!

"#$%&# ()*+,*+-
SysLems 1hlnklng: A 8eecuve
racuce
Levels of 1hlnklng
MENTAL MODELS
SYSTEMIC
STRUCTURES
PATTERNS
EVENTS
Lxposure Lo lnformauon from muluLude of sources.
Sources generally reporL %.%+$#, whaL, where, when, how, eLc..
very #)/0012 - represenLs a #+/3#)1$ of reallLy (only Louchlng
Lhe surface of whaL acLually happened!!).
L.g. SLock markeL lnformauon ls reporLed dally.
We are Lold how Lhe shares dld LhaL day, l.e. whaL wenL up,
down, eLc..
All Lhls lnformauon ls aL Lhe 4.%+$ 5%.%0.
CommenLarles on new lLems allow us Lo examlne $6%+7# and
3/8%6+# of evenLs and daLa.
A 6*9)%6 3*9$:6%, wlLh more lnslghL ln Lhe 'sLory'.
lor Lhe sLock markeL, Lhls mlghL mean looklng back over several
years of daLa.
;<#%6./=1+# of ucLuauons can be made and auempLs Lo
explaln '3:0#%#' ln Lhe markeLs, e.g.
llnanclal daLa recenLly dellvered Lo Lhe markeL
ollucal unresL
LLc..
lL ls noL uncommon Lo read abouL )12 such Lrends and pauerns
relaLe Lo aecL 1+% /+1$)%6.
1hls ls a much 7%%3%6 0%.%0 1> $)*+,*+- LhaL can show how Lhe
lnLerplay of dlerenL facLors brlngs abouL Lhe ouLcomes LhaL we
observe.
lor Lhe sLock markeL : Lhls would equaLe Lo relaung Lhe number of
facLors LhaL #"#$%&*9/00" cause Lhe markeL ucLuauons.
1hese facLors could be economlc, soclal, pollucal or sLrucLural.
1he 96:9*/0 $)*+- aL Lhls level of Lhlnklng ls Lo undersLand )12 $)%#%
>/9$16# *+$%6/9$.
1here ls an %.%+ 7%%3%6 0%.%0 of Lhlnklng, LhaL hardly ever
surfaces.
1hls ls Lhe '&%+$/0 model' of lndlvlduals and organlsauons LhaL
lnuence 2)" Lhlngs work Lhe way Lhey do.
MenLal models essenually 6%36%#%+$ our bellefs, values and Lhe
assumpuons LhaL we each hold.
1hey serve as our ?:#=@9/=1+ for dolng Lhlngs Lhe way we do.
1he lceberg LecL
MENTAL MODELS
SYSTEMIC
STRUCTURES
PATTERNS
EVENTS
Events are the tip of the
iceberg, yet most of us are
satisfied with this level
uenluons
SysLem: A seL of componenLs LhaL work LogeLher
for Lhe overall ob[ecuve of Lhe whole.
SysLems 1hlnklng: A new" way Lo vlew and
menLally frame whaL we see ln Lhe world, a
worldvlew and way of Lhlnklng whereby we see
Lhe enuLy or unlL rsL as a whole, wlLh lLs L and
relauonshlp Lo lLs envlronmenL as prlmary
concerns.
SLephen C Palnes - 1he Manager's ockeL gulde Lo SysLems 1hlnklng and
Learnlng.
1hlnklng abouL Learnlng
When we are sLressed, fearful or anxlous, our
acuons are mosL llkely Lo reverL Lo whaL ls
hablLual.
MosL organlsauons, drlven by fear ln a changlng
world, Lake Lhe same klnd of lnsuLuuonal acuon
as Lhey always have.
1haL ls noL Lo say LhaL no learnlng occurs, buL lL ls
a llmlLed Lype of learnlng.
Senge, Scharmer, !aworskl and llowers (2003) - resence: Lxplorlng
rofound Change ln eople, Crganlzauons and SocleLy".
8eacuve Learnlng
ln reacuve learnlng, Lhlnklng ls governed by
esLabllshed menLal models and dolng ls governed
by esLabllshed hablLs of acuon.
Acuons are acLually re-enacLed hablLs, and we
end up relnforclng pre-esLabllshed menLal
models.
8egardless of Lhe ouLcome, we end up belng
rlghL".
AL besL, we geL beuer aL whaL we have always
done.
