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Learning to think
Learning to think systemically: systemically
what does it take?
Carol Ann Zulauf
Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA 489
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this action research is to gain insight into how people learn to think
systemically. An examination of the themes that emerged from this action research will be undertaken.
Design/methodology/approach – An action research approach was adopted which involved the
collection and reading of 120 journals that were kept by graduate students in their systems thinking
course.
Findings – A theory of practice identified and supported three significant areas in systems thinking:
how the structure of the system influences the behavior of its members; the consequences of decisions
on other parts of the system and a shift from blaming to seeing how one is contributing to the situation;
and insights gleaned from actually learning to think systemically: meta-learning of systems thinking.
Research limitations/implications – The positive implications that emerged from this action
research indicate that, once students are introduced to systems thinking theory, tools and application,
they are able to link their decision-making abilities to consequences; see the delays in a system; move
away from blaming external “others” and look to see how they are contributing to an issue or problem.
Limitations include other areas that could have been included: challenges, stories, and questions that
emerged from the action research. Data from other groups would also be warranted.
Practical implications – The paper shows that systems thinking can be taught. . .that the benefits
are being realized on different levels!
Originality/value – This action research presents one of the first attempts to actually gather data on
how people learn to think systemically and to begin to categorize the themes and patterns that
emerged from the data.
Keywords Learning, Decision making, Self assessment
Paper type Research paper

So we have a new systems axiom. . .What is most systemic is most local. The deepest
systems we enact are woven into the fabric of everyday life, down to the most minute detail
(Senge et al., 2004, p. 234).

Introduction
This quote by Peter Senge from his latest book has intrigued me since I first read it.
The reason for that is that when people hear the word “system” they think something
big. . .something that they think they cannot manage or understand. When it is said
that “what is most systemic is most local” indicates that there is a way for leaders to
understand and, hence, gain some control over their systems. Leaders can begin to look
at their “system”, their department or functional area as a starting point for applying
the tools and principles of systems thinking. The other part of that quote is just as The Learning Organization
Vol. 14 No. 6, 2007
powerful. It indicates the beginnings of the “how” with our respective systems. One of pp. 489-498
the most significant ways in which to look at our systems is by observation. This may q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0969-6474
sound basic or easy, a lot of times, where everyone is so busy and harried, we do not DOI 10.1108/09696470710825105
TLO take the time to just observe. Observe the interactions. . .what is being done. . .not
14,6 done. . .said, or not said. That is the beginning place to what is going on in our
organizations, our system. There is a balance between the details and the dynamics in
our complex systems.

Focus of the research for this article

490 This author started to collect journal entries from the graduate students in a Systems
Thinking course beginning in the year 1995-2007. I was fascinated by the question,
“What is it like to learn systems thinking, to start to think systemically?” The
instructions to the Grad students (who are all working professionals . . . managers/
directors/VPs/Consultants and International[1] students) were to record their key
learnings from this Systems Thinking course around this question:
.
What did you find to be key challenges, questions, insights in your learning to
think systemically?
.
Capture these challenges, questions, insights into your journal as separate
entries.
.
Synthesize your key thoughts into a story format from your journal.

Data analysis
The author re-read 120 journals[2] to look for patterns in learning to think systemically.
Three main categories that emerged from the data focused on the following areas:
(1) How the structure of the system influences the behavior of its members.
(2) The consequences of making decisions on other parts of the system and a shift
from blaming to seeing how one is contributing to the situation.
(3) The insights gleaned from actually learning to think systemically:
Meta-Learning of Systems Thinking.

In each category that emerged will be the actual excerpts from the journals, taken as is
so that the tone and context will be preserved as it was written by each graduate
student. A final synthesis will be undertaken by the author.

