What do you think?
Rate this book
Systems Thinkers
In our profoundly complex and interconnected world, there is a pressing need for systems thinking, to consider environmental, societal and organisational issues as interconnected wholes rather than separating them into parts and looking at each in isolation. This book presents a biographical history of systems thinking, by examining the life and work of thirty of its major thinkers.
Systems Thinkers discusses each thinker’s key contributions, the way this contribution was expressed in practice and the relationship between their life and ideas. This discussion is supported by an extract from the thinker’s own writing, to give a flavour of their work and to give readers a sense of which thinkers are most relevant to their own interests.
Systems thinking is highly interdisciplinary, so the thinkers selected come from a wide range of areas, including biology, management, physiology, anthropology, chemistry, public policy, sociology and environmental studies. Some are core innovators in systems ideas; some have been primarily practitioners who also advanced and popularised systems ideas; others are well-known figures who drew heavily upon systems thinking although it was not their primary discipline. The book provides an appetising ‘taster’ of the writings of each of the thirty thinkers, to encourage the reader to explore the published works of the thinkers themselves.
This second edition has been updated to reflect continuing scholarship in the academic community about the thirty thinkers, and in some cases new writing by them, bringing fresh insights about these inspiring and deeply relevant figures who challenged accepted ways of thinking and seeing, and continue to do so..
Magnus Ramage is a senior lecturer in Information Systems at The Open University, where he has worked since 2000, teaching systems thinking and sociotechnical IT systems. As well as researching the history of systems thinking, he conducts research on critical approaches to the concept of information and on the organisational and social impact of collaborative technologies. He holds a PhD in information systems from the University of Lancaster.
Karen Shipp is an educator and facilitator who created interactive and transformative learning experiences at The Open University from 1987 to 2011, the last ten of these as a lecturer in the Systems Group.
Systems Thinkers discusses each thinker’s key contributions, the way this contribution was expressed in practice and the relationship between their life and ideas. This discussion is supported by an extract from the thinker’s own writing, to give a flavour of their work and to give readers a sense of which thinkers are most relevant to their own interests.
Systems thinking is highly interdisciplinary, so the thinkers selected come from a wide range of areas, including biology, management, physiology, anthropology, chemistry, public policy, sociology and environmental studies. Some are core innovators in systems ideas; some have been primarily practitioners who also advanced and popularised systems ideas; others are well-known figures who drew heavily upon systems thinking although it was not their primary discipline. The book provides an appetising ‘taster’ of the writings of each of the thirty thinkers, to encourage the reader to explore the published works of the thinkers themselves.
This second edition has been updated to reflect continuing scholarship in the academic community about the thirty thinkers, and in some cases new writing by them, bringing fresh insights about these inspiring and deeply relevant figures who challenged accepted ways of thinking and seeing, and continue to do so..
Magnus Ramage is a senior lecturer in Information Systems at The Open University, where he has worked since 2000, teaching systems thinking and sociotechnical IT systems. As well as researching the history of systems thinking, he conducts research on critical approaches to the concept of information and on the organisational and social impact of collaborative technologies. He holds a PhD in information systems from the University of Lancaster.
Karen Shipp is an educator and facilitator who created interactive and transformative learning experiences at The Open University from 1987 to 2011, the last ten of these as a lecturer in the Systems Group.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2009
10 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 16, 2016
This book is a laudable effort to provide a panoramic overview of a sprawling field that is difficult to systematize. "Systems Thinkers" offers a gallery of 30 brief but engaging portraits of scholars-practitioners-activists who have played a decisive role in systems science and systems thinking. Each portrait is complemented with a short but telling extract from their writings. Taken together, portrait and text provide a rounded and accessible introduction to their intellectual background, career, personality and key contributions to the field. Each section is followed by a list of references which is a great resource for those wanting to read onwards (but also a sad reminder of how many classic systems book are out of print).
This book seems to be particularly useful to people who have already some experience with systems thinking but want to expand their horizon. People completely new to the subject may, perhaps, be confused by the profusion of approaches and ideas that fits under the generic label of 'systems thinking'. In any case, this book is very helpful for orientation purposes but obviously provides a too slender basis for readers wanting to put these ideas into practice. It is essentially impossible to capture in a few pages even the main ideas (let alone the often important subtleties) in systems approaches such as Soft Systems Methodology or the Viable Systems Model (to name just two examples).
I do have some minor quibbles with the book. Inevitably, given the wide scope of the systems discipline, the choice of a limited number of key representatives is bound to be slightly controversial. The focus on people who published in English inevitably excludes important and difficult thinkers from particularly French background who have not or barely been translated (Edgar Morin, Henri Atlan). Even acknowledging the overwhelming contribution of the Anglo-Saxon intellectual sphere in shaping the field of cybernetics and systems thinking, there are some sad omissions. I would have liked to see Gordon Pask, George Spencer-Brown, Bela Banathy, Karl Deutsch, Luc Hoebeke, C.S. Holling and Michel Serres included in this gallery. So why not 35 or 40 thinkers rather than 30?