Cemng beuer aL Lhe same Lhlngs
1he Leadershlp ulsclpllnes
ersonal MasLery
!"#$%& !()"&*
SysLems 1hlnklng
Shared vlslon
1eam Learnlng
MenLal models are sLrongly conservauve: le unchallenged, Lhey
wlll cause us Lo see whaL we have always seen: Lhe same needs, Lhe
same opporLunlues, Lhe same resulLs. And because we see whaL
our menLal models permlL us Lo see, we do whaL our menLal models
permlL us Lo do.
letet 5eoqe - 1be llfb ulsclplloe. 1be Att ooJ ltocuce of tbe leotoloq
Otqoolzouoo, 1990 (p. 8)
MenLal Model
MenLal model ls:
an lnLernal (menLal) represenLauon
analogous Lo Lhe physlcal world slLuauons or processes LhaL lL
represenLs
serves Lo explaln and predlcL Lhe physlcal world behavlour
(Creca & Morelra, 2002)
MenLal model has:
spaual congurauon of ldenuable klnds of Lhlngs
(a few) prlnclples of how Lhe sysLem works
(cerLaln) predlcuve power (dlSessa, 2002)
Cralk (1943) descrlbed menLal models as lnLernal
consLrucuons of some aspecL of Lhe exLernal world
enabllng predlcuons Lo be made.
Learnlng: 1hlnklng & uolng
ueeper Levels of Learnlng
ueeper levels of learnlng lncrease awareness
of Lhe larger whole - boLh as lL ls and as lL ls
evolvlng.
Acuons lncreaslngly become parL of creaung
alLernauve fuLures.
1he depLh of awareness lnuences Lhe course
of acuon.
Learnlng Loops
Covernlng varlables: Lhose dlmenslons LhaL people are Lrylng Lo
keep wlLhln accepLable llmlLs. Any acuon ls llkely Lo lmpacL upon a
number of such varlables - Lhus any slLuauon can Lrlgger a Lrade-o
among governlng varlables.
Acuon sLraLegles: Lhe moves and plans used by people Lo keep Lhelr
governlng values wlLhln Lhe accepLable range.
Consequences: whaL happens as a resulL of an acuon. 1hese can be
boLh lnLended - Lhose Lhe acLor belleves wlll resulL, and Lhose
unlnLended. ln addluon Lhose consequences can be for Lhe self,
and/or for oLhers.
Argyrls descrlbes slngle and double learnlng loops
bup.//www.lofeJ.otq/tblokets/otqytls.btm
Governing
variables
Action
Strategies
Consequences
Slngle Learnlng Loop
Slngle Learnlng Loop: Lxample
uouble Loop Learnlng
uouble Loop Learnlng: Lxample
ls Lhere really a dlerence?
WhaL's Lhe dlerence beLween double loop
learnlng" and learnlng from your mlsLakes?"
lL's Lhe depLh of learnlng
do you examlne fundamenLal assumpuons, or
are you [usL lncremenLally maklng lmprovemenLs?
Governing
variables
Action
Strategies
Consequences
single loop
double loop
ln oLher words.
ln mosL clrcumsLances, Lhe learnlng we underLake ls
almed aL lmprovlng our performance relauve Lo a seL
of goals and oLher facLors LhaL are Laken for granLed.
leedback from our performance (or learnlng from our
mlsLakes") Lyplcally cycles lmmedlaLely back lnLo our
analysls of Lhe sLraLegles, Lacucs or Lechnlques LhaL led
Lo our performance. 1hls ls lmporLanL work, buL lL's
lnherenLly llmlLed by Lhose lnlual facLors LhaL are Laken
for granLed aL Lhe ouLseL and LhaL remaln unchallenged
by an assessmenL of Lhe performance resulLs.
J 8ousto
8eecuve racuce
8eecuve racuce ls abouL Lhe relauon beLween
acuon and Lhlnklng.
1he klnd of Lhlnklng LhaL shapes our acuons:
before, durlng and aer Lhe acuon.
lL deals wlLh Lhe lnLeracuon beLween pracuce,
reecuon, Lhlnklng, learnlng and performance.
lL sLaLes LhaL Lhe quallLy of our acuons ls noL
lndependenL of Lhe Lhlnklng we are able Lo do
before and ln Lhe process of Lhe acuon.
Massachuseus lnsuLuLe of 1echnology (Ml1)
WhaL ls 8eecuve 1hlnklng?