Systems thinking principle of “structure of the system influencing behavior”

Several examples emerged which indicate one of the most powerful of the system
thinking principles: that the structure of the system will influence the behavior of its
members. This team was engaged with the People Express Microworlds simulation in
teams of three in the classroom one evening. There is an indication from one of the
student’s participation that the initial objective of the simulation which was to
understand the dynamics of making decisions changed to being influenced by making
the most money. As the participant shared:
My team changed from it being an “understanding the effects of systems thing” to a “who can
make more money” thing.
Another observation from a participant regarding structure-behavior:
Feelings of competition, the need to win, and have the most money left were, subconsciously,
in the forefront of my mind.
 As you examine a situation from a wide lens that captures the essence of its being in a Learning to think
complete way, you begin to gain a clearer understanding of how variables are interconnected
and contribute to the function, or dysfunction, of a system. The principle stating that systemically
structure influences behavior becomes a constant reminder when viewing a situation or
system, regardless of the people involved.
The vast majority of observations and reflections came under the category of the
impact or consequences of decisions, which will lead to larger questions/conclusions. 491
Consequences of decisions and shifting away from blame
To make my transition from linear thinking to systems thinking a bit easier, I have been
taking the time each day to stop and think about how what I say or do will affect other things
or people around me.
Another important concept that I gained was realizing that there are many sides that affect
the outcome of a given decision, action, or conversation. I never really thought how, I, myself,
affected an outcome. In my life, I think it is very important that I begin to figure out where I
may have negatively affected a decision and placed the blame on someone else. What has
been my pattern of behavior and how can I change it to deliver a more effective outcome?
What is the truth? These are very important questions that we all need to ask ourselves both
as individuals and as managers. . .Isn’t that what systems thinking is all about?
I realized that systems thinking helps the individual to explore all possible results. . .I saw
that my mind explored different routes and paths to lead to the end result of what motivated
me.
. . .I can no longer think that the immediate result after an action is related to the action.
Where systems are connected but time/space and cause/effect may be distant, the cause may
not be evident. I like this.
The microworld simulation was very effective in illustrating the fact that everything is
interconnected and that time plays a huge factor in the severity of consequences.
People are the most important element in a system. If we forget how to interact with one
another, then systems will surely fail. Also, the concept of instant gratification is not going to
get us very far in the world of systems thinking. The whole idea is to be able to step back and
take the time to look at the big picture – the interrelatedness of things. . .if you are able to step
back, you will be able to see things more clearly. You will be able to make more informed
decisions about changes or adjustments that may need to take place. However, you may not
realize the effects of these changes immediately; it could take months, or even years.
On the microworld simulation, one thing that was clear from this exercise was the dynamic
nature of business decisions. Every decision made continued a trend that would alter its
impact over time. All of the decisions set a series of events into motion so both long-term and
short-term impacts must be considered as well as the ability and the willingness to change.
Every process goes through changes; therefore, one can actively manage that change or react
to changes that are inherent. Since processes are active, no action will result in stasis, you
must always consider the chain of events that have been set in motion. I think the paramount
lesson in this exercise was that the ability to manage change is essential to any success,
especially long term.
Systems thinking is the process of how we think of things. The big picture versus the little
picture. This is how everything relates to each other. I never realized that I knew this. I had
TLO tried to use my current job as an example of a way to understand systems thinking. We had
often at my job changed things and not really given much thought to the big picture.
14,6 Everyone seemed to be more concerned with their own department and the things that related
only to them. This, of course, is not the best way to think of things. We have to be able to see
the big picture. You have to address what is going on in the overall organization and not just
the part that affects you.
492 “How have I changed my thinking?” Well, I have to say that I see things differently than I did
before. Systems thinking has helped me to see the big picture without missing the details in
all the smaller pictures. I am now able to realize that everything is related. When you take one
part out, you must realize that everything is affected.

The more I have utilized and completed exercises with systems thinking, the more the walls
of competitiveness are broken down and I have begun to open myself up to individuals and
groups when discussing issues. It is almost an immediate sense of loss of power over the
other person or the group because I no longer can predict where the dialogue will take us.

It’s funny, I’ve always felt as though I was very open and able to see the “big” picture very
easily. Now I realize that I really wasn’t seeing it as I thought I had. To begin, I never really
thought about how I contributed to the things that were going on around me. I must admit
that subconsciously I’ve been one of those people who very easily finds the person whose
fault it is, and it’s never me. Now I realize what an important thing it is to look at how you
relate to the “whole” that is going on around you.

