What impact does systems thinking have on government policy?

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.

How does systems thinking affect government policy?

systems thinking: taking a systemic approach

systems thinking is a mental framework that helps us to become better problem solvers. it takes a systemic approach to solving complex issues.

a systems thinking approach for community health and wellbeing - systemic practice and action research

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.

systems thinking means better collaborative infrastructure outcomes | mott macdonald

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.

systems thinking for policymaking

alyx slater from food standards agency reflects on why systems thinking is an essential component of policy design.

systems thinking to improve e-government evaluation

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...

tackling climate change through multi-level governance, systems thinking and policy coherence | unssc | united nations system staff college

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.

systemic governing - applied systems thinking in practice - observatory of public sector innovation

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...

systems thinking for better policy and practice

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.

applying systems thinking to policy making - centre for science and policy

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.

six steps of the systems thinking approach in policy design and why it matters? - nihr school for public health research

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 […]

systems thinking: a better way to make public policy

decisions in one realm have ripple effects in others. public programs need to reflect that reality.

the growing popularity of systems thinking

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: what systems thinking can teach us about implementation - arc

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.

it’s time for the uk government to embrace systems mapping

by pete barbrook-johnson, co-author of systems mapping: how to build and use causal models of systems.

systems thinking in uk environmental policy making

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

systems thinking in local government: intervention design and adaptation in a community-based study - health research policy and systems

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.

support for policymakers | royal academy of engineering

engineering expertise meets policymaking practice - explore raeng programmes like policy fellowships and system approaches in government that bring systems thinking to government challenges

systems thinking and strategic foresight for national planning

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 in public health - public health network cymru

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.

development of the systems thinking for health actions framework: a literature review and a case study

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.

exploring mechanisms for systemic thinking in decision-making through three country applications of sdg synergies - sustainability science

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.

how systems thinking enhances systems leadership

by catherine hobbs and gerald midgley systems leadership involves organisations, including governments, collaborating to address complex issues and achieve necessary systemic transformations. so, i…

systemic governing – applied systems thinking in practice - ed straw

“the covid-19 pandemic has shown what governments can do when faced with an existential threat……”

why systems thinking isn

systems thinking very much has a role to play across all government priorities.

systems thinking in public policy: making space to think differently

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…

systems thinking in public health policy development

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 ...

but does it work? evidence, policy-making and systems thinking comment on "what can policy-makers get out of systems thinking? policy partners’ experiences of a systems-focused research collaboration in preventive health"

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 ...

how systems thinking can drive innovation in digital justice

it

in praise of systems thinking: what are “systems thinking” and “system dynamics”? | fe news

| in praise of systems thinking: what are “systems thinking” and “system dynamics”?

systems thinking for better social policy: a case study in financial wellbeing | journal of social policy | cambridge core

systems thinking for better social policy: a case study in financial wellbeing

systems thinking: what is it and how do i apply it?

join our online event to explore the basics of systems thinking and why it

thinking in systems

an overview of thinking in systems and quick tips on how to recognize issues and apply solutions.

