Systems thinking is an approach that views problems as part of a whole. It focuses on the relationships between different elements. It considers more than just individual issues.
Government policy involves dealing with complex systems. Traditional approaches may not see all links among issues. It allows policymakers to grasp the bigger context.
This approach helps governments spot underlying problems. Such insight creates stronger policies. It can stop unintended results from occurring.
Systems thinking encourages collaboration between departments. Barriers within government are broken down. This improves communication and coordination.
Government policies are improved by this approach. Effects of decisions are easier to predict. Sustainable solutions are easier to create.
This method is gaining popularity among governments. It supports innovation and adaptation in a changing world. Systems thinking is key for hard policy problems.
Governments can be more responsive with systems thinking. Lessons from history are more useful with this method. This approach builds flexibility into government policies.
Policies withstand shocks with systems thinking. Governments can prevent problems sooner. It encourages future-oriented policies.
Evaluation is part of the process. Policies are changed based on results. Government policy keeps improving over time.
Systems thinking can be integrated into every stage of policy development. It is useful during planning, implementation, and evaluation. This ensures that policies remain relevant and effective.
Engagement with the public is easier. Diverse groups are better understood. Fairness is improved through this approach.
Governments can use systems thinking to break old patterns. It helps them avoid repeating past mistakes. Improvement is ongoing.
Difficult problems are tackled. Creativity and flexibility thrive. Major problems are managed better.
Systems thinking brings together different perspectives. It welcomes broad participation. Policies are more comprehensive.
Applying systems thinking may require new skills and training. Governments help staff learn. Preparation for tough problems is ensured.
Resource use is optimized. It helps identify the most effective interventions. Government spending is optimized.
Accurate assessment is possible. Indicators are used more. This makes policy outcomes easier to track.
Systems thinking also encourages transparency in government decision-making. People are kept informed. Trust in government rises.
Better policies result from this approach. It creates more effective, resilient, and inclusive solutions. All policy areas can use this approach.
systems thinking is a mental framework that helps us to become better problem solvers. it takes a systemic approach to solving complex issues.
under national or state-based legislation, local governments are commonly required to prepare municipal health and wellbeing plans. yet, the issues these plans aim to address are often complex, and programmatic planning approaches traditionally used by practitioners struggle to engage with such complexity as they assume these issues can be ‘solved’ in isolation. systems thinking is increasingly being used as an approach to deal with those struggles more effectively, yet little is known about whether local governments and other stakeholders think systems approaches are feasible and acceptable in practice. this study tested a systems thinking approach to gauge if it could better address complex place-based health and wellbeing issues, such as to reduce noncommunicable diseases. guided by a systems change framework, the approach comprised a facilitated systemic inquiry and rich picture process involving diverse stakeholders in a remote municipality in the australian state of tasmania. among the participants there was broad support for the systems approach tested and they thought it was effective for increasing systems thinking capacity, collaboratively revealing systemic issues, and identifying opportunities to address those issues. they valued the rich picture because it created shared understandings of local issues. the findings suggest more is needed from macro-level policy to support place-based stakeholders to undertake systems approaches in practice, which could result in more sustainable and effective systems change required to improve health and wellbeing outcomes. the findings have implications for theory, research, and practice across interdisciplinary fields concerned with placed-based systems change, especially in rural and remote municipalities.
cross-industry support for a new systems thinking report will help the built environment sector to deliver joined-up approaches with better results for people, places and planet, says mott macdonald’s global cities lead and fellow, clare wildfire.
alyx slater from food standards agency reflects on why systems thinking is an essential component of policy design.
worldwide there is increasing interest in both academic and government sectors to evaluate the different impacts of electronic government (e-government) systems. a number of predictive, cause-effect, linearly and functionally oriented models of evaluation have been proposed and applied. the focus of...
climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing present and future generations, with far-reaching impacts on the environment, society and the economy. addressing this complex issue requires a holistic and collaborative approach that goes beyond traditional top-down governance models.
guest blog from the applied systems thinking in practice group, school of engineering & innovation, the open university (uk) systems thinking in times of complex challenges the covid-19 pandemic has shown what governments can do when faced with an existential threat: the climate and associated emergencies are existential threats. these will require even more of governments and of governance. further, these new ways of governing are what is needed to enable governments to achieve real...
last month we had a really interesting ibspn seminar on applications of systemic thinking to behaviour change. using a systems lens to explore behavioural challenges in policy development can lead to impactful and holistic policy solutions.
in november 2022, the centre for science and policy delivered a series of policy workshops on how to apply systems thnking to policy making. these workshops brought together policy makers and experts to discuss health systems, physical infrastructure, and conflict.
nihr sphr phd student ke zhou discusses her phd research about how systems approaches can be used to help tackle complex public policy issues. in social welfare and public health, we often aim to address challenging policy problems across many issues, disciplines, and, most importantly, governance departments. to successfully tackle complex questions, a variety of […]
decisions in one realm have ripple effects in others. public programs need to reflect that reality.
systems thinking has seen growing popularity in current times. with world events such as the covid-19 pandemic, the ukraine war, the macro-economic uncertainty in the developed world, and the climate emergency, governments, industries, nonprofits, and education institutions have come to realize that
from complexity to capability: in this blog post, kristian hudson, yharc implementation specialist's recent podcast conversation with professor harvey maylor explores how embracing uncertainty and the interconnectedness of real-world systems – core tenets of complexity science – can revolutionise implementation science. we dive into practical applications and how to shift systems towards better outcomes.