This week at my internship, I heard a great example that made me think about how
important systems thinking really is. This is what happened: The team had created a great
on-line resource for employees without having thought about how it was going to affect the
other functions of the organization. The team proudly announced at a staff meeting that the
resource was up and running and that individuals should take the time to look at it. This was
received with much more anger than excitement. The technology group had not been made
aware of the program or of the implementation. Immediately, they were flooded with a
number of unexpected telephone calls for which they were not only unprepared but also
unaware. This was very upsetting to them, and they made it known. It reminded me that we
always need to step back and take a look at things and how they fit into the whole, in ways
that I hadn’t thought of.

Developing strategies, setting goals, and identifying an action plan from a systems
perspective forces you to take a hard look at how your actions (or department) contribute
within the system, both positively and negatively. The systems approach removes the burden
that accompanies blaming within organizations, which ultimately limits or degrades the
ability of the organization’s members to learn as an entity. I think adopting a systems
perspective can also help to redefine work roles and the way in which projects are carried out
to improve personal and organizational goals.

The Microworld exercise, however, allowed me to actually experience what it is like to have to
make decisions that can have a cascading effect on all levels of an organization. I saw that
each decision needs to factor in the unintended consequences to the other parts of the system.
It wasn’t until I got a chance to see the process from the top level that I realized that I was still
hanging on to that “us against them” mentality of the employee. This view was causing me to
examine systems from a perspective that, while potentially accurate, may have been biased
towards ensuring employee satisfaction while failing to consider the larger impact to the
organization as a whole.
One thing that I have realized is the need to factor in the other person’s view of the situation Learning to think
into the equation. This is a subtle distinction, but one that I think is crucial to really gaining a
complete picture of the dynamics at work in a system. systemically
If you ignore the whole picture of the organization, you then become unable to see the results
of your actions.
Though it might have been tempting to look for external sources to point the blame, my 493
journal lead me back to my responsibility in it all.
When I came to class, I wanted to learn ways to “fix” some of the broken systems at work. I
had the mindset of “how can I get ‘them’ to do things right?” or “how can I get ‘them’ to see
how they are broken?” Things are different now and I am able to help facilitate discussions
that collaborate for solutions. I have gained tremendous insight from taking the perspective
that “there is no outside.” The cause of my problems and me are all part of the same system.
That’s a big AHA and it’s allowed me to become much more collaborative and open to finding
solutions.
A personal “side effect” of learning to draw causal loops was a reduction in the amount of
blaming and micromanaging. My perspective at work has changed dramatically as a result of
this personal side effect. I am much more conscious of when I display behaviors that
demonstrate the disabilities of “I am my position,” or the “enemy is out there” and am more
apt to ask for others’ perspectives on the problem.
I have noticed that when you are trying to discuss an issue with someone who is stuck on the
pieces, it can be difficult to draw them towards seeing the big picture after acknowledging the
pieces. As if they almost were validated by the acknowledgement of their issues and now
have no need to push their comfort zones. Yet, it is exactly that, pushing the comfort zones
that enables a system to challenge their assumptions and explore new ways of viewing and
solving problems.
