The Art of Thinking in Systems: A Crash Course in Logic, Critical Thinking, And Analysis-Based Decision Making. - Strategic Problem Solving for Everyday Life

by Steven Schuster

Would you like to have better solutions to your problems? Struggling to understand why things went wrong when you did everything right?
The Art Of Thinking In Systems can help you with these problems.

You think systems thinking is for politicians, and big company CEO’s? Let me tell you this: a small business is a system, your class at school is a system, your family is a system. You are the element of larger systems – your town, your country, the world. These systems have a different dynamic. The more you know about their nature, the more optimal solutions you’ll find to problems related to them.

Systems thinking helps you see beyond simple connections, and find strategic solutions considering every actor influencing your problem.

The Art Of Thinking In Systems presents the fundamental system archetypes, models, and methods with an application to real life. Know how to use systems thinking at work, in your business, in your relationship, friendships. The book also helps you to see through the hidden pathways of contemporary politics, economics, and education changes.

Systems thinking opens new and exciting ways to re-invigorate your world view. It enriches your critical thinking skill, analyzing ability, clears your vision, makes you more logical and rational – just to mention a few benefits.

Systems thinking’s aim is not to overcomplicate your thoughts but to find better solutions to your problems. Some things in life can’t be fixed with a simple “you did this so I did that” thinking. By applying conventional thinking to complex problems, we often perpetuate the very problems we try so hard to solve.

Learn to think differently to get different results.

• Learn about the main elements of systems thinking.
• How to apply the best systems thinking ideas, models, and frameworks in your life?
• What are the biggest system errors, how to detect and fix them?
• How can you improve your romantic relationship with systems thinking?

Over the past decades, systems thinking gained an eloquent position in science and research. Complexity, organizational pathways, networks gained more importance in our interconnected world. Just like wars are not fought with two armies standing in opposite of each other on an opened field, the answers to personal problems are more compounded, as well.

• Improve your social life understanding the systemic aspects of social networks.
• Useful tips how to fix financial fallouts in your business.
• See through the systems of health care, education, politics, and global economics.

The Art Of Thinking In Systems presents global systems theory with real life examples making it easily understandable and applicable. This book is not for Wall Street analysts but for everyday people who wish to understand their world better and make better decisions in their lives.

You will be able to define your problems more accurately, design solutions more correctly, put together strategic plans, and understand the world – and your place in it - in its chaotic complexity.

In our web-wired, interdependent world systems thinking is the key knowledge to escape confusion and misunderstandings. Start developing this precious skill today.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Business, Productivity, Management, Logic, Personal Development

157 pages, Paperback

Published October 4, 2021

About the author

كاتب وباحث شغوف كرس حياته للكتابة فيما يخص علم النفس والسلوكيات. له أكثر من 30 كتاب في مجالات علم النفس والتنمية الذاتية.

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally don't like to compare a book to another book. However, I had read "Thinking in Systems: A Primer," which did a much better job of covering the topic and providing useful examples to understand the concepts in context. Halfway through, I still hadn't learned anything new from this book so I stopped reading it.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed really promising in the introductory chapters, but it failed to deliver practical advice or application. It merely stated the high-level view of the topic over and over again.

[Trương Linh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The general idea of the book is to reveal a kind of thinking that we should:
- Think of events as a whole, not as an element to see what extent it affects our business, focus on the linking and relationship of departments in a system rather than each itself.
- Based on the repeating results of events, we can recognize them as an accidental event or a potential system error to decide deeply digging in or hotfix. The repeating faults may get involved in hidden bigger issues.

These are all points that I harvest from the book, which are quite fundamental as people told. But it's worth reading for everyone who has not known of thinking classification before. Taking me for example, I am doing better at logical thinking (straight line) than at multifacet, but this book reinforces me to think in the linkings more frequent. This challenge is not that easy because we must process a lot of information in the head, which takes us time and some nerve cells :).

[Rudolph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vague. Simple stuffs said in complex way

It's probably just me, but this book has taught me nothing. I never knew System Thinking, but that's how I've been thinking through most of my life (that's probably because I'm a Econ major student)
3 stars for tidying up the method that I've been using. No new stuffs learned tho

[Ivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely simplistic book that wasted my time. I must have reached all the conclusions that you may derive from this book in high school. It is a somewhat good introduction if youz're totally unfamiliar with system theory, though.

[Shankar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this is a management handbook written to address a general set of challenges in the corporate world it has significant relevance in personal life.

The simple theme underlying this book is the fact that understanding causality alone is not enough to overcome challenges. A simple example from the book - if your partner is angry it is not enough to know why and suitably just take action to fix that problem as you see it. His anger may be from other external influences that are invisible at the time. The last 40 odd pages ( a significant portion ) of the book deals with examples that explain with reference to personal lives.

