ALED 342/ALEC 609 INFO
• 4/09 LEARNING COMM REFLECTION DUE
• 4/21 APP 4 DUE
• 4/21 LEADER “E” EVAL DUE
• EXAM #2
– Add Part 1 points + Part 2 points + Part 3 points = your score out
of 250 points possible
– Class average = 84%
Systems Thinking
ALED 342/ALEC 609
Dr. Chris Townsend
Texas A&M University
Systems Thinking:
Formal Definition
• A way of thinking about and a language for
describing and understanding the forces and
interrelationship that shape the behavior of
systems. This discipline helps change
organizations in relation to the forces within and
surrounding the organization.
• WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?????????
Systems Thinking: How your actions
shape current reality
• A framework, a
blue print
• A way to
enhance quality
of thinking and
decision-making
A recipe is a framework to enhance quality
Chocolate chip/oatmeal cookies
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¼ C butter
¾ C “crisco”
2 eggs
¾ C brown sugar
¾ C sugar
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1 ½ C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t water
1 t vanilla
½ bag chips
1 C oats
What happens if you
forget the sugar?
Systems Thinking: How your actions
shape current reality
• See the “whole” organization
• See the interrelationships
• Distinguish important data & complex
patterns that affect outcomes
Systems Thinking Analysis Steps
APPLICATION 4
• LINKS: arrows that represent influence
from one element to another
• Links show cause and effect
Cause
Effect
Links Made Simple:
• Draw how an event influences another part
of the system
Number of Students
Class Size
“Loops”
1.
2.
3.
4.
Links are connected
Connection is a circle
Circle demonstrates “causality”
Events can be both cause and
effect
LINKS to LOOPS
• Draw events within a system
• Turn LINK into a circle
Number of Students
Class Size
• Use arrows to show how each
event influences the next one
LOOPS made simple:
• Now “read” what the loop says:
• First ½ : When more students are admitted, classes get
larger
Number of Students
Class Size
• Second ½: When classes get larger, more students are
admitted
• So, what happens to the SYSTEM? The cause/effect
continues…over and over again
“CAUSAL” LOOPS
• Add more detail to indicate type of INFLUENCE
Number of Students
Class size
• Add an “O” to indicate OPPOSITE effect
• Add an “S” to indicate SAME effect
CREATE A CAUSAL LOOP
S
Students
Class size
O
• When student #’s go UP, class size goes UP (S)
• When class size goes UP, student #’s go DOWN (O)
Corn
Production
O
S
Market Price
Causal Loop:
Telling your story with a diagram
O
Causal Loop
Interpretation:
Layoffs
O
Performance
What does it say?
Employee Confidence
O
O
Anxiety
Causal Loop:
O
Layoffs
O
Performance
Telling your story
with a diagram
Employee Confidence
O
O
Anxiety
Consumer
Demand for
Organic Food
O
S
Cost to
Consumer
New Products
S
S
Market Price
O
Causal Loop:
Telling your story with a diagram
Production
2 Types of Loops
•Balancing
•Reinforcing
Reinforcing Loops
• Generate exponential growth or great
collapse
• Influences go “up,” means things are great
• Influences go “down,” means a vicious
downward cycle
Balancing Loops
• Influences are be self-correcting
• Organization does not “spin” out of control
• Stops a run away downward reinforcing
loop
Determining Balancing vs. Reinforcing
• Balancing = odd # of O’s
• Reinforcing = no O’s or
even # O’s
• COUNT THEM & SEE IF IT WORKS!
Corn
Production
O
B
S
Market Price
Causal Loop:
Telling your story with a diagram
O
Performance
Layoffs
O
R
Employee Confidence
O
O
Anxiety
Learning Reinforcement
• In your Learning Community, diagram an organizational
situation with a causal loop
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Create a causal loop
Must have at least 4 variables
Label the influences ( O or S)
Label as a “B” Balancing or “R” Reinforcing Loop
Post on the wall when you are complete
View other LCs’ loops
• Complete Application #4 DUE 4/21/08