The portraits are sensibly grouped into seven categories, including 1) general systems theory, 2) early cybernetics, 3) late cybernetics, 4) system dynamics, 5) soft and critical systems, 6) complexity theory and 7) learning systems. Despite the authors' assertion that there is no 'true' map of the systems discipline, I think it would have been very helpful to visualize the historical and intellectual cross-linkages between these areas and personalities.
Finally, as seems to be very often the case with publications in this field, the price is outrageous. But as there is not really an alternative, I'm still happy to recommend this book.
This book seems to be particularly useful to people who have already some experience with systems thinking but want to expand their horizon. People completely new to the subject may, perhaps, be confused by the profusion of approaches and ideas that fits under the generic label of 'systems thinking'. In any case, this book is very helpful for orientation purposes but obviously provides a too slender basis for readers wanting to put these ideas into practice. It is essentially impossible to capture in a few pages even the main ideas (let alone the often important subtleties) in systems approaches such as Soft Systems Methodology or the Viable Systems Model (to name just two examples).
I do have some minor quibbles with the book. Inevitably, given the wide scope of the systems discipline, the choice of a limited number of key representatives is bound to be slightly controversial. The focus on people who published in English inevitably excludes important and difficult thinkers from particularly French background who have not or barely been translated (Edgar Morin, Henri Atlan). Even acknowledging the overwhelming contribution of the Anglo-Saxon intellectual sphere in shaping the field of cybernetics and systems thinking, there are some sad omissions. I would have liked to see Gordon Pask, George Spencer-Brown, Bela Banathy, Karl Deutsch, Luc Hoebeke, C.S. Holling and Michel Serres included in this gallery. So why not 35 or 40 thinkers rather than 30?
The portraits are sensibly grouped into seven categories, including 1) general systems theory, 2) early cybernetics, 3) late cybernetics, 4) system dynamics, 5) soft and critical systems, 6) complexity theory and 7) learning systems. Despite the authors' assertion that there is no 'true' map of the systems discipline, I think it would have been very helpful to visualize the historical and intellectual cross-linkages between these areas and personalities.
Finally, as seems to be very often the case with publications in this field, the price is outrageous. But as there is not really an alternative, I'm still happy to recommend this book.
July 15, 2021
I think this is my favourite book about systems thinking I have read and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it, ensuring I take my time with each chapter and try to savour each word.
The book is really, very, very good and I am delighted I could pick up an 'as-new' copy second hand for half the publisher's price (as an aside - it REALLY grates me that academic texts are so overpriced, it feels like a form of exclusionary class warfare to be honest to concentrate knowledge and learning with those who can afford it).
The book aims to cover the history of and general ideas of 30 systems thinkers and aims to broadly try and group them to capture some notion of the trajectory of systems thinking over the last 80 years or so. As every systems thinker knows, knowing where to draw the boundary around a system is a choice of the observer so by it's very nature there are perhaps relevant historical thinkers from complementary disciplines who are excluded, likewise there are many excluded who are significantly influenced by systems thinkers and would be known in the field. The authors are up front about this and recognise the challenges in just selecting 30 and they are open about the exclusion of systems thinkers not published in English.
Trying to draw a system boundary around systems thinking and the broad themes has largely been achieved. I think adding many more people may dilute the broad thematic fields and it is fair to say that whilst every systems thinker in the book draws on the idea of others there is a uniqueness to the core ideas of each thinker presented.
Each systems thinker is presented with a short biography of their lives, their work and core ideas. The biographies are very accessible and endeavour to present each individual in a human context as well as a historical context. For most, whilst this could read like an obituary, it actually brings them to life off the page. The authors have clearly spent great time and effort to present each biography with care and attention and to make human and well rounded whilst acknowledging valid criticisms, even when there are elements which may seem unsavoury to modern readers.
Each biography has a short sample of writing of each systems thinker and their core ideas. Of course you can never capture all of these ideas in just a few pages, but I think the book is very effective at introducing the ideas nevertheless, with a wonderful list of references for the reader to learn more.
For me, at the heart of systems thinking is the notion of curiosity, that idea that we have so much to learn about the world and how we interact in it. What this book is, is a tantalising glimpse into the lives and works of so many brilliant thinkers - my reading list has grown massively following reading this book. I can't think of a book that has sparked so much curiosity in me to learn more in years - so in that respect it is definitely job done!
I think this book is generally accessible to readers new to systems thinking (my own knowledge is that I have a broad knowledge of the 'basics' and some of the key figures), although some of the excerpts of writing can be quite challenging (particularly around early cybernetics). Some of the writers are like 'old friends' like Russell Ackoff and some sections I have read multiple times (like Peter Senge and Donella Meadows). It has helped frame some of my thinking in terms of what I can take from systems thinking (put ten systems thinkers in a room and they will all argue with each other). I find my own thinking takes me on a journey between trying to understand system dynamics and levers for change and also acknowledging that the world is inherently complex and embracing complexity theory (I did read a great idea today of 'surfing complex systems' which resonates strongly with me).