The foundational beliefs that people hold are more likely to be activated when those people
are presented with a stressful, unknown situation or problem. In order to make systems
thinking a natural response in times of tribulations, it must be transformed into the
foundation on which a person’s response is built.
Part of integrating systems thinking into my life has been to share what I’ve learned with my
close friends and to actively apply the principles. To me, this means realizing my role and
influence in situations, identifying the leverage area, and seeking workable opportunities for
improvement. It also means an almost abrupt end to pointing the finger and looking to lay
blame for problems in my life elsewhere. I recently applied such thinking when I was very
stressed about my boss and realized that my reactions to her behaviors had been influencing
the loop and without any changes on my part, nothing in the system would change. This was
a profound and empowering moment.
I also believe that it takes a high level of self-awareness to see one’s role in a system and
without this, some aspects of applying systems thinking are limited.
In the past, I also haven’t thought much about how decisions we make today will affect what
we do tomorrow on a regular basis. I feel that my job requires me to be able to put out
immediate fires and think later.
I was talking to a human resources professional who had recently been hired as an HR
manager in a manufacturing environment. He said that his prior HR Generalist was focused
on hiring hourly employees who shared the team goals of the company. He said, “Why do I
TLO care if an hourly worker has a team focus? I don’t. I see if they can perform the job and handle
the physical aspects of the job. If they can, they are hired.” I was thinking that he was missing
14,6 the “big picture.” If you create career paths for these individuals, they, hopefully, will be
promoted. If they are promoted to higher level positions and never shared the fundamental
team vision of the company, this is counterproductive and not very beneficial for the
company. Even if the hourly workers are not promoted, it can have a detrimental effect if they
do not share the same team goals and the company values.
494
Another important learning for me was to look at situations and solutions with a long-term
perspective. I can easily say that some of my decision-making can be short-sighted. For
example, we are currently trying to fix a problem in my organization that has to do with
excessive absenteeism. My immediate response, when first approached about the problem,
was that we’ll handle this with warnings and termination. I am now continuously asking
myself, “how can we change the culture so that this problem doesn’t keep popping up every
few years (as it has in the past)?” I am also constantly thinking about how employee’s actions
impact other parts of the organization. I find myself reminding employees that the impact of
one mistake is so great because it touches many other parts of the organization. Systems
thinking has showed me that it’s okay to slow down, step back, ask lots of questions, hear the
entire story and see the interrelationships.
We used to criticize the Recruiting Department for not meeting the established deadlines and
we thought their excuses were not good enough. Since being in this class, though, I have had
a meeting with the Recruiting side to hear their side of the story in hopes that I can better
understand the reason why they have so many problems. Once I took the time to listen, I
realized that it is not technically their fault. The managers are not sending the recruiters the
information needed until after the deadline or they are sending inaccurate information. This
leaves the recruiters’ hands tied and they are trying the best they can. If I had not taken this
class, the Recruiting and compensation teams would still be going up against each other and
placing blame. Now we can work together to find the best solution to our problems.
The point here is that with a different perspective, it’s not the things/people that change, it’s
the observer, who happens to be me in this case.