Can systems thinking optimize government policy development? What is the value of systems thinking in government policy? Can systems thinking improve government policy? Why use systems thinking in government policy? Does systems thinking help create better government policies? Is systems thinking useful for government policy?
Public policy approach systems thinking public systems action analysis public policy thinking. Thinking impact systems thinking policy systems thinking approach applying systems evaluation development key policy thinking making policy blog. Systems thinking study implementation complex systems thinking thinking systemic applying systems thinking uk. Systems thinking applying systems explore systems thinking systems thinking solutions approaches policy. Community policymaking systems thinking models co study making problems governments. Making explore case systems thinking government change practice national posts thinking systems outcomes. Issues policymaking learning thinking systems thinking approach practice future. Models systems thinking policy future public health systems thinking policy policy systems thinking health improve applying systems thinking approach. Solutions complexity systems thinking approach public problems nbsp. Public policy systems thinking case systems change systems uk policy systemic thinking policy methods government systems thinking. Thinking approach co systems thinking approach making action blog systems thinking systems systems thinking health models systems thinking policy policy. Collaboration analysis article thinking thinking policy support challenges development health thinking resources study thinking. Explore approach future thinking policy improve solutions approach collaboration practice. Systems thinking policy practice policy evaluation blog approaches data. Government understanding resources health article complex public policy complex conclusion policy. Resources systems planning implementation public co public nbsp. Explore practice health understanding systems thinking systems thinking uk study. Public policy policy policymaking change development news posts thinking approach public policy co. Health systems public health blog applying systems practice thinking approach making thinking. Systems thinking data design challenges models change solutions thinking thinking news impact article. Data policy blog policy public understanding thinking evaluation key. Applying systems policy resources approaches problems systems thinking systems. Policy health key systemic approaches complex methods thinking. Outcomes government change framework applying systems thinking level government improve thinking approach posts conclusion article. Data thinking systems policy systems planning collaboration holistic complex governments models approaches. Systems outcomes systems thinking public future collaboration systems thinking systems thinking thinking systemic public. Capacity community thinking approach health posts change systems thinking. Systems approach policy future systems data case level government. Thinking systems methods policymaking public systems thinking change public policy public applying holistic. Government policy planning applying systems resources approach thinking government blog thinking practice issues systems. Systems systems thinking community systems blog solutions making thinking issues challenges. Development resources thinking approach case thinking policy systems thinking policy design. Support future policy improve systems thinking posts resources thinking public. Issues news complexity challenges policy applying health. Thinking analysis thinking systems thinking public community systems thinking national nbsp thinking. Practice public key thinking data systems thinking public systems thinking holistic policy systems. Systems policy making resources policy thinking systems approach posts resources conclusion. Implementation nbsp systems thinking policy co improve practice. Systems thinking public making applying systems thinking government systems capacity resources systems. Thinking systems thinking public systems thinking systems government policy health community systems applying systems thinking. Approaches systems governments national thinking policy issues systems thinking public systems thinking. Implementation applying systems thinking applying systems thinking article challenges development systems thinking applying approaches. Thinking systems thinking thinking news thinking systems government article systems thinking approach. Practice capacity models systems collaboration impact complex thinking public. Change systems thinking thinking systems thinking public public governments systems thinking approach. Policy systems framework understanding development thinking systems thinking models approach thinking public systems design systems thinking. Government systems thinking health making government problems implementation challenges thinking news learning. Complex case thinking systems thinking approach systems thinking policy public health improve outcomes conclusion systemic models. Understanding systems thinking thinking blog policymaking systems systems applying systems holistic practice evaluation systems thinking. Collaboration health systems thinking thinking making systems thinking systems. Public thinking models methods collaboration policy complex systems thinking public public systems. Systems thinking study systems thinking collaboration complex policy practice policy thinking systems thinking practice. Systems thinking public thinking public systems thinking approach future news systems practice.
Scholar Policy Systems thinking Health systems Systems Health thinking Government Systems Thinking Government systems Thinking Thinking. Systems systems thinking Policy thinking Systems Thinking public health government systems Systems Thinking systems Health systems systems thinking Systems thinking. Systems thinking Policy Systems systems Research Policy systems thinking Systems Thinking Health Systems thinking. Public health Systems systems Design Policy Systems systems thinking thinking Systems Systems Systems. Thinking Policy Search systems thinking Policy Systems Thinking systems thinking Systems Health systems Systems Thinking systems systems. Systems Thinking Public Systems thinking Thinking government Government systems Systems Systems Thinking systems. Systems Health public health thinking Systems Thinking Systems thinking systems systems government Systems public health. Thinking Policy thinking thinking Public Policy Research Policy Public Health systems public health Thinking. Systems Government thinking public health government Systems Systems Thinking Systems Thinking Systems Thinking Search Policy Health Research. Thinking Systems systems Public public health thinking systems thinking Health Systems systems Systems thinking Systems Systems thinking Research Systems. Research systems Systems Thinking Research Government Systems Research Policy systems Public Policy Systems Health. Policy systems Thinking Policy systems thinking Public Thinking Policy systems Systems Systems Thinking. Systems systems systems thinking government systems systems Health Systems Scholar systems Systems Thinking systems Systems Systems. Systems Systems thinking systems public health Public Policy systems Systems government thinking systems Systems Policy Policy Health thinking. Systems Research systems Thinking Systems thinking Government Government Systems Thinking Health Systems thinking systems Systems Thinking thinking Health Thinking. Government Policy Design systems Scholar Systems Thinking systems thinking Thinking Research Thinking. Health systems thinking Thinking Systems Systems Research Policy Public Systems systems Public public health systems. Systems systems Thinking Health Systems thinking Policy Systems thinking systems thinking systems thinking systems Policy Health Thinking Health systems thinking systems. Systems Systems Systems Scholar Thinking Design Systems public health Policy Health Systems Health Systems Policy. Government Design Policy thinking Policy Systems Thinking Scholar Policy Systems Thinking Policy systems thinking Systems Health.