Having come this far, you must have gotten the bug already. You may even have realized that there is tremendous power in the idea of holistic iterative thinking. To internalize it, you must make it your own. This means that you should: (1) make notes of the major points that were of interest to you, (2) repeat the main arguments to yourself in your own language, and (3) share them with others. The best way to learn is to teach. If you can excite others and make them listen to you for one hour, you are on your way to becoming an effective systems designer.

Systems thinking is the art of simplifying complexity. It is about seeing through chaos, managing interdependency, and understanding choice. We see the world as increasingly more complex and chaotic because we use inadequate concepts to explain it. When we understand something, we no longer see it as chaotic or complex.

Learning the systems methodology is very much like learning to play chess. The rules are relatively simple, but proficiency comes only with practice. Stay appreciative of the imperatives of the systems dimensions in your life. Apply the systems principles to your daily encounters. These concepts are even more potent and relevant in a personal context. To understand complexity, one needs to discover the underlying rhythm — the order by which things repeat themselves.

The first few tries are not going to be easy, but once you get the hang of it you will enjoy the power of iterative thinking. Seeing things differently and clearly, in their proper perspective, results in a new mode of being. You will be able to manage outward, influence those whom you do not control, and produce an order-of-magnitude change in the throughput of any system of which you are in charge. Soon, you will discover that the world is full of frustrated heroes waiting to be discovered. Happiness and success, as well as love, must be continuously reproduced. “They lived happily ever after” is a lie. You will learn that excitement, as the essence of beauty, is the most potent instrument of change and social integration. And that power-to-do is a matter of competence. Like knowledge, power is enhanced when it is shared. Last, but not least, people are more likely to implement an idea when they have had a hand in shaping it.

The following tips will get you started.

Get a good handle on the problem before you try to solve it. Do not accept problems at face value. Remember, neither a problem nor a solution can be entertained free of context. A tendency to define problems in terms of their solutions, and a strong preference for context-free solutions will merely continue regenerating the past, reproducing the same non-solution all over again. Do not use universal constraints such as time and information or resources to define problems. It implies that you have defined the problem in terms of a known solution. This may be assuming more than what you really want to say. Do not entertain any suggestions for possible solutions while you are still engaged in the process of defining the problem.

Separate the process of defining the problem from the process of producing the solution. Look at the bigger picture; try to see the problems as interactive elements of a mess, the future implicit in the present behavior of the system. To map the mess, generate a snapshot of the system under study. Deal iteratively with function (the output), structure (the major actors), process (how they do what they do), and purpose (the role the system plays in its containing environment). Try to identify obstructions to proper functioning of the wealth, power, beauty, knowledge, and value dimensions of the system. This should point to a web of problems. Finally, you can capture the future implicit in the present order by recognizing that (1) cause and effect may form circular relations; (2) events may have multiple outcomes, each with a different time lag; (3) if “X” is good, more “X” is not necessarily better; and (4) tenacity in playing the old game converts success to failure. It is not a good idea to make people feel defensive about their past. Presenting the mess as the consequence of success will go a long way toward getting it accepted.

To design a solution, start with an exciting vision of the future that you are capable of producing and then work backward to the existing system. There is a logic to this apparent madness. Ask children who like to solve mazes. They will tell you why you should start from the end.

Imagine that the system you were dealing with was destroyed overnight; everything else remained intact, and you are to re-create it anew. There is a twisted logic in this proposition as well. The point is, if you are not able to produce an acceptable design within the existing order, despite the absence of imposing constraints, then there might not be a light at the end of the tunnel at all. This means that real problems may lie in the environment rather than within the design itself. Change your focus; try to influence your immediate environment by managing outward. If this is not possible, you may be better off to get the hell out of that impossible situation.

Design is the potential means of controlling, influencing, and appreciating the parameters affecting the system's existence. The parameters that coproduce the future are found in the interactions of five dimensions of a social system. Creating compatibility and reinforcing relations among power, knowledge, wealth, beauty, and value produces a resonance, a 10X force that, in most situations, will overcome the most stubborn obstacles.

The five systems architectures discussed in the last part of this book were all based on an exciting notion of modular design. Modular design is the most potent and practical means of handling change and implementing complex designs, without getting lost in the process. This notion of modularity is a variation of the powerful concept originally used in the design of complex computers. It is the extension of this design principle to the organization of the computer industry as a whole that is responsible for its remarkable success. It created the ability to build a complex product from smaller subsystems that can be designed independently yet function together as a whole.

Recall that to create a modular structure we first had to design an architecture — a general description of a system in terms of its vital functions, major elements, and critical processes. An architecture consists of a set of distinct, but interrelated, platforms. Each platform hosts a set of special-purpose modules. Relationships and the interfaces among platforms are explicitly defined. Parts operate as independent systems with the ability to be relatively self-controlling and yet act as responsible members of a coherent system with the ability to respond effectively to the requirements of their containing whole. Modular design is a powerful instrument of change. Use it to the best of your ability.

Keep in touch. Let me know how this version of Systems Thinking is working out for you. Send your e-mail to [email protected].