In biophysics from Harvard in 1968. In chemistry from Carleton College in 1963, and a Ph.D. She was educated in science, receiving a B.A. 'Dana' Meadows was a pioneering American environmental scientist, teacher, and writer.
A football team is made up of players, a coach, a ball (elements) the rules of the game, communication between players (interconnections) with the aim to win, get exercise (purpose). A system consists of 3 parts – elements, interconnections and purpose e.g. People, cells – interconnected in such a way as to produce its own pattern of behaviour over time. A system is a set of things e.g. It is intended for people who may be wary of the word ‘systems’ and the field of systems analysis, even though they may have been doing systems thinking all their lives.Buy the book and read about system technicalities and conceptual tools, stocks, oscillations, delays, and boundaries … What follows is a summary focusing on real world problem solving through systemic level shifts. This book is about that different way of seeing and thinking.
If a government states it wants to protect the environment but allocates little money or effort towards environmental protection, then this is not the true purpose of the system. The purpose of a system is not what is stated through goals, or declared in rhetoric, but is seen in behaviour – e.g. Team pride and reputation are examples of intangible elements in football.
A system with many parts but few connections is detailed but not complex. What makes a system different is the influence of its parts on one another. A system is more than the sum of its parts. However, if you take away the football players above, you no longer have (the system of) football.
The famous Stanford Prison Experiment(although not without criticism) has been seen to demonstrate this point – it found that volunteers put into a simulated prison environment adopted common attitudes and behaviours of real-life prison guards and prisoners. People adopt the cultures they find themselves in – to assimilate – to survive – perhaps unconsciously. Systems produce their own behaviours and cultures.
Patterns and Trends Level: There are many accidents on this stretch of road. EXAMPLE At the Events Level: There is an accident on the road. Long term behaviour (patterns, trends) provides clues as to the underlying system structure (which like the submerged part of an icebergremains hidden out of sight)
Critique Of Donella Meadows Thinking In Systems Drivers Are Changing
“ Blaming the individual rarely helps create a more desirable outcome.” They continue to persist despite numerous brilliant interventions because the problem remains at the systematic level – the system requires restructuring to solve these problems. The world’s wicked problems – hunger, poverty, environmental degradation, economic instability, unemployment, chronic disease – are all undesirable behaviours that are produced by systems. At the Structural Level: At this level, there must be a causal connection – due to many exits on this stretch of road, drivers are changing lanes often, leading to accidents the road is narrow with poor sight lights, causing more accidents when traffic is heavy.
“ Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.” A different system structure therefore will produce a different result.CREATING SUCCESSFUL SYSTEMS THAT PRODUCE DESIRED RESULTSSo, how do we change a system structure to produce more of what we want and less of the undesirable? Solutions lie at the systems level – the overarching rules and interconnections that influence the behaviour of participants within the system. Wars on drugs lead to drugs becoming more prevalent than ever.
If a behaviour persists over time, it’s likely there is a mechanism within the system creating that consistent behaviour. Redesigning the system is what makes the difference – changing goals, improving feedback information, changing incentives and disincentives, stresses and constraints in the system, will impact on the behaviour of actors in the system. Changing a leader in country (element) does not fundamentally change the system unless that leader changes the country’s purpose or rules. Changing the rules from football to basketball or changing the purpose from winning to losing – you have a whole new ball game. However, if any of the interconnections or purposes change, the system may become unrecognisable e.g. If you substitute all football players on a team, it is still recognisable as a football team.
Social systems are the external manifestations of cultural thinking – our beliefs and views are deeply embedded in our psyches, so much so we may be unaware of our inherent assumptions and biases. Small scale loans from internal sources and upskilling in accountancy and literacy were found to be the real needs of existing businesses, and potential source for economic expansion. Aid agencies arriving in Guatemala came with the intention of creating jobs and increasing entrepreneurship skills through factories and assembly plants funded by outside investment – completely ignoring the already existing and thriving local market full of small scale businesses, and existing job creation. Before intervening to make a system better, pay attention to the value of what’s already there e.g.
PARADIGMS – how we look at the world We can look at the influence of the following factors and leverage points in producing a change in system behaviour: A high leverage point is where a small force change causes a dramatic change in system behaviour. A leverage point is a place in a system where a change can lead to a shift in behaviour. The higher the leverage point, the more the system will resist changing it – it’s why societies often eliminate or exile truly enlightened beings.LEVERAGE POINTS – STRATEGIC POINTS OF ATTACK TO TRANSFORM SYSTEM BEHAVIOUR
One of the most powerful ways to influence the behaviour of a system is through its overarching goal. LIMITING FACTORS – the important ingredient1.WHAT KIND OF WORLD DO YOU WANT TO LIVE IN? BE AWARE OF THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF A SYSTEM BOUNDARIES – where does it begin and end? SYSTEM MERITOCRACY – level the playing field HIERARCHY– a system is only as strong as the sum of its parts RESILIENCE– system bouncebackability
What if we lived in a world where, instead of competing to have the highest per capita GNP, nations would compete to have the lowest infant mortality, the cleanest environment, and the smallest gap between rich and poor? It will not produce welfare, equity, or justice unless these are defined as goals of the system, and progress is regularly measured and reviewed. If the goal of a society is to increase Gross National Product (GNP) as a sign of a thriving economy, the societal system will focus on producing GNP. If the goal of a system is to deliver good education, measuring that goal by the amount of money spent per student will ensure money spent per student, but not necessarily a good education.
People within a system often don’t recognise the goal of the whole system they are serving. And if no one speaks up for them, if systems aren’t designed to produce them, they will cease to exist. No-one can define or measure love, justice, freedom, or truth – but all of us have a sense of their fundamental importance in our lives. Otherwise this can lead to setting goals around what can be easily measured rather than around what is truly important. Additionally, pay attention to what is important, not simply what is quantifiable.
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