Kay, J.J., Foster, J., 1999, "About Teaching Systems Thinking" in Savage, G., Roe, P. (eds), Proceedings of the HKK conference, 14-16 June, 1999, University of Waterloo, Onatrio, pp.165-172

This paper will discuss aspects of teaching five major elements of systems thinking; systems studies, isomorphic tools, general systems behaviour, complexity, and systems approaches (methodologies). The first of these elements is about the exercise of performing a systems study. This involves identifying the system to be investigated and its important behaviours. It involves questions of boundaries, hierarchy (i.e. scale and type), structure, system description etc. It is about both concept and method. Experience has shown that students can only really appreciate systems thinking and the issues related to it after they have undertaken a systems study. Thus it must be the first element of a systems education.

Another important element, isomorphisms, was identified by von Bertalanffy as a cornerstone of general systems thinking. This involves teaching about general tools for describing and analysing systems, tools which apply across disciplines and to a broad class of systems. Examples are information theory, statistics, catastrophe theory, network thermodynamics (e.g. graph theoretic descriptions of physical flow systems), cybernetics, self-organization theory. It is important not just to teach these but to demonstrate how they are applicable to a broad class of systems.

A third element related to isomorphism is general systems behaviour. This involves teaching students about such phenomena as non-linear behaviour and attractors, feedbacks, emergence, self-organization and chaos. Generally these behaviours are not intuitive, as they do not conform to the Newtonian, linear causality mode of reasoning that is a cornerstone of our culture. Students must be given hands on experience with systems which exhibit such phenomena in order to build up the gut intuitive feel that they need to understand these phenomena.

The next element is complexity or the notion that systems thinking is about middle number systems. To deal effectively with complexity requires rethinking the epistemology of inquiry and is at the heart of the rational for modern systems thinking. It is this element which differentiates systems approaches from approaches which are merely systematic.

Finally when all is said and done, systems thinking is an academic curiosity if it does not provide us with insights and methods for dealing with human concerns. Historically this element, system approaches, was considered to be about methodologies for problem solving and design. However recent work has shown that the notion of problem solving is too limited a description of this undertaking. This has been particularly true when dealing with complex issues such as environmental problems, ecological economics, and information technologies, where the risks, uncertainties and potential benefits are high. Rather it is about methods for framing situations and identifying and resolving tradeoffs related to technology, societies, economics, people and the environment, under conditions of irreducible uncertainty. Students must learn about different systems approaches, such as Checkland's Soft Systems CATWOE methodology, for dealing with such situations. Furthermore they must learn to adapt their own approach for a given situation. This can only be learnt through case studies, both in the class room and through actual supervised project experiences.

In the end if systems thinking is to live up to its promise, it is this last element, systems approachs which will make the difference. Teaching about systems approaches does not fit well with classic disciplinary education, as these focus on analysis. Systems approaches deal with analysis, but also with design and synthesis, aspects which require a fundamentally different approach to teaching. And this is the challenge of a systems education, to teach students not just how to analyse a situation from a disciplinary perspective but how to synthesis the insights gained from several disciplinary analyses into an overall understanding that allows us to move forward in the face of complexity.

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