So, in conclusion this book feels like one of those 'compilation trailer movies' but it does what it says on the cover perfectly. The reader, no matter their existing knowledge will learn much, they will undoubtedly want to learn more about the work of some of the thinkers presented and they will also inquire into the voices of those missing and enrich their own learning. What could have been a dry biography book is for me a catalyst for change.
Excellent.
The book is really, very, very good and I am delighted I could pick up an 'as-new' copy second hand for half the publisher's price (as an aside - it REALLY grates me that academic texts are so overpriced, it feels like a form of exclusionary class warfare to be honest to concentrate knowledge and learning with those who can afford it).
The book aims to cover the history of and general ideas of 30 systems thinkers and aims to broadly try and group them to capture some notion of the trajectory of systems thinking over the last 80 years or so. As every systems thinker knows, knowing where to draw the boundary around a system is a choice of the observer so by it's very nature there are perhaps relevant historical thinkers from complementary disciplines who are excluded, likewise there are many excluded who are significantly influenced by systems thinkers and would be known in the field. The authors are up front about this and recognise the challenges in just selecting 30 and they are open about the exclusion of systems thinkers not published in English.
Trying to draw a system boundary around systems thinking and the broad themes has largely been achieved. I think adding many more people may dilute the broad thematic fields and it is fair to say that whilst every systems thinker in the book draws on the idea of others there is a uniqueness to the core ideas of each thinker presented.
Each systems thinker is presented with a short biography of their lives, their work and core ideas. The biographies are very accessible and endeavour to present each individual in a human context as well as a historical context. For most, whilst this could read like an obituary, it actually brings them to life off the page. The authors have clearly spent great time and effort to present each biography with care and attention and to make human and well rounded whilst acknowledging valid criticisms, even when there are elements which may seem unsavoury to modern readers.
Each biography has a short sample of writing of each systems thinker and their core ideas. Of course you can never capture all of these ideas in just a few pages, but I think the book is very effective at introducing the ideas nevertheless, with a wonderful list of references for the reader to learn more.
For me, at the heart of systems thinking is the notion of curiosity, that idea that we have so much to learn about the world and how we interact in it. What this book is, is a tantalising glimpse into the lives and works of so many brilliant thinkers - my reading list has grown massively following reading this book. I can't think of a book that has sparked so much curiosity in me to learn more in years - so in that respect it is definitely job done!
I think this book is generally accessible to readers new to systems thinking (my own knowledge is that I have a broad knowledge of the 'basics' and some of the key figures), although some of the excerpts of writing can be quite challenging (particularly around early cybernetics). Some of the writers are like 'old friends' like Russell Ackoff and some sections I have read multiple times (like Peter Senge and Donella Meadows). It has helped frame some of my thinking in terms of what I can take from systems thinking (put ten systems thinkers in a room and they will all argue with each other). I find my own thinking takes me on a journey between trying to understand system dynamics and levers for change and also acknowledging that the world is inherently complex and embracing complexity theory (I did read a great idea today of 'surfing complex systems' which resonates strongly with me).
So, in conclusion this book feels like one of those 'compilation trailer movies' but it does what it says on the cover perfectly. The reader, no matter their existing knowledge will learn much, they will undoubtedly want to learn more about the work of some of the thinkers presented and they will also inquire into the voices of those missing and enrich their own learning. What could have been a dry biography book is for me a catalyst for change.
Excellent.
August 13, 2022
As a biology teacher who is highly interested in systems thinking in biology education, I found this book to really good. I found it very accessible, the biographies give a really good overview of the person, and the extracts of each Systems Thinker are also accessible and well chosen. I think this is a fantastic book for anyone who is interested in systems thinking.
December 8, 2019
The book is an excellent introduction to the subject of systems thinking and related fields. It comprises a selection of profiles of leading contributors to the field, explaining their background and what their respective contributions were. It is not an easy read or a popular science book, but if you want to understand more about systems thinking then it offers a way of rapidly coming to grips with some of the main concepts, lines of inquiry and how the subject evolved from the mid-twenties century to today.
December 30, 2019
Philosophy, learning, ethics, how people thoughts work. So many influential thinkers in one little volume that's a pleasure to read. I feel my thoughts are richer due to this gem.
April 4, 2017
I came to this book because I wanted to know more about 'systems thinking' and how it developed over the last century. The book is by no means a complete portrait of the 30 thinkers presented, neither is it a full history of the development of the different waves of systems thinking. However, it does a great job at sketching some of the people who have contributed greatly to the field.
This book is invaluable to anyone seeking to understand more about systems thinking through the works of those who have gone before them.
This book is invaluable to anyone seeking to understand more about systems thinking through the works of those who have gone before them.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews