and achieve deeper insights about our complex world, youre going to need a range of systems thinking tools. Irwin McGraw Hill, Boston, MA. g. Consider the nature of the relationships between different stakeholders or organisations do they have common or opposing opinions or beliefs? This now forms the horizontal axis of the new framework, as shown below. But this necessary division can create more complexity with many different views, workstreams, and stakeholders to hold in our collective minds. All of the methods are in the public domain. Stop Saying Climate Change is Coming. Equifinality: No matter the starting point, all actions lead to the same end point. The team find the process helpful as it enables them to discuss the perspectives of multiple stakeholders in their system. Data visualisation software can make it easier to make an attractive map, but you may find it easier to start off with pen and paper until you have reached a version you are ready to transfer to software. e. Consider the parts in your system, but also consider the relationships between them. This will begin to build a shared understanding and create buy-in from others for your future interventions. #4. What is the most eco-friendly option for reading a book? Synthesis is about understanding the whole and the parts at the same time, along with the relationships and the connections that make up the dynamics of the whole. This document is a an Introductory Toolkit for for civil servants. Some focus only on engaging stakeholders while others just cover mapping tools or systems thinking concepts. Systems Approaches to Managing Change: A Practical Guide. Various versions of theory of change maps are already used across government. Statements on the left (typical of non-complex problems) or on the right (complex problems)? (2019). STEP 2 Use the color-coded matrices on the following pages to match your learning objectives to one or more systems tools. As mentioned you will need to transfer this to software when you have developed your thinking on what your model might include. Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Dashboard, Contact GSE@go-science.gov.uk for further information, Government Statistical Service (GSS) website, Adapted by DSTL from: Gareth Morgan. There are two basic types of causal loops: reinforcing (#4) and balancing (#5). We have grouped 5 tools within this principle to help you face these challenges. This in turn increases the number of births due to more available parents, this again further increases the population it is reinforcing (R). intrac.org. Checkland, P. (2000). Other factors which might impact on success. c. Areas where an intervention can change the system structure through the removal of negative dynamics or the creation of new dynamics, for example new connections, new feedback loops. The RHNTC is supported by the Office of Population Affairs and the Office on Womens Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. Like the ladder of inference, this tool helps people explain their thinking about why they made a decision. Who will detect or gather data on how the system is performing? Behaviour Over Time Graphs or System Problem Statement (Tool 4) is a useful approach for exploring with others what the problem with the current system is and the goals the collaborating community want to set for a future system. the next chapter in this series, I will go into more detail on understanding systems dynamics, a core part of the practice. Introduce the question you are trying to answer. All the beautiful illustrations are by Emma Segal and for the inspiration sources that helped develop these please see www.leylaacaroglu.com/credits, Join our linkedin group we started for creative systems change >. Systems thinking requires a shift in mindset, away from linear to circular. What would lead them to help? For example, considering the child protection system from a childs, parents and front-line workers point of view. Assess your TPP programs strengths and barriers. Create your flows. Health Equity Works. Youve probably seen a number of systems thinking toolboxes online. The problem is relatively self-contained and not intertwined with its broader environment which is stable and predictable. FT Interactive: Guidance by the Financial Times on making informative and meaningful data visualisations. Systems Thinking FSG understands that social change is about systems change. A theory of change map, enhanced understanding by key stakeholders of the aims and activities of the intervention, and how these relate to one another. Decide the boundaries for the system you want to model. See section in toolkit. Distinct regions may begin to form. A theory of change map (Tool 10) can help articulate how various options are expected to work and the strength of evidence that underpins them. #45. INFORMS Transactions on Education, 12, 31-40. Means-end network: Usually created from a Fundamental Objectives Hierarchy, a means-end network is a way of organizing how objectives can be achieved. Write how the change you are looking to make will change the system to result in significant outcomes, such as bring the system closer to your goals. GCS: Guidance by the Government Statistical Service on how to design data visualisations that are informative, consistent and easy to understand. STEP 3 Use the tool guides included in this report to facilitate a systems thinking activity. This curated collection of articles explores the themes of disruptive design, sustainability, cognitive science, systems thinking, social innovation, the circular economy