The document discusses the concept of systems thinking in relation to addressing 'wicked problems' within research assessment, emphasizing the need for a holistic perspective that considers underlying structural elements and interconnected factors. It highlights the necessity for cultural change through three shifts: adopting a big picture view, taking personal responsibility, and redesigning deeper systems structures. The document also introduces tools for applying systems thinking, such as systems archetypes and the iceberg model, to effectively analyze and intervene in complex systems.

1. Systems thinking and
research assessment – how
might we work with wicked
problems?
Lou Woodley
Director – Center for Scientific Collaboration
and Community Engagement
louwoodley@cscce.org
@LouWoodley

2. DORA / HHMI Research Assessment meeting – October 2019
Why is change so hard?
Culture change
…is often a “wicked” problem:
• Requires addressing the whole system
• Likely involves addressing multiple underlying structural elements
• Requires more than one intervention – strategies that target a single issue are
unlikely to be effective alone
• Has multiple interconnected elements
• One size doesn’t fit all – need to understand the contexts in which we’re
working
Ever feel like you’re playing whack-a-mole with a system at equilibrium?

3. DORA / HHMI Research Assessment meeting – October 2019
Where does systems
thinking come in?
Systems Thinking
…is an approach that encourages us to a take a more holistic or systemic view of
how different factors relate to one another within a whole.
• Encourages us to move away from a focus on individual events or simplistic
cause and effect scenarios to focus on the bigger picture
• Allows us to see multiple components in relationship at once
• Can indicate inputs we may have missed
• May make it easier to understand delays – or escalations - in the system
• Can suggest points of leverage for interventions

4. DORA / HHMI Research Assessment meeting – October 2019
How do we adopt a systems perspective?
Three shifts are required to get to a systems
perspective:
BIG PICTURE - Move from focusing only on our part
of the system to seeing more of the whole system.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY - Move from hoping
others will change first to identifying where we
have agency to change ourselves.
SYSTEMS STRUCTURE - Move from focusing on
individual events (fires, crises) to understanding
and redesigning the deeper systems structures that
cause these events.
- “Thinking in Systems” by Donella Meadows

5. Two ways to start working
with systems thinking
1. Systems archetypes

6. DORA / HHMI Research Assessment meeting – October 2019
Systems Archetype: Success to
the Successful -“rich get richer”
Tips and Diagnostic Questions
• Diagnostic Question: Why was the system
constructed to have just one winner? Can teams
be encouraged to collaborate instead of compete?
• Diagnostic Question: Are there incentive
structures in place that force competition where
an organization desires collaboration?
Key
S arrows – indicates a causal link where change in the first item results in a change
in the second in the same direction.
O arrows – indicates a causal link where a change in the first item results in a
change in the second item in the opposite direction
R loop – a “reinforcing” feedback loop that amplifies change
Allocation to A
instead of B
Success
of A
R2
R1
s
s o
Success
of B
Resources to
A
Resources to
B
s
o
s

7. Two ways to start working
with systems thinking
2. The iceberg model

8. DORA / HHMI Research Assessment meeting – October 2019
The Systems Thinking Iceberg
Exercise
• Start at the top of the iceberg, by
describing a current challenge that
you’re encountering
• Work down the iceberg asking each of
the questions in turn to undercover
the mental models/values supporting
the status quo
See also:
https://socialinsilico.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/rea
ding-for-leading-14-exploring-the-iceberg/
Events
What just
happened?
Patterns/Trends
What’s happened over
time?
Underlying Structures
How do the parts relate? What’s
influenced the trend?
Mental Models
What assumptions and beliefs are keeping
the system in place?

9. Further reading
• Thinking in Systems – Donella Meadows
• The Fifth Discipline – Peter Senge
• Systems Thinking for Social Change – Peter Stroh
• The Systems Thinker website: https://thesystemsthinker.com