.Lhe process of creaung and clarlfylng Lhe
meanlng of experlence (pasL or presenL) ln Lerms
of self (self ln relauon Lo self and self ln relauon
Lo Lhe world.)"
8oyJ & loles . kefecuve leotoloq. key to leotoloq ftom xpetleoce. Iootool of
nomoolsuc lsycboloqy, 198J
8eecuve Lhlnklng ls a parL of Lhe crlucal Lhlnklng
process referrlng speclcally Lo Lhe processes of
analyzlng, evaluaung, and maklng [udgmenLs
abouL whaL has happened.
8ecomlng a 8eecuve 1hlnker?
Cood reecuve Lhlnklng ls a process where an lndlvldual:
deLermlnes whaL lnformauon ls needed for undersLandlng Lhe
lssue aL hand
accesses and gaLhers Lhe avallable lnformauon
gaLhers Lhe oplnlons of rellable sources ln relaLed elds
synLheslzes Lhe lnformauon and oplnlons
conslders Lhe synLhesls from all perspecuves and frames of
reference
nally, creaLes some plauslble Lemporary meanlng LhaL may be
reconsldered and modled as one learns more relevanL
lnformauon and oplnlons
cyotblo Mozow. leotoloq, ueslqo, ooJ 1ecbooloqy 5tomfotJ uolvetslty
Crlglnal ldeas..
1he ldeas of 8eecuve racuce were developed by
uonald Schn (Ml1) and Chrls Argyrls (Parvard) as Lhey
were sLudylng Lhe processes of learnlng of consulLanLs
and professlonals ln organlzauons.
Schn developed Lhe approach and applled lL malnly
for lmprovlng Lhe educauon ln rofesslonal Schools
and for solvlng conLroversles abouL pollcles.
Aer uonald Schn's works, many people have been
uslng Lhe approach of 8eecuve racuce for
professlonal lmprovemenL ln educauon, englneerlng,
medlclne and so on.
Massachuseus lnsuLuLe of 1echnology (Ml1)
8lgour or 8elevance?
1he mosL relevanL problems for cllenLs and for socleLy
are ln messy and swampy slLuauons where Lhe
research-based Lheorles do noL apply (new problem or
noL well dened, no Lheory or conLradlcLory Lheorles).
lf professlonals remaln on Lhe hlgh ground where Lhey
can apply Lhelr research-based Lheorles, Lhelr work wlll
noL be relevanL.
MosL of Lhe lmporLanL problems our socleues are
faclng are new and noL well dened.
1o Lackle Lhese problems professlonals wlll need a loL
of arusLry, wlll need Lo apply a seL of skllls LhaL go far
beyond Lhelr Lheoreucal base.
1he hllosophlcal Mlnd
8lchard aul compares reecuve Lhlnklng Lo Lhe phllosophlcal mlnd. ln hls
vlew, Lhe phllosophlcal mlnd:
8ouunely probes Lhe foundauons of lLs own LhoughL, reallzes LhaL lLs Lhlnklng
ls dened by baslc concepLs, alms, assumpuons, and values
Clves serlous conslderauon Lo alLernauve and compeung concepLs, alms,
assumpuons, and values
LnLers empaLheucally lnLo Lhlnklng fundamenLally dlerenL from lLs own, and
does noL confuse lLs Lhlnklng wlLh reallLy
Calns foundauonal self-command, and ls comforLable when problems cross
dlsclpllnes, domalns, and frameworks
PablLually probes Lhe baslc prlnclples and concepLs LhaL lle behlnd sLandard
meLhods, rules, and procedures
8ecognlzes Lhe need Lo rene and lmprove Lhe sysLems, concepLs, and
meLhods lL uses and does noL slmply conform Lo Lhem
ueeply values galnlng command over lLs own fundamenLal modes of Lhlnklng
lool, klcbotJ w., ctlucol tblokloq . bow to ptepote stoJeots fot o toplJly cbooqloq wotlJ
SysLems 1hlnklng Leaches
Pow Lo comblne Lhe espoused Lheorles
(research-based) and Lhe experlence ln creaung
soluuons
Pow Lo lncrease awareness of Lhe process of
creaung soluuons
Pow Lo achleve more professlonallsm ln
slLuauons LhaL requlre a loL of 'arusLry'
SysLems 1hlnklng ls a concepL LhaL may help us
when we encounLer complexlLy and wlsh Lo do
someLhlng Lo lmprove a slLuauon seen Lo be
problemauc.