System Thinking
Principles & reasons
What is systems thinking and practice? The essence of systems thinking and practice is in ‘seeing’ the world in a particular way, because how you ‘see’ things affects the way you approach situations or undertake specific tasks. This course will help you to learn about the problems of defining a system and meet some of the key concepts used in systems theory: boundary, environment, positive and negative feedback, etc.
Course Objectives:
• To help organizing and assimilate information and rationales for effective analysis, problem-solving and decision-making in executing day-to-day procedures and operations
• To Understand some of the different approaches to systems thinking
• To Identify leverage points in managed systems
Outcomes
• Understand why they think the way they think
• Anticipate and accurately predict the impact of policies and procedures
• Remove ambiguity from policies and directives
• Understand different thinking styles of diverse ethnicities
• Understand how matching and mismatching impacts our thinking styles
• Reframe problems to be strategic opportunities
• Understand that there is more than one solution and a one solution methodology is myopic
• Identify and label conditioning thinking styles
• Get beyond SWOT analysis – the next step
• Rely on your intuition and be more self aware
• Be prepared to take mitigated risks and accept ‘bad ideas’
• Analyze the 4 models of world’s best thinking paradigms
• Think laterally and think on your feet
• De-clutter the mind and regain perspective and context
• Understand the killer impact of assumptions
• Think strategically
• Break away from myopic perspectives and think holistically
• Use the “Collaborative 4 Step Thinking’ methodology”
• Creating new ideas and techniques
• Clear framework of decision making process
• Mild mapping
• Win-Win thinking
o Role play
• Lateral thinking
o Case studies
• Analytical thinking
• Divergent convergent thinking
Logical Thinking
• Introduction to Logic
o Logic Games & role-plays
• Scientific Listening
System thinking model
• Fifth Discipline
Methodology
1:Lectures 20%
2. Workshop Activities 20%
3. Brainstorming and Sharing 20%
4. Case Study 40%
Course Outlines:
What is system thinking?
• Understand why and how systematic thinking is important in organization
o Role plays & case studies
• Links between system thinking and managerial decision making
• Introduction to systems concepts and different approaches to 'Systems Thinking'
Understanding the importance of critical thinking and how it differs
• Types of thinking (e.g. memorization) are the first steps to improving business decision making. In this introductory lesson, participants will be introduced to
o Case study
• Six critical thinking skills: interpretation, analysis, inference, explanation, evaluation, and self-regulation.
o Role plays
Right Brain! Left Brain! Brain Sprain! Understanding Your Preferred Approach
• Brief introduction to the physiology of the brain and its impact on thinking
• Difference between right-brain and left- brain thinking
o Role plays
Beyond Brainstorming: The Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving Method
• A process of solving business problems using six specific steps:
o Objective finding, fact finding, problem finding, idea finding, solution finding, and acceptance finding.
o Delphi & Nominal Group Techniques
- Case study
Systematic thinking as problem solving tool
• Sample of problem-solving (Kepner-Tregoe) tool to find best possible choice and minimize negative consequences
We’ve Always Done It This Way: Getting Past Nay-Sayers and Other Negative People
• Overcoming the mentality of "that’s never going to work
