Systems Thinking

Identify, analyse and evaluate relationships among systems’ parts, with the use of simulation tools and systems thinking techniques and frameworks to understand situations and drive change for improvements

Type

Functional

Competency Area

Analytical Thinking

Levels

Examine the interactions of components within systems to attain holistic understanding of how the parts relate to one another

Identify and diagnose the root causes of problems

Apply concepts of systems archetypes to analyse and attain holistic understanding of problems

Break down concepts and issues to facilitate understanding of individual parts of their systems

Analyse causal relationships and draw connections between elements of a system causing feedback to one another

Identify counterproductive approaches in solving issues or problems

Evaluate the interdependencies across the organisation to link patterns and trends across systems, programmes and operations

Guide stakeholders to interpret design problems in new ways

Critique mental models and archetypes to challenge current ways of thinking

Evaluate interactions between systems and their external environment to determine causal relationships

Facilitate the use of systems thinking to change perceptions and mental models to bring about new design insights and ideas

Simulate effects of management decisions, using design simulation tools

Synthesise insights and link patterns and trends across different organisational systems, programmes and operations

Drive strategic alignment of systems and processes across functional teams and departments in the organisation

Formulate multiple interventions to address the identified root causes to design problems

Develop strategies to deal with different systems archetypes

Manage the anticipated impact of trade-offs to the various elements of systems

Drive interventions utilising enterprise knowledge management (EKM) to foster an enterprise thinking culture across the organisation

Align organisational stakeholders and the design community to enhance effectiveness and depth of design work