Systems Thinking: Focusing On the Whole,
Not the Parts, of a Complex System
Systems Thinking: Focusing
On the Whole, Not the Parts, of a Complex System
Systems Thinking: Focusing On the Whole, Not the Parts, of a Complex System
System Defined
A system is an entity which maintains its existence and functioning as a whole for some purpose through the mutual interaction of its parts.
Systems Thinking Defined
Systems thinking is your ability to see things as a whole (or holistically) including the many different types of relationships between the many elements in a complex system. “Systems thinking is a sensibility —for the subtle interconnectedness that gives living systems their unique character.”7
The Goal of Systems Thinking
The goal of systems thinking is to manage the rapidly growing complexity of the worlds of business and technology. The task of a business architect and a process manager is to create systems, within a sensibly structured business, that empowers employees and enables people to achieve higher productivity and greater competitive advantage.
The Focus of Systems Thinking
Systems thinking “focuses on the whole, not the parts, of a complex system. It concentrates on the interfaces and boundaries of components, on their connections and arrangement, on the potential for holistic systems to achieve results that are greater than the sum of the parts. Mastering systems thinking means overcoming the major obstacles to building the process-managed enterprise – for every business process is a whole system.”2
Growing Demand for Systems Thinking
“End-to-end business processes are dynamic systems, but today's business professionals are generally not trained in general systems thinking. Too often constrained to a perspective limited by ingrained business practices, rigid scripts and structured input-output work, few professionals have a wide-angle view of, or experience dealing with, end-to-end business processes.”2
Balancing the Five Basic Elements of Nature
The Five Basic Elements are Fire, Earth, Water, Metal, and Wood. According to the ancient Chinese belief, those are the basic elements of the universe and everything in our word is a compound of the five elements. These elements are understood as different types of energy in a state of constant interaction and flux with one another.
The most important of all is the balance of all five elements...
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