Insights from learning to think systemically: meta-learning of systems thinking

I have learned that Systems Thinking stretches beyond the bounds of organizational
learning. If understood, it can impact on every situation in your life. You begin to see things
as they really are. Kind of a reality check. You will understand that perhaps your key
leverage points necessary to change your own way of thinking could be your own emotional
development.
When do we refine our skills to be able to identify subtle signals that systems are breaking
down?
The book [The Fifth Discipline ] is very rich in metaphors. Recently I have been thinking that
metaphors, deep parallels could, in themselves, become an educational method because at the
root of them is, again, the process of clarification.
Having a solid basis of systems thinking, I began constructing Causal Loop Diagrams
(CLD’s). Somehow, among the variables – increases, decreases, S’s, O’s, and arrows – I found
the concept very easy to grasp. In fact, it almost felt natural for me to be combining things in
that way. I wonder if it has anything to do with my extensive science background. Physics,
for example, has many formulas and a lot of word problems (stories) that need to be broken
down and solved. Chemistry also has a lot of formulas or chemical equations which use Learning to think
arrows to indicate the flow of reaction.
systemically
I think that we would be a much more productive society if we all thought this way. There is
so much talk about being a Global Community. I believe that in order for people to think
globally, they need to think systemically. . .I think that systems thinking will play a major
role in society’s transformation from local to global thinking.
495
It is fascinating how systems thinking leads your mind along a path of questioning and
making connections. Along the path, there is something for everybody. The global thinker
can picture the entire loop at once, the intuitive can articulate a language of complexity, and
the artist can illustrate the story he is telling. Finally, the archetypes lend the pragmatist the
levers needed in order to proceed in addressing the problem.
I think my undergraduate training in sociology helped prepare me for this shift in thinking,
since I spent so much of my undergraduate career looking at how an entire structure
contributes to social phenomena. Sociology also challenged my “mental models” (long before I
used that name for them!) and taught me to look at all of my behaviors and ideas in light of
my own culture, and how it might be different if I were part of a different culture. All of this
helped me tremendously in understanding the theoretical basis for systems thinking.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that for the first time in my life, I was learning
a subject that I needed to learn as part of a team. I could learn it no other way.
With an introduction to systems thinking, my awareness seems to have changed slightly. I’m
not trying to make it sound like I’ve reached some epiphany or transcendental state, but I
really think that I am becoming more aware of the interrelated dimensions in a number of
different places.
In comparing the linear thinking approach with which we are accustomed to a systems
thinking approach, I thought about the different effect each of these approaches can have on
our powers of observation. I equated it with the difference between navigating around a city
by car and by foot. When you are driving, your progress is linear in nature, since you are
looking for the street you need to drive down. One street leads to another, which leads to
another. While they are connected, you lose sight of your path since your focus in on the
current road. When you walk around a city, you have more of a systems perspective since you
have more time to observe how sections of the city are connected. You have the time and the
freedom to change your path at any point. Your frame of reference is different from someone
driving through the city, which enables you to gain a broader understanding of how to get
between places. Like walking, adopting a systems perspective requires patience and an
ability to focus awareness on the variables that play an influential role at that moment. It also
requires pacing and a willingness not to rush to the destination (identifying the system
archetype and leverage points) but to proceed slowly to experience the process.
I have found that throughout my life, problems continue to multiply as long as I look for their
solutions outside of my self. I encounter this both in my work life and in my personal life.
Whenever I have blamed something or someone else, I have eventually come to feel helpless
and out of control around that issue. I believe that Systems Thinking addresses this very
deeply ingrained mental model by continually asking the following questions: How do I
contribute to the problem? Where am I not open to hear the other side? Where can I be more
patient? What can I learn from this? What assumptions am I making and which assumptions
am I not willing to let go of? How can I be most instrumental in the solution? The idea of
turning a problem on its many sides and looking at it from many perspectives truly speaks to
me. My greatest insights have come at the end of such turning and looking. My greatest
TLO lessons have come only when I was open to hear all sides of an issue. I see systems thinking
as a strong proponent of that type of dialogue and problem solving. . .this class has
14,6 reawakened the questioner in me.
As the conversations and presentations progressed, it became clearer and clearer to me that
this (systems thinking) can be a powerful tool. I watched people be real hesitant about what
they are doing, yet, they were all learning, too. Different skill sets were becoming more and
496 more evident. Julie can make a causal loop sing with her graphics. As I looked at her work, it
looked like a flower. A flower. . .hmmmm. . .isn’t that an apt description of this concept?
There is a circle, a base if you will. Off the base come little loops that all need to feed off the
base to be valid. If your flower is true to its form, then it will be supported by theory. Of
course, sometimes we get a rather complex flower (multiple bases) but I think the theory
holds up. Anyway, it made my work easier.
One grad student summed up her experience of learning systems thinking by creating
a Causal Loop Diagram which she titled, “The Loop of Learning.” Below is her
depiction of the learning process and its impact:
The “Loop of Learning” states that: As understanding of the causal loop diagrams increases,
application of the concept to everyday life increases. And as application increases,
understanding of the leverage points of system archetypes increases. As understanding of the
concepts of archetypes increases, the application to everyday life increases. As insight is
gained on everyday leverage points, the laws of the Fifth Discipline become clearer. As
understanding of the laws increases, understanding of the disciplines and disabilities
increase. As understanding of the 2D’s increases, insight into my personal role in various
systems increases (see Figure 1).
This way of being – in a constant state of inquiry – is amazingly calm.
I realized that learning is not just an aggregation of information, but our capacity to create.