In a manner of speaking I think the author takes this route to articulate the point that all the following
1. Problem statements
2. Fish bone diagrams
3. Stakeholders assessment
4. New solutions development
5. New process testing and subsequent implementation
are all great on paper. Invariably actual issues lie in how each person perceives their own actions in a system and what are best routes to get the best out of their actions in productivity as well as problem solving.

As can be understood there can never be a perfect solution to this but only an optimal one.

But as they nothing is completely black or white. It’s some shade of grey.

I found this particularly relevant for me in a personal context as it was relating to some specific situations I am facing now.

Highly recommended for anyone because it is not only for the corporate world and the fact it’s just a short 100 pages.

[Kamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truly an introduction to Systems Thinking. It whets ones appetite while never going beyond the surface of the concepts. It has real world examples interspersed throughout the book so it really does give the concepts relatability. A quick read that hopefully leads you down the rabbit hole of systems thinking.

[Narendrāditya Nalwa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Over-expanded the basics. Zero new insights. Absolute waste of time.

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

The froth and fluff on one’s cappuccino is great- but not if its the only thing you have to offer in a book…

[Phi Unit · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Thinking in Systems” is the quintessential introduction to systems thinking, but this book is great and perhaps better for an elementary thinker’s intro to the subject.

[Balkan Şencan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a neat book to enter into this topic but it fails to convince the reader with solid examples and cases; it is not a must book to read in this subject.

[Jon Nguyen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor

Starts off okay introducing some of the key concepts of systems thinking. But overall it’s a pretty shallow book. It doesn’t really teach you much how to think in terms of systems, and the examples it provides are very poor. I’d go looking for a different book if you want to learn about systems thinking.

[Shobeir · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice idea but

This book could have been a lot better and a lot more concise. I also think it is missing the mark in comparing linear thinking and systems thinking.

All in all not a bad book.

[Trang Ngo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuốn sách gợi mở cho mình một cái nhìn tổng quan hơn về các loại tư duy, đặc biệt là tư duy tuyến tính và tư duy hệ thống. Coi mọi thứ, mọi sự vật trong cuộc sống như là một hệ thống Hệ thống gồm 3 thành tố chính là: các "thành viên", mối liên kết và chức năng/ mục đích. Muốn thay đổi hệ thống, thay đổi mối liên kết và chức năng/ mục đích sẽ hiệu quả hơn. Nguồn dự trữ như khoản tiền trong tài khoản, có ra, có vào. Từ đó đề ra kế hoạch tăng hay giảm nguồn dự trữ tùy ý muốn. Cái này cũng áp dụng với các mối quan hệ,... tất cả, miễn là bạn biết hệ thống của mình như thế nào. Cuộc sống là tập hợp của rất nhiều hệ thống với nhiều vòng lặp. Đừng chỉ vì một vòng lặp sai mà ảnh hưởng tổng hệ thống. Hãy lùi lại và nhìn nó, sửa nó nếu có thể, hoặc không hãy từ bỏ và quan tâm đến các hệ thống khác, đảm bảo nguồn dự trữ luôn ổn định, phát triển. Tư duy này cũng định hướng một điều rằng, nếu có lỗi xảy ra không cần quy trách nhiệm về một người. Có nhiều thứ, bản thân nó có vấn đề trước khi được phát hiện ra. Tuy nhiên, do đọc vội nên mình lướt khá nhiều. Ngôn ngữ cũng khô khan, may mà sách ngắn nên tạm hiểu.

[Jesse Field · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was told to incorporate a systems thinking approach into the project I'm working on, and I just happened to reach for this book first. I guess the positives are: I got the definitions of "stock" and "flow," and the book is so short, I have a big-picture sense of what systems thinking is. But it's not at all clear how to use the concept -- or really a sort of industrial metaphor, right? Let's just think of things as little factory lines, with stocks and flows? -- to do anything.

The comments on this Goodreads page are more helpful than the book itself. And in that spirit, I'll recommend a free downloadable PDF from something called "BrainPOP Educators, Institute of Play Design Pack" on incorporating systems thinking into curriculum design. There is a "toolkit" section on pages 18-39 with an explanation of how to make projects with time series data, observations, and how to construct feedback loops and causal maps. And this document is actually even shorter than the Schuster book.

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A valuable primer to Systems Thinking

This book is a gives a helpful introduction to the framework & principles of systems thinking.
The author uses easy to understand language and examples throughout the book.
If you're looking for an introductory book to systems thinking, I strongly recommend this one.

I appreciated the author's application of systems thinking in the different facets of life, in particular to relationships.
For those interested in an in-depth look at systems thinking, the author provides an extensive list of references to explore. The citations are well done, making it easy to locate which resources to utilize for further exploration.

