Thinking in Systems: International Bestseller

There are a few books that encapsulate a way of thinking so simply, so clearly and so compellingly that I find myself giving little kisses of delight to the cover. I read this on a Kindle, so this resulted in quite a lot of smudging. I am not a student of systems or someone who ever spent much time thinking about systems at all, although, like practically everybody, my life and work are all about either creating, maintaining, supporting, or surviving various systems. I heard about this book from a Tweet referring to its twenty-fifth anniversary and linking to an article singing its praises, which it does better than I can. For me, it has been a truly revelatory experience, a platonic slave-in-the-cave moment, which I believe will divide my cognitive experience into pre and post its reading. As Meadows warns at its outset, studying systems leads one to see systems everywhere, which, of course, is because they were there all along. But being able to see and interpret them allows us to better participate and avoid traps that commonly lead to system failure. Sadly, it also allows us to understand why some decisions taken by executives, politicians, and others that manage systems in which we have little or no control are doomed to failure and to undermine their own goals. This awareness will help readers become better citizens/coworkers and critics of leadership. But it can also help us avoid issues that threaten our own, smaller systems, our relationships, families, homes, work, and health. This book draws heavily on examples from the time in which it was written, which artificially sets the book in a particular historical moment. Meadows simply had so many examples to chose from, that she took quotes from contemporaneous newspaper articles. But the examples might as well be chosen from today’s stories or those from hundreds of years ago. They are just examples. This book is timeless. These quotes from the early nineties have the added benefit of proving her point, as in most cases history has borne out the predictions that stem from the flaws and features that Meadows points out. Note that there were some oddities in the Kindle version. A few words seem to have disappeared in various places in the transposition. I bought a hard copy of the book and was able to fill the gaps (just a few words here and there, nothing that would keep me from recommending the Kindle edition). I hope the editors will correct this. The end of the book contains a very useful appendix that I am tempted to tear out and put up on the wall, detailing fundamentals of systems thinking. I could not recommend this highly enough.

Thinking in Systems, a Primer is good reading for everybody. The author Donella Meadows who during her lifetime was a scientist trained in chemistry and biophysics, and ultimately was a teacher and researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Despite her academic standing and the sophisticated world of research in which she worked and lived, her writing is accessible to anyone, from middle school onward through high school and university students. The book is replete with charts and graphs, short asides to emphasize particular points, problem-solving scenarios, and it uses familiar examples to make its points. Systems are nonlinear, and they are almost infinitely scalable, with different effects and consequences at each level observed. Scoping out the system into its component parts, and observing the functionalities of how it operates, will tell you a great deal about what you would need to do in order to accomplish a particular goal, and what to watch out for along the way. Thinking in systems as an ongoing daily activity is a necessary adjunct to wisdom and maturity. Actions have consequences; and consequences can be planned and proactive, or they can be regressive than reactive. In terms of human activity, systems create and channel energy; they store and utilize energy; and as they decay, they lose energy and either dissipate or die. We are all part of one system or another, or many at a single point in time, now and throughout our lives. It pays to know how to deal with system dynamics; because those who fail or refuse to do so are likely to be unsuccessful in whatever goal they are seeking to accomplish. You do not need to be a scientist or mathematician in order to appreciate the values of this book. I highly recommend it.

I agree with many of the reviews that this book was very hard to get into. The writing is rather dry and I couldn't really get into the diagrams. I was required to read this book for a class and I really struggled to get interested (which is why I started looking for reviews/summaries in the first place!). I also agree with some of the reviews that many of the points she makes seem pretty obvious. However, the further I got into the book, the more interested I became. She has excellent real-life examples that I honestly wasn't expecting based on the start of the book. Though I thought some of the beginning portions were obvious I appreciated the simple to complex build up. I don't think I would have enjoyed/understood the ending as much had I skimmed the beginning. I had a hard time putting it down during the last few chapters and an even harder time not regaling my friends with her insights when I finished! Also, important to note that this book is Thinking in Systems: A PRIMER. So in reality, readers should be expecting some "obvious" points. Overall, I STRONGLY recommend this book. I would give it 5 stars, except that it is so hard to get into. BUT TRY, I promise it's worth it!

This is the BEST book on Systems Thinking I have read so far. My hats off to Donella Meadows for making the principles and truths about the functioning of systems so easily accessible to us by looking at common day-to-day systems that we see or participate in, in light of these principles. The book is such an easy read! We recognize the principles and realize that we have intuitively known and seen them in action all along and even learnt most of them formally only to forget them eventually. Yet, there is a freshness in relearning them with Donella as our guide. We actually learn when and how to apply these principles and understand systems that we participate in or are of interest to us very deeply. The simplicity in which they are presented by Donella speaks volumes of her deep understanding, knowledge, greatness and humility. I have read other books on the same subject where I had to throw down the books in disgust as one author wrote copious paragraphs on why he should be recognized as the father of systems thinking and rest of the book was pretty much unreadable, and another author tried very hard to be clever and make the topic very intriguing and thought provoking but was nowhere close to it except in his own mind. Thanks Dana! I am going to read this book several times over. It is life changing. And, I truly mean it.

