Systems thinking views problems as parts of interconnected systems rather than isolated issues. It examines the relationships and interactions between system elements to understand why problems persist. Seeing systems holistically can reveal feedback cycles and delays that maintain problems. Systems thinking helps identify unintended impacts of solutions and shows how seemingly isolated issues are often interconnected. It is used in fields like engineering, healthcare, and management to better understand and optimize complex systems and problems.

1. CREATIVITY AND INOVATION CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLUTION TOOL : SYSTEMS THINKING PREPARE BY NOR AZRI BIN NOR HASHIM CI080045

2. What is System Thinking? Systems thinking is a unique approach to problem solving in that it views certain "problems" as parts of an overall system, rather than focusing on individual outcomes and contributing to further development of the undesired element or problem.

3. "Systems thinking is a discipline for seeing wholes. It is a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things, for seeing patterns of change rather than static “snapshots.” It is a set of general principles — distilled over the course of the twentieth century, spanning fields as diverse as the physical and social sciences, engineering, and management -Peter Senge, in The Fifth Discipline

4. The Concept of Systems Thinking The only way to fully understand why a problem or element occurs and persists is to understand the part in relation to the whole. Standing in contrast to Descartes’ scientific reductionism and philosophical analysis, it proposes to view systems in a holistic manner. Consistent with systems philosophy, systems thinking concern an understanding of a system by examining the linkages and interactions between the elements that compose the entirety of the system.

5. The Concept of Systems Thinking Systems thinking attempts to illustrate that events are separated by distance and time and that small catalytic events can cause large changes in complex systems. Acknowledging that an improvement in one area of a system can adversely affect another area of the system, it promotes organizational communication at all levels in order to avoid the silo effect. Systems thinking techniques may be used to study any kind of system — natural, scientific, engineered, human, or conceptual.

6. The Advantage of System Thinking Help us see that "failing" systems may really simply be designed for a purpose other than what we assume or have been told. Help us see that what may seem an isolated problem is actually part of an interconnected network of related issues. Help us see the positive and negative feedback cycles that may be affecting an issue of importance to us. To remain aware of the time delays between the onset and effects of feedback relationships.

7. The Advantage of System Thinking (ii) Help us see similarities between various types of problems by allowing us to see them in terms of common Systems Archetypes. Help us see why measures that may superficially seem likely to worsen the situation may, in fact, be optimal solutions. Help us see that what may seem an isolated problem is actually part of an interconnected network of related issues.

8. Examples of System Thinking Using the tenet of "Multifinality", a supermarket could be considered to be: a "profit making system" from the perspective of management and owners a "distribution system" from the perspective of the suppliers an "employment system" from the perspective of employees a "materials supply system" from the perspective of customers an "entertainment system" from the perspective of loiterers

9. Examples of System Thinking (ii) a "social system" from the perspective of local residents a "dating system" from the perspective of single customers As a result of such thinking, new insights may be gained into how the supermarket works, why it has problems, how it can be improved or how changes made to one component of the system may impact the other components.

10. Examples of System Thinking (iii) Young people may join violent gangs and we may try to solve that issue by putting more police on the streets. However, the problem of youngsters joining gangs is often related to family dysfunction in the homes of those youngsters. And the family issues may be related to unemployment, and so on.

11. Applications Using Systems Thinking Systems thinking is increasingly being used to tackle a wide variety of subjects in fields such as computing, engineering, epidemiology, information science, health, manufacture, management, and the environment. Here are some example: Organizational architecture Job Design Team Population and Work Unit Design Software quality Programmer Management Leadership development

12. Organizations Using Systems Thinking ACASA: The Ackoff Centre for Advancement of System Approaches. ISSS: International Society for the Systems Sciences New England Complex Systems Institute Action Learning, Action Research Association Inc. MIT Systems Thinking Conference

13. My Conclusions On Systems Thinking Systems Thinking is a philosophy that looks at the world in terms of just what it says - systems. The entire world can be seen as one big system which encompasses countless smaller systems. Systems Thinking identifies the elements of a system as feedback cycles and delays. Systems Thinking offers an incredible set of problem solving tools and techniques to help us understand and optimize areas suffering due to complex problems.

14. MY EXAMPLE ON SYSTEMS THINKING Rather than trying to improve the braking system on a car by looking in great detail at the material composition of the brake pads (reductionist), the boundary of the braking system may be extended to include the interactions between the: brake disks or drums brake pedal sensors hydraulics driver reaction time tires road conditions weather conditions time of day

15. Any Questions ?