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UploadedonJanuary30,2008byalsjhc

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ExampleofbiologicalsystemFlickr:UploadedonJune23,2007byVillanueva

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MechanicalsystemsFlickr:UploadedonFebruary11,2005byDogFromSPACE

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human/mechanicalsystems(forexample,ridingabicycle)Flickr:UploadedonJanuary31,2009bybichxa

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ecologicalsystems(forexample,predator/prey)Flickr:UploadedonJune12,2006byTangoPango

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socialsystems(forexample,groups,supplyanddemandandalsofriendship)Flickr:UploadedonJune2,2007byJayelAheram

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Systems–What’sinCommon?Flickr:UploadedonSeptember10,2007byJulienHarneis•Everysystemhasapurposewithinalargersystem.Example:ThepurposeoftheR&DdepartmentinyourorganizaIonistogeneratenewproductideasandfeaturesfortheorganizaIon.FighRnginNorthKivuisthreateningthelivesofchildren.Tensofthousandsofchildrenhavebeendisplacedinthelastweeks,intheconfusionofflightchildrenhavebeenseparatedfromtheirparents.Alreadymalnourishedchildrenarenowevenmorevulnerable.Inthecrowdedmakeshi\campsmeaslesandcholeraaregrowingdangers.Thousandsofchildrenareunabletostarttheschoolyear.Armedgroupsareusingatleasta1000childrenandmorearebeingrecruited.UNICEF,throughanetworkofpartners,isassisRng60,000peoplearoundMugangaandMinovaintheKivus.UNICEFisidenRfyingseparatedchildrenandreunifyingthemwiththeirfamilies.Rapesurvivorsarebeinggivenmedicalandpsychosocialsupport.CleanwaterdistribuRonandlatrineshavebeensetup.Displacedfamilieshavereceivedtemporarysheltermaterials,beddingandcookingsets.Allchildrenundertheageof14arebeingvaccinatedagainstmeaslesandpregnantwomenagainstneonataltetanus.2000childrenhavebeenscreenedformalnutriRon.EmergencyeducaRonprogrammeshavestarted.UNICEF�spartnersareAVSI,Caritas,theInternaRonalRescueCommi`ee,HealAfrica,theNorwegianRefugeeCouncil,SavetheChildrenUK,Solidarités,WorldVisionInternaRonalandtheprovincialhealthserviceoftheDemocraRcRepublicofCongo.UNICEFhasassisted350,000displacedpersonssincethestartoffighRnginSakelastNovember.UNICEF�sacRonsarepartofacoordinatedresponsewithotherUNorganizaRons;OfficeCoordinaRonforHumanitarianAffairs,UnitedNaRonsHighCommissionforRefugees,WorldFoodProgramme,WorldHealthOrganisaRon&TheMissionoftheUnitedNaRonsintheDemocraRcRepublicofCongo.DespiteallthisthemajorityofdisplacedpersonsremaininaccessibleduetothefighRng.UNICEFcallsuponallparRestotheconflictto;protecttherightsofchildren,

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Systems–What’sinCommon?Flickr:UploadedonMarch5,2006byblackholeSleep:FlickrUploadedonApril28,2009byTasa_M•Allofasystem'spartsmustbepresentforthesystemtocarryoutitspurposeopImally.Example:TheR&DsysteminyourorganizaIonconsistsofpeople,equipment,andprocesses.Ifyouremovedanyoneofthesecomponents,thissystemcouldnolongerfuncIon.

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Systems–What’sinCommon?Flickr:UploadedonSeptember6,2005byMalCubedWedissectedthecaterpillarformofManducasexta(alsoknownastheSphinxmothortheTobaccoworm)Ibelievethisisthefirstabdominalganglion.•Asystem'spartsmustbearrangedinaspecificwayforthesystemtocarryoutitspurpose.Example:IfyourearrangedthereporIngrelaIonshipsinyourR&Ddepartmentsothattheheadofnew‐productdevelopmentreportedtotheentry‐levellabtechnician,thedepartmentwouldlikelyhavetroublecarryingoutitspurpose.

