We’ve all heard of systems thinking.
This approach to problem solving considers both the overall system and the individual parts.
The concept has been used for years in science, engineering, leadership, and more.
My Perspective
I think systems thinking is underused at work and at home.
When you start to consider small systems and large systems, you start to see them everywhere.
A personal system might be your closet.
Expand that out, it’s your home.
A little further out is your neighborhood.
And the company where you work.
Back a little further is your city…. your state…. your country….and eventually, the planet.
What if we started learning about small systems – a project, a room, or even a cabinet.
We could think about why the system exists.
How the system operates and all the individual elements.
What is the impact of the system on people, the planet, and our pocketbook/profits.
The cabinet might contain individual products that stress the planet, and the contents are totally disorganized for the people trying to retrieve something.
The project might have unclear goals or inefficient weekly meetings that are both reducing profit and creating frustration for people.
I’ve started looking at my life through a systems lens.
The discoveries of little things I never noticed before has been huge.
I’m making changes and improving the systems little by little, day by day.
It all adds up.
Your Turn
Are you familiar with systems thinking?
Have you ever looked at your day through a system thinking lens?
What systems in your life could use some improvements?