This is How to Use Systems Thinking to Improve Your Life

Oct 2018

This week’s video is about systems thinking.

First, let me define systems thinking.

Systems thinking is a way of thinking that focuses on the welfare of the entire system, not the benefits to the component parts of the system.

This is important because, in most cases, the parts of a system are all interrelated. If you separate them into components, the entire system suffers.

For example, if you take all the parts of a person apart, you can’t put them back together. The person is dead. You can’t get the interactions between the parts back.

Examples of systems thinking are:

(1) Treating your body as one system whose parts interact; for example, all of your body parts are important to your overall health.

(2) Treating your family as one system whose parts interact; for example, balancing scarce resources so the entire family benefits.

(3) Treating the employees of a company as part of an integrated whole; for example, in a hospital, a physician is not more important than a janitor, if your goal is to have a well-functioning hospital.

Second, let me define anti-systemic thinking.

Anti-systemic thinking is a way of thinking that focuses on the welfare of the individual components of the system, not the benefits to the entire system.

Examples of anti-systemic thinking are:

(1) Taking medicine for your heart that hurts your liver.

(2) Treating your son better than you treat your daughter due to outmoded stereotypes.

(3) Giving in to the wants of physicians in a hospital, while ignoring the rest of the employees in the hospital.

All of these examples hurt the welfare of the entire system.

Use It or Lose It to Make It Actionable

To use systems thinking in your life you have to consider all of the components, not just one, for example, it’s not all about you.

When to Use It:

Whenever you are making a decision think about the impact on the entire system. It’s not all about you!

What Do You Think?

Comment below on any examples where you have used system thinking.

Until next time, behave and as always…Prime Your Pump!
–Howie

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One Reply to “This is How to Use Systems Thinking to Improve Your Life”

Dave Savadge says:

October 26, 2018 at 2:43 pm

I have heard the anus story before. It’s quite appropriate.

“Whenever you are making a decision think about the impact on the entire system.” When I worked in the aerospace industry, this sort of became my mantra. How does a design change to, say the solar array panels, affect the overall weight, center of gravity, and envelope of the satellite? This is the kind of stuff we worried over on almost daily basis. It’s a balancing act.

My doctor for the past 30 years just instituted a similar type process. Following a 2 hour complete top-to-bottom physical (poking, prodding, probing, palpitating) including blood & urine samples, body mass ratios, and lots of other stuff I’ve never heard of, he schedules a follow up session to review the results. From the reams of data, numbers, and percentages (none of which make any sense to me), he can determine if my meds or diet needs adjusting, and if so, by how much. A total bodily systems approach.

As usual, Joan listened in to your weekly video session. Her comment, so typical of a Jersey girl – “the assholes always win”.