by pete barbrook-johnson, co-author of systems mapping: how to build and use causal models of systems.
in recent years, there has been a marked rise in the use of systems thinking approaches in uk policy making institutions, especially in environmental domains. to better understand practice
background systems thinking approaches are increasingly being used by communities to address complex chronic disease. this paper reports on the vichealth local government partnership (vlgp) which sought to co-create improvements in the health and well-being of children and young people by working with local government in victoria, australia. methods the vlgp included a series of health promotion modules, aimed at creating policy, programme and practice changes across local government. one of these modules, connecting the dots – creating solutions for lasting change, aimed to build capacity for systems thinking in municipal public health and well-being planning across 13 councils. the approach was adapted and data were collected on the stimuli for, and results of, adaptation. results the council adapted the systems thinking approach to meet geographic characteristics, priority health issue/s and participant target group needs. adaptions applied to workshop materials, training delivery, existing and new resources, and to align with other community-based approaches. stimuli for adaptation included the covid-19 pandemic, needs of children and young people, capacity of council to deliver the workshop series, and time available within the project or for the participant group. conclusions systems thinking was used and adapted by councils to improve the health and well-being of children and young people and increase the voices of children and young people in decision-making. flexible delivery is critical to ensure communities can adapt the approach to meet local needs.
engineering expertise meets policymaking practice - explore raeng programmes like policy fellowships and system approaches in government that bring systems thinking to government challenges
in a world of rapid change and complex challenges, governments are increasingly recognizing the need to think ahead, plan better, and work together. the ministry of finance, national planning and trade of seychelles realized the potential of strategic foresight and systems thinking for adopting a more integrated approach to strategic planning. what started as a collaboration between the government of seychelles, the resident coordinator office (rco) for mauritius and seychelles in 2022, the united nations department of economic and social affairs (un desa), and unitar, is gradually evolving into a way of working for the ministry.
systems thinking is a core skill in public health and health promotion and helps professionals develop policies and initiatives that are aware of and prepared for unintended consequences. although there is no universal definition of a system it can generally be regarded as a group of interacting, interrelated and interdependent components that form a complex and unified whole (the systems thinker, 2018). all systems have elements or components that make up the system, a relationship between the elements or components and a pattern of the system as whole.
background systems thinking is an approach that views systems with a holistic lens, focusing on how components of systems are interconnected. specifically, the application of systems thinking has proven to be beneficial when applied to health systems. although there is plenty of theory surrounding systems thinking, there is a gap between the theoretical use of systems thinking and its actual application to tackle health challenges. this study aimed to create a framework to expose systems thinking characteristics in the design and implementation of actions to improve health.methods a systematised literature review was conducted and a taxonomy of systems thinking objectives was adapted to develop the new ‘systems thinking for health actions’ (stha) framework. the applicability of the framework was tested using the covid-19 response in pakistan as a case study.results the framework identifies six key characteristics of systems thinking: (1) recognising and understanding interconnections and system structure, (2) identifying and understanding feedback, (3) identifying leverage points, (4) understanding dynamic behaviour, (5) using mental models to suggest possible solutions to a problem and (6) creating simulation models to test policies. the stha framework proved beneficial in identifying systems thinking characteristics in the covid-19 national health response in pakistan.conclusion the proposed framework can provide support for those aiming to applying systems thinking while developing and implementing health actions. we also envision this framework as a retrospective tool that can help assess if systems thinking was applied in health actions.
increased systems thinking capacity—that is, the capacity to consider systemic effects of policies and actions—is necessary for translating knowledge on sustainable development goals’ (sdgs) interactions into practice. various models and tools that seek to support more evidence-based policy-making have been developed with the purpose of exploring system effects across sdgs. however, these often lack integration of behavioral aspects and contextual factors that influence the decision-making process. we analyze three applications of a decision-support approach called sdg synergies, which aims at building capacity in systems thinking among decision-makers and implementing agencies. our objective is to explore how behavior and context influences whether and how knowledge is taken up and acted upon when making decisions. drawing on empirical material from mongolia, colombia, and sri lanka, we identify three sets of mechanisms that appear important for enabling more systemic thinking: system boundaries (time, scale, and space), rules of engagement (ownership, representation, and purpose), and biases (confirmation biases and participation biases). results highlight some key challenges for systemic thinking that merit further attention in future applications, including the importance of localizing sdgs and incorporating this knowledge to national-level assessments, an unwillingness of stakeholders to acknowledge trade-offs, the challenge of addressing transformational as opposed to incremental change, and striking a balance between the flexibility of the approach vis-à-vis scientific robustness.
by catherine hobbs and gerald midgley systems leadership involves organisations, including governments, collaborating to address complex issues and achieve necessary systemic transformations. so, i…
“the covid-19 pandemic has shown what governments can do when faced with an existential threat……”
systems thinking very much has a role to play across all government priorities.
by catherine hobbs why does public policy go wrong? how can researchers who are systems thinkers begin to create the conditions in which those involved in public policy may flourish within their po…
a systems thinking approach is essential for public health policy development, offering a framework to navigate the dynamic complexities inherent in public health issues. this methodology enables policymakers to comprehend the interconnections ...
systems thinking provides new ways of seeing the world, focusing attention on the relationship between elements in complex systems and the spaces inbetween. haynes study shows that many policy-makers valued systems thinking as a new way to approach ...
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an overview of thinking in systems and quick tips on how to recognize issues and apply solutions.