Good intentions often lead to bad results
Let’s start with a shocking example of how a systemic problem is made worse by aplying linear conventional solutions. This whiteboard animation video about systems thinking tells a story of cats in Borneo (a.k.a. Operation Cat Drop parachuting cats) that occurred in Borneo in the 1950’s. It is a reminder that when solutions are implemented without a systems perspective they often create new problems.
Am I also dealing with a systems problem?
Probably… yes. When I work with managers and teams, I’m always surprised by the human inability to understand systems (and therefore to manage them).
Have you ever found…?
- Putting a lot of effort and yet not get your goals (i.e. trying to lose weight)
- The same kind of problems surfacing time and time again, without learning anything to prevent them in the future
- Focusing on symptoms instead of dealing with the root causes, short-term or silo thinking
- Blaming one factor or person for a complex multi-factorial problem or looking for magical solutions
- Leaders who implement «solutions», design rules and politics, spend resources or efforts trying to solve a problem and only making it worse (or creating other problems)
- Well intentioned people who try to make their work well and work hard but are constantly struggling against their colleagues or other parts of the organization
- An organization that pursues some declared goals but in fact ends up spending all its resources just keeping the organization running or serving private interests, while moving away from the declared goals
We could give many more examples. If you have seen any of these, welcome to the world of systems!
What are systems and how are they inside, around and in relation to us all the time?
A system is a set of parts connected to one another in a special way so that they can achieve a goal. Your body, your family, the plumbing in your house, or the whole economy are systems.
But let’s make it easier to understand. Sit back and meet systems in our everyday lives, from plumbing to traffic jams to fisheries, based on the work of the renowned systems thinker Donella Meadows!
What is systems thinking?
Systems are interconnected with each other and each system is composed of other systems. Therefore decisions that affect one system can have unforeseen and uncertain impacts on other systems. So, you need to widen your perspective and start thinking in systems.
(© 2019 Arizona Board of Regents for and on behalf of Arizona State University created by the Biodesign Pathfinder Center)
Some principles and key ideas to understand systems
This presentation introduces Donella Meadows’ foundational text, Thinking in Systems, which aims to communicate the principles of system dynamics, built upon concepts such as stocks and flows and core feedback loops that determine system stability and growth.
This thoroughly explains that complex systems often exhibit counterintuitive behaviours due to elements like temporal delays, nonlinearities in relationships, and the inherent limitations of bounded rationality among actors.
It identifies several recurring structural issues, called system traps, including the tragedy of the commons and escalation, which necessitate fundamental redesign rather than simple adjustments.
Systems theory is quietly reshaping how science understands the world. The next video is a complete introduction to the systems-theoretical perspective — what it is, why it’s revolutionary, and how it challenges the reductionist thinking that has dominated science for 300 years.
🎯 IN THIS VIDEO
– Why the world can’t be understood by breaking it into parts alone
– How Descartes and Newton built (and limited) the modern scientific worldview
– Emergence: the riddle reductionism can’t solve
– The four phases of systems theory — control, structure, spontaneous order, self-reference
– The ethical stakes: systems thinking vs. technocratic control
⏱️ CHAPTERS
[0:00] A Quiet Revolution
[02:22] What Is the Systems-Theoretical Perspective?
[03:15] Descartes & Reductionism
[05:40] Putting the Puzzle Pieces Back Together
[09:53] Four Terms, Sorted Out
[12:20] The Funnel Model
[17:13] A Way of Thinking, an Ethics
To know more
La crisis del Real Madrid y la tragedia de los sistemas sin bucle de feedback
Las inundaciones de Valencia: el precio de las malas decisiones, liderazgo y sistemas organizativos
Si no sabes pensar de forma sistémica, no podrás dirigir empresas, equipos ni personas
Ninguna buena acción queda sin… castigo
Constelaciones y psicogenealogía ¿teatro o ciencia?
Bio-gestión y enfoque sistémico para empresas
Nassim Taleb: La economía como un sistema y las claves de su fragilidad actual
El gran apagón e «idiocracia» como documental
The Thinking Skills That Will Set You Apart as a Leader






