In a nutshell, this book is about systems. So much more than this, it is a journey into the meta-rules of how the universe and everything in it comes and "plays" together. There is one thing to be understood that applies to physiology, businesses, economies, plants and puppies alike. Everything is a system. And all systems have behaviors and rules. As Donella Meadows writes: "The trick...is to recognize what structures contain which latent behaviors, and what conditions release those behaviors -- and where possible to arrange the structures and conditions to reduce the probability of destructive behaviors and to encourage the possibility of beneficial ones." Grasping "the whole universe" is certainly a momumental task. The book brilliantly presents concepts in very graspable units. She starts with picturing what a system is -- a stock with inflows and outflows that affect its stability and all of which are further affected by feedback loops and delays. So armed with this model, individuals may be better guided in their decisions and actions as it becomes clear that actions can beget other actions and reactions (or unintended consequences.) But there is even more complexity. For instance, policies are a way to control the stocks and flows within a system. However, one of several behavior archetypes is policy resistance which comes from the bounded rationality of the actors within a system, each with his or her own goal. Meadows takes the reader on a deep and thought-provoking journey through all the behavior archetypes of systems. The result is an empowering "forewarned is forearmed" knowledge. That is the ultimate goal of this book. When people affect positive change in the world -- and it just may be everyone's duty to do that -- it is through smart and correct controls on a system. Ms. Meadows then gives the knowledge to do this. She lays out the leverage points in any system -- the opportunities for making things right or better. The coda is a legacy of thoughts to live by, the last and perhaps most important of which is "Don't Erode the Goal of Goodness." With such profound applicability, this book is the handbook for living. Everyone on the planet should read it.

This was a fantastic read. A perfect balance in holistic analysis of Systems Theory and its direct implications in modern society. I would recommend this to anyone studying Systems Theory formally and informally.

Overview: Thinking in Systems: A Primer is exactly as the title suggests. Though this book will help give the reader an overview of systems, it is only a primer. This book is good for a beginner in systems thinking, looking for an overview of the basic parts, implications, and workings of systems. Meadows has the ability to take the reader to a level where one can see how systems work in this world as a whole. At the same time, Meadows is detailed enough to show how an everyday system, such as a thermostat, works in detail. Problems: Though Thinking in Systems is a primer to systems thinking in general, the book contains more than that, it contains Meadows world view. Any future reader should be prepared to witness Meadows directly, or indirectly presenting her far left worldview throughout the book. Issues such involving the economy, population control, global warming, religion, and evolution are brought into the book, and held have primary examples for systems. In spite of this fact, there is much that the reader can learn about systems. Benefits: Though Thinking in Systems may not be the best textbook, and does contain strong personal views, there is still much that can be learned about systems thinking. For anyone looking for a book to read that provides general information about how systems function, their role and influence on this world, and how to use them to ones benefit, this book is recommended. For academic purposes: This book is made up of a compilation of Meadow’s personal unpublished notes, which makes the book follow a somewhat unsystematic order. Thinking in Systems brings covers a wide range of topics such as, global warming population control, religion, evolution, and the economy and could be more useful as a book for ethics, rather than systems. Though is book would make a good required reading for a class setting, it is not advised for a main textbook. Structure: This book is divided into three parts: 1. System structure and Behavior, 2. Systems and Us, and 3. Creating Change- in Systems and in our Philosophy. Part one deals with the basics of what systems are and how they function, part two discusses how systems work in the world around us, and part three talks about how we can leverage systems to create change.

I was trained as a nuclear plant operator. As such, my whole career has dealt with system thinking. But those systems were physical, mechanical, electrical and analog & digital controls. As my career advanced I became more involved with management of large scale projects. I read The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt and realized organizations like companies are people systems. That led me to expand my understanding of systems. That's why I picked up this book. It didn't disappoint. Although a number of examples are dated, this the 4 star rating, they are still good enough to get the message across. As a test engineer, I really appreciate the book's conclusion: That systems are complex and one discipline will not be able to completely understand them. Successful understanding of systems requires interdisciplanary effort with all parties being somewhat humble and working together to define the best possible solution. Note: Based on my experience, when silos are allowed to exist between disciplines, you will find system problems will exist at the interfaces between disciplines. Start your search there and take steps to remove the silos. Removing the silos should create a cooperative balance between the disciplines leading to a team effort to develop a good understanding if the system. I recommend this book for those beginning with system training or for those with experience, like myself, who want to expand the application of system thinking into other areas.

I wish I had found this book earlier, as it would definitely change my mindset in the earlier stages of my adult life. This is not some average technical book, it is a guide to teach you how to understand the world better, and why certain events happen due to a variety of reasons combined. Read this book or gift it to a loved one, it is definetely worth it.

Fantastic book - one of it’s kind. Must read for developing a perspective on systems thinking. A book that one can read several times!

This primer lays out systems theory basics in a way that is easy to understand and fun to read. I have been going through the bibliography for some further reading.

Great book. Does a great job explaining why people, companies, governments continue to churn in inefficiencies and have negative impact for an output.

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