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Systems–What’sinCommon?Flickr:UploadedonDecember23,2008byboltron‐Atareststoponhighway40outsideofGallup,NewMexico.•Systemschangeinresponsetofeedback.Thewordfeedbackplaysacentralroleinsystemsthinking.FeedbackisinformaIonthatreturnstoitsoriginaltransmiSersuchthatitinfluencesthattransmiSer'ssubsequentacIons.Example:Supposeyouturntoosharplywhiledrivingyourcararoundacurve.Visualcues(youseeamailboxrushingtowardyou)wouldtellyouthatyouwereturningtoosharply.ThesecuesconsItutefeedbackthatpromptsyoutochangewhatyou'redoing(jerkthesteeringwheelintheotherdirecIonsomewhat)soyoucanputyourcarbackoncourse.

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Systems–What’sinCommon?Flickr:UploadedonJanuary18,2009byBrotherMagneto•Systemsmaintaintheirstabilitybymakingadjustmentsbasedonfeedback.Example:Yourbodytemperaturegenerallyhoversaround98.6degreesFahrenheit.Ifyougettoohot,yourbodyproducessweat,whichcoolsyoubackdown.

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SystemsThinkingTools:CausalLoops

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CirclesofcausalityThebasicideaofsystemthinkingisthateveryacRontriggersareacRon.InsystemdynamicsthisreacRoniscalledfeedback.Therearetwotypesoffeedback‐reinforcingfeedbackandbalancingfeedback.SomeRmesafeedback(orareacRon)doesnotoccurimmediately‐theprocesscontainsdelays.Anysystemcanbedrawnasadiagramsetupwithcirclesofcausality–includingacRons,feedbacksanddelays.[1][edit]Reinforcingfeedback(+)Reinforcingfeedback(oramplifyingfeedback)acceleratesthegiventrendofaprocess.Ifthetrendisascending,thereinforcing(posiRve)feedbackwillacceleratethegrowth.Ifthetrendisdescending,itwillacceleratethedecline.Fallingofanavalancheisanexampleofthereinforcingfeedbackprocess.[1][edit]Balancingfeedback(‐)Balancingfeedback(orstabilizingfeedback)willworkifanygoal‐stateexists.Balancingprocessintendstoreduceagapbetweenacurrentstateandadesiredstate.Thebalancing(negaRve)feedbackadjustsapresentstatetoadesirabletargetregardlesswhetherthetrendisdescendingorascending.Anexampleofthebalancingfeedbackprocessisstayinguprightonbicycle(whenriding).[1]

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SystemsThinkingTools:Archetypes:FixesThatFailFlickr:UploadedonMarch6,2009byneolibertariandotcomNearSightedSuccess:RadioRushHelpsOutIntheshortterm,youcanthinkaboutitlikethis:TheDemocratsgetmorepower(top)ThisincreasestheleveloftalkradiohysteriaagainstDemocratsusingscaretacRcs,namecalling,andsoonThisincreasestheappealofRepublicancandidatesor,ifyouwanttolookatittheotherwayaround,itmobilizesthebasetovoteforRepublicancandidatestheydon’tparRcularlylikewhichleadstomoreRepublicanvotes.TheRepublicansgetmoresupport,sotheygetmorepowerwhichreducesthe“problem”oftheDemocratsgetngmorepowerthatwestartedwith...Thisisgreatanditlookedlikeitcouldlastforever(anyonesRllrememberKarlRoveandthe“permanentmajority”?).Intheshortterm,RushwaspartoftheRepublicansoluRon,butinthelongterm,RushbecamepartoftheRepublicanproblem.

