If you are interested in complexity and systems then you have to look at this great post by Sonja Blignaut – 5 Differences between complexity & systems thinking.
Linking: 5 Differences between complexity & systems thinking
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Shawn Cunningham: Thinking out loud
Living in perpetual beta to help others make sense, innovate and adapt despite ambiguity, uncertainty and noise
I did go and look at it and wasn’t impressed. There is a big assumption running through out the piece that systems thinking means a very specific type of “hard systems” thinking that was big decades ago, but not so much these days.
I am very much a Deming and John Seddony type when it comes to systems thinking. Both have described ST as being central to their work. And both are very much against targets in form, something that the piece assumes ST would be”for”.
Also the assumption that extrinsic rewards would also be something that ST would be “for” is again the complete opposite of any type of current ST that I have encountered.
I think the problem is a problem of definitions, what the author (or anybody) classes as within their definition dictates the terms of the argument.
In response to Think Purpose: these days systems thinking defacto means systems dynamics. Yes if someone knows the difference its worth qualifying the harder statements. That said the causality issue is still a central difference/
I would not bracket Deming and Seddon together. I can see a coherence theory behind Deming’s thinking. Seddon on the other hand is good at saying what is wrong, and also is clearly a good consultant when he engages and there is sound practice in the Vanguard Method. But I really can’t see any coherent theory or any clear link to systems thinking however you define it
Reblogged this on inscienceblog and commented:
Learn the difference between Complexity and Systems Thinking.
An interesting reading!