and the systems that connect it all. To maintain current performance, underinvestment is justified, but growth nonetheless slows due to lack of capacity. Reynolds, M. & Holwell, S. (2020). It helps you consider how to detect if your changes arent achieving the outcome you expected, and mitigations you could put in place. If an issue with how the system is performing is detected, consider if a mitigation strategy needs to be in place and what that might be. Springer, London. Then ask again for the new factor, what does that cause? Systems Thinking Toolkit: best-practice templates, step-by-step work plans and maturity diagnostics Within this policy design stage, the tools are mapped to 2 systems thinking principles: Principle 1: identify the key issues and establish a collaborating community with a shared goal and Principle 2: reach a shared understanding of the problem. However ToC maps can end up promoting a linear, reductionist and rigid approaches to approaching complexity. Systems thinking tools help make sense of situations that are complex and hard to understand. Everything needs something else, often a complex array of other things, to survive. An enabler is a significant force in the environment that supports or increases the likelihood that the system will deliver your aims. Hierarchy: Parts are treated as wholes, which are themselves made up of smaller parts, which are themselves wholes. Coined by Herbert Simon, the word satisfice is a portmanteau of satisfyandsuffice. It is posited that by focusing on non-obvious factors, practitioners can increase their odds of success. b. It is also helpful for guiding conversation on what the boundaries of the system that you are studying should be and who to include in your collaborating community. No matter what tools you use, your job is to be a critical systems thinker in search of reasonable conclusions. Frontiers in Public Health, 9. Checkland, P, Poulter, J (2010). It is the stage where the elements, and dynamics between them, get more formally characterised and, if you can, quantified, and therefore you enter a model-building stage which can allow you to create simulations and test ideas. Intermediate requires some systems thinking knowledge to understand the factors and relationships within the system and not create a linear theory of change for a complex problem. Sometimes, the points that provide the most leverage are counterintuitive. The purpose is not to define the problem structure or logic model (unlike some of the mapping tools below), but to actively reflect on various perspectives about the situation. 5Rs framework: Used by USAID to assessing local systems and the effectiveness of programs, the framework focuses on the key aspect of any system: Results, Roles, Relationships, Rules and Resources. Develop a systematic and visual road map of how an intervention is intended to be implemented and how to achieve its objectives. Finding a way into systems). The two main types of feedback loops are reinforcing and balancing. Work your way out from the core story by describing the major regions of the map and their dynamics. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The collaborating community is important here, as defining what different people believe is inside and outside of the focus of the work will help to uncover new insights on the problem. The below list contains some of those we have worked with creating these documents, but we owe thanks to many more we havent the space to include. (2011). But all systems are dynamic and often complex; thus, we need a more holistic approach to understanding phenomena. Systems thinking resources, such as your learning agenda, can inform your TPP program monitoring and evaluation plans through ongoing improvement and feedback. It should be a significant step toward your long-term goal. Systems thinking tools help make sense of situations that are complex and hard to understand. There are may diverse and dynamic interconnections between the problem and the broader environemnt which itself is unstable and dynamic (political, economic etc). Using the template as a guide, identify the issue or problem being addressed and the context in which it is arising (for example, failure to achieve a planned change because key stakeholders lack skills and experience). 20, 293-314. Use if-then-because logic statements by filling in the blanks in the statement below: If we do proposed activities or input then we expect to have the following outputs because . Connection circles: A brainstorming exercise to help people get started thinking about how variables are related. Provides overview of key concepts to systems thinking and provides a guide to determine methods to understand systems. To understand the factors and relationships within your system. On the other axis is a scale of certainty from close to to far from. Draw an arrow out from the stakeholder and label it seen as. At the end of the arrow write how that stakeholder sees the system. You may find a Behaviour Over Time Graph helpful as you complete your problem statement using the template below: Your long-term (5 years or more) goal for your system: Your near-term goal (1-5 years) for your system: The current system moves away from our desired outcome because it .. The team decide to improve their understanding of the context that their problem sits within by creating a rich picture (example in figure 3). As such, Ive only used short descriptions and common examples because they seem to be easier for most people to quickly digest.
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