RushIsNotTheGuyForALongRun...Let’slookatthesameshorttermloopabovebutlet’saddalongtermlooptothediagram:Whenwelookatthelongrun,weseethesameshorttermloopbutwealsoseeanother,slowerloop.TalkradiohysteriamakesRINOs(RepublicansInNameOnly)moreelectableandre‐electable.WheneverySenatorandRepresentaRveisviewedascrucialtoreducingDemocratpower,thereisenormouspressuretoelectandre‐electRINOs.ThisinsulatesRINOsfromcriRcismanda`ackfromwithinthepartyandallowsthemtoproliferate.RINOsalienatethebaseandcannotbroadenthepartybecausetheyneitherunderstandnorarRculateconservaRvevalues.OverRme,theRINOsthendestroytheRepublicanandConservaRvebrandswithfiscalirresponsibility,enRtlementprograms,centralizedfederalcontrol,and,morethananythingelse,thesocialistbailoutprogramsiniRatedundertheBushadministraRonandsupportedbyRINOs.ThisbranddestrucRonaccumulatesandeventuallyturnsintoadisasteratthepolls,reducingRepublicansupportsofarandsofastthattheshorttermeffectsofevermorehystericalcriRcismofDemocratscannotmakeupforit.Systemsthinkingjunkieswillimmediatelyrecognizethisasthe“FixesThatFail”archetype:averycommoncondiRonwhererepeateduseofagoodshorttermfixactuallymakesthingsworseinthelongrun.

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Archetypes:Shi\ingtheBurdenHowmanyRmeshaveyounoRcedthatyouseemtosolvethesameproblemoverandover.Whentheproblemarisesyouaddressit,thensomeRmelater,maybeaday,aweek,oramonthlaterthesameproblemarisesagain.ThissituaRonisquiteo\entheresultofaShi\ingtheBurdenstructure.IntheabovediagramaproblemsymptomisperceivedwithmulRplepossiblecoursesofacRon.OnecourseofacRon,thesymptomaIcsoluIonhasanapparentRmeframeadvantageoverthefundamentalsoluIonbecauseofotherassociateddelay.AsaresulttheproblemsymptominfluencestheapplicaRonofthesymptomaIcsoluIon.ApplicaRonofthesymptomaIcsoluIonreducestheproblemsymptomwhichdissolvestheperceivednecessityofpursuingthefundamentalsoluIon.AfailuretoimplementthefundamentalsoluIonensuresthattheproblemsymptomwillreturn.Let'sfaceit,bandaidsoncutkneesdon'tkeeponefromfallingofbicycles.

Asifthiswasn'tannoyingenough,implementaRonofthesymptomaIcsoluIono\en,inRme,influencesthedevelopmentofunintendedsideeffects,whichareo\enfurtherprecludeemployingthefundamentalsoluIon.TheinteracRonsbetweentheproblemsymptom,symptomaIcsoluIon,sideeffect,andfundamentalsoluIonformaviscousreinforcingloopwhichmaketherealsourceoftheproblem,inRme,evenmoredifficulttoresolve.EffecIveStrategiesWhendealingwithaproblemaskyourselfifyouaretreaRngthesymptomsoraddressingtherealcauseoftheproblem.O\en,outofexpediency,thesymptomaRcsoluRonisessenRal.ThemosteffecRvestrategyfordealingwithaShi\ingtheBurdenstructureisanemploymentofthesymptomaIcsoluIonANDdevelopmentofthefundamentalsoluIon.Thusoneresolvestheimmediateproblemandworkstoensurethatitdoesn'treturn.

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Archetypes:LimitstoGrowthTheunprecedentedgrowthisproducedbyareinforcingfeedbackprocessunRlthesystemreachesitspeak.Thehaltofthisgrowthiscausedbylimitsinsideoroutsideofthesystem.However,ifthelimitsarenotproperlyrecognized;theformermethodsareconRnuouslyapplied,butmoreandmoreaggressively.Thisresultsinthecontraryofthedesiredstate‐adecreaseofthesystem.ThesoluRonliesintheweakeningoreliminaRonofthecauseoflimitaRon.Example:dieRng,learningforeignlanguages[1]

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FlickrUploadedonOctober23,2007byTheWanderingAngel

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FlickrUploadedonOctober23,2007byTheWanderingAngel

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