p.2 A system is an entity that maintains its existence and functions as a whole through the interaction
of its parts.
Systems thinking looks at the whole, and the parts, and the connections between the parts, studying
the whole in order to understand the parts. It is the opposite to reductionism, the idea that something is simply
the sum of its parts.
p.4 Wherever we look there are systems... systems are interwoven into everything we do
and in order to gain more influence over them... we need to understand how they work.
p.6 There are some startling implications to our simple definition of a system. First, systems function
as a whole, so they have properties above and beyond the properties of the parts that comprise them. These are known as emergent
properties - they "emerge" from the system when it is working... Because we live with emergent properties, we take them
for granted.
The second leverage point comes from asking the basic systems question "What is limiting me?" The
answer is the balancing loop. So one answer is to remove or weaken this constraint
So the leverage point in the system was the company rules for approval of credit orders. By relaxing these
rules they reduced the orders that were on credit hold
However, it may be that investment in new training, equipment or production capacity is what is needed to
get past the restraint. Without new investment, performance may decline further
Feedback is fundamental in systems - no feedback, no system.
Simple learning, or first order learning or adaptive learning, is changing your response based on the feedback
you get
The principle of feedback seems so simple, so ubiquitous, that we live and breathe feedback loops and take
them for granted.
back cover Understanding how... systems work will dramatically increase your effectiveness, save you time
and help you achieve your goals. Systems thinking is practical and immensely useful... This book will show you how:
- you can get a huge result for a small effort
- obvious solutions can often do more harm than good
- to avoid recurrent misfortunes that seem to happen automatically
- to know the best time to change strategy
- your attempted solution can cause the problem you are trying to solve
- you can never do just one thing because there are always side effects
