Distinctions

Is

  • Recurring outcomes are produced by the way the system is organized, not by individuals. 1

Is Not

Boundary

Systems

Relationships

RelationshipConceptRationale
central toSystems ThinkingSystems thinking explains recurring outcomes by examining the structures that generate behavior rather than attributing results to individual actors.
challengesBlame CultureRecognizing that system structures generate behavior shifts explanations away from blaming individuals and toward examining the system itself.

Perspectives

Footnotes

  1. Thinking In Systems