[Ching Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

This was a beautiful book. I have been a disorganized person for 20 plus years and I've been trying hard for decades to focus on changing those habits. I was able to "hack" my life while reading this book and was able to come up w great solutions . I would say minimalism and systems thinking have changed my life. Thank you Mr. Schuster ! I recommend this book for everyone . It was complicated at first , but after a few chapters my mind was able to adjust to systems thinking . Now problem solving will forever be different .

[Helfren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introduction of thinking systems. It help to know when to use a certain type of thinking. Healthy skepticism is good in order to be aware and avoid unfortunate situations at times. Understanding your system thinking made your life better and well. Level 4 thinking with simulation model is very game-changing in analyzing anything that you faces. Overall very interesting approach of book with the follow up on the systems but didn't really mentions to reader how we can use each thinking tools differently and practically.

[Sankaran Namboodiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whole than part

Steven Schuster has brought considerable emphasis on what we solve will be based on what we look at. In nicely articulated examples, Steven has drawn our attention to the fact that nothing stands alone in this world, that of strength and of weakness: there is a system around it, interconnecting the elements of the system, cause and influence, understanding which can help us solve problems better and more permanently than quick fixes. System approach reduces biases in finding solutions. Strongly recommend this as an introduction to the topic of system approach

[Chris Boutté · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is super short, but it's worth the read. I love books on critical thinking and decision making, so I decided to check out this book. Schuster is a fan of thinking in systems, which is more of a macro look when trying to solve problems. Rather than just looking at once piece of the situation, you ask questions to see what the other contributing factors may be. This book will help people at work, in our government, and just about anywhere else you're facing a challenge you need to solve.

[Petra Sando · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really tried to get into this book but it got so dry at times, my thoughts kept drifting elsewhere. It reminded me of a college textbook I have to read when I'd rather go to a lecture or workshop where the material would be presented in a more informal manner. I was also familiar with most of the problem-solving methods, and I am more of an out-of-the-box thinker, rather than going down a prescribed list of steps to resolve an issue. Maybe it's just my opinion but while the concept seems fairly sound and the book is informative, I had trouble with the execution.

[Ugis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a brief introduction into systems thinking and this is what this book is. Yet it is quite average and I would not really recommend it anyone. There are no illustrations, the writing is boringly simple and not that exciting to read. It feels somehow naive too. It did 2 good things though: I'm interested to read more about systems thinking and I made some notes. Ah and yes, there is not much "art" in the book either and I feel that I judged it a bit too much by it's cover. [reading time: 2h18m]

[Slov · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a lot of generic statements, followed by specific examples or anecdotes. I dont really see an effort into making this "paradigm shift" integrated into being used. This book seems to just give you the basics, and show how it is used. There's no real thought experiments implemented, or any recommended exercises to help make this kind of thinking a habit. This is basically the equievalent of a wikipedia entry.
I dont think there is much to digest from this book, it's a small snack at best for your brain.

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strong start on an undervalued topic. But then it got vague (the book is really short, so it didn't fully explain or demonstrate the ideas). And then it got political (all the examples were pushing a point of view that ironically was not systems-thinking). Oh well.

I'll find another one on this topic. Much to learn here. Too many of us have used that phrase (systems thinking) without actually knowing how to do that well--or even what it is.

[Vlad · Rating 1 out of 5]

This short book is too analystic. And very abstract thinking in system and so on. Deff not my cup of tea i think the author ment to. Every happening can be seen in system from then you can apply and anakyse what to do best, i think it can be very frustrating overthinking on a subject or problem. Only good thing that was provided was either saying we can go out of problem and escalation can be a good thing.

[Nick Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good lightweight intro

Interesting intro to systems thinking. Draws on a variety of different complex systems for examples, including personal relationships and capitalist history as well as the usual topics of business and government. Could definitely use some more instructions and tips on how to think through building a systems model.

[Eula C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purchased this book thinking it would be more about the business or professional world. Surprisingly, it is just what the subtitle says, "everyday life." Not sure it is actually strategic planning. It is more about thinking in terms of systems and how things are connected. The touch into personal life was a good touch.

[Kamil Bąbel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dobry wstęp do tematyki myślenia systemowego. Koncept przedstawiony w uporządkowany sposób i wyjaśniony na różnych przykładach. Autor przekonuje, że wiele z życiowych problemów nie da się rozwiązać równaniem przyczynowo-skutkowym. Myślenie systemowe ma pomóc w analizowaniu bardziej złożonych kwestii.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book but not achieve the expectation

I like the simplicity of the book, easy for understanding . But it contains more theories than examples so not very practicable. Repeatly emphasize the inportance of system thinking but lack of how to learn this method

[Andrew Shuttleworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise and informative

Hadn’t been exposed to the concept of systems thinking before, but this book provided a concise and easily digestible explanation with references to other resources for further study. Worth the investment.