Implications from action research

The one surprise and possible dismay I felt when I first started reading the journal
entries and seeing the themes emerge – especially the theme of consequences of
decisions – was seeing how so many people did not connect a decision with its possible
outcome or consequences, that the concept of time delays was not considered. What
contributes to this lack of connection? This trend that was evident from this action

Figure 1.
The loop of learning
research supports research undertaken by Booth Sweeney and Sterman (2000, p. 249, Learning to think
280-281) who reported the initial results from their systems thinking inventory systemically
indicated that “subjects from an elite business school with essentially no prior
experience to system dynamics concepts have a poor level of understanding stock and
flow relationships and time delays”. They also found that “performance did not vary
systematically with prior education, age, national origin, or other demographic
variables”. They further assert that, “there is abundant evidence that sophisticated 497
policymakers suffer from the same errors in understanding stocks and flows that we
observe in our experiments”.
The examples from this action research illustrate, yet again, the power of how a
structure of any situation will influence the behavior of its members. In this case, the
shift occurred from a pure learning of systems thinking via a simulation to the
competitive nature of how the team members could make the most money. This, of
course, reinforces the need to examine how the norms, cultural expectations, policies
and procedures in our organizations may play out in our respective organizations. Of
course, this principle of “structure influencing behavior” links to the other finding from
this action research, that those in decision making positions are able to see the
consequences of those decisions!
The positive implications that emerged from this action research does indicate that
once participants are introduced to systems thinking theory, tools and application, they
are able to link their decision-making abilities to consequences; see the delays in a
system; move away from blaming external “others” and look to see how they are
contributing to an issue or problem. Aiding in that process centers around the
meta-learning of systems thinking, discussed below.
The other major theme that emerged centered around the meta-learning of systems
thinking; i.e. what overarching methodologies may assist one in learning to think
systemically. Some specific methodologies and reflections that emerged revolved
around these thoughts and reflections:
.
Self-awareness may be the beginning point to thinking systemically; that our
being aware of how our actions, behaviors, decisions affect others is necessary to
seeing the “bigger picture”.
.
Powers of observation are critical in seeing the nuances in a system and
identifying the subtle signals of systems.
.
Being able to learn systems thinking as a team, v. individual learning per se.
.
Encouraging the power of questioning and inquiry help tremendously in
expanding one’s mind in order to inquire more deeply into the dynamics of the
system.
.
Incorporating many perspectives is also essential in expanding one’s view of the
problem or situation in any given system.
.
That certain disciplines – for example, sociology, physics, and chemistry – may
be more conducive to learning to think systemically because fundamentally they
share the same characteristics of systems thinking; for example, seeing how the
culture influences behavior; breaking down word problems, working with many
variables, seeing the interconnections and interactions of variables.
TLO .
That keeping a journal and being able to reflect aid in learning systems thinking
because it gives us the “space” in which to see how our thoughts are changing.
14,6
Peter Senge (2006, pp. 117, 118) posits that “two particular systems thinking skills are
vital: seeing the patterns of interdependency and seeing into the future. ‘Seeing into the
future’ is not a prediction in the statistical sense; it is simply seeing how a system is
498 functioning and where it is headed”. These two systems thinking skills are critical –
not only for individuals, teams and organizations but for our whole global community
if we are to continue to make the fundamental shifts that need to occur for a healthy,
nurturing, and sustainable life on all these levels.

Notes
1. International students came from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Greece, Israel, Italy,
Japan, Nigeria, Russia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom.
2. The actual names of the students and any organizational names have not been used in this
study.

References
Booth Sweeney, L. and Sterman, J. (2000), “Bathtub dynamics: initial results of a systems
thinking inventory”, System Dynamics Review, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 249-86.
Senge, P. (2006), “Systems citizenship: the leadership mandate for this millennium”, Reflections,
Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 113-20.
Senge, P., Schammer, O.C., Jaworski, J. and Flowers, B.S. (2004), Presence, Society of
Organizational Learning, Cambridge, MA.

Further reading
Senge, P. (1990), The Fifth Discipline, Doubleday, New York, NY.

Corresponding author
Carol Ann Zulauf can be contacted at: czulauf@suffolk.edu

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