Thinking in Systems: A Primer |  | Author: Donella H. Meadows
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
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Rating:  33 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 240
Number Of Items: 1
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Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 1603580557
Dewey Decimal Number: 003
EAN: 9781603580557
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| • | ISBN13: 9781603580557 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
In the years following her role as the lead author of the international bestseller, Limits to Growththe first book to show the consequences of unchecked growth on a finite planet Donella Meadows remained a pioneer of environmental and social analysis until her untimely death in 2001.Meadows newly released manuscript, Thinking in Systems, is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institutes Diana Wright, this essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers how to develop the systems-thinking skills that thought leaders across the globe consider critical for 21st-century life.Some of the biggest problems facing the worldwar, hunger, poverty, and environmental degradationare essentially system failures. They cannot be solved by fixing one piece in isolation from the others, because even seemingly minor details have enormous power to undermine the best efforts of too-narrow thinking.While readers will learn the conceptual tools and methods of systems thinking, the heart of the book is grander than methodology. Donella Meadows was known as much for nurturing positive outcomes as she was for delving into the science behind global dilemmas. She reminds readers to pay attention to what is important, not just what is quantifiable, to stay humble, and to stay a learner.In a world growing ever more complicated, crowded, and interdependent, Thinking in Systems helps readers avoid confusion and helplessness, the first step toward finding proactive and effective solutions.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 33
 THE handbook for living January 12, 2009
Carolyn Thornlow (New York)
14 out of 17 found this review helpful
In a nutshell, this book is about systems. So much more than this, it is a journey into the meta-rules of how the universe and everything in it comes and "plays" together. There is one thing to be understood that applies to physiology, businesses, economies, plants and puppies alike. Everything is a system. And all systems have behaviors and rules. As Donella Meadows writes: "The trick...is to recognize what structures contain which latent behaviors, and what conditions release those behaviors -- and where possible to arrange the structures and conditions to reduce the probability of destructive behaviors and to encourage the possibility of beneficial ones."
Grasping "the whole universe" is certainly a momumental task. The book brilliantly presents concepts in very graspable units. She starts with picturing what a system is -- a stock with inflows and outflows that affect its stability and all of which are further affected by feedback loops and delays.
So armed with this model, individuals may be better guided in their decisions and actions as it becomes clear that actions can beget other actions and reactions (or unintended consequences.) But there is even more complexity. For instance, policies are a way to control the stocks and flows within a system. However, one of several behavior archetypes is policy resistance which comes from the bounded rationality of the actors within a system, each with his or her own goal. Meadows takes the reader on a deep and thought-provoking journey through all the behavior archetypes of systems. The result is an empowering "forewarned is forearmed" knowledge.
That is the ultimate goal of this book. When people affect positive change in the world -- and it just may be everyone's duty to do that -- it is through smart and correct controls on a system. Ms. Meadows then gives the knowledge to do this. She lays out the leverage points in any system -- the opportunities for making things right or better. The coda is a legacy of thoughts to live by, the last and perhaps most important of which is "Don't Erode the Goal of Goodness."
With such profound applicability, this book is the handbook for living. Everyone on the planet should read it.
Clear and persuasive introduction to systems thinking March 12, 2009
Jessica Weissman (Silver Spring, MD USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Dana Meadows was the possessor of a profound and influential mind, and as one of the authors of The Limits to Growth pioneered the systems approach to problem-solving. This book outlines and describes and gives examples of how to examine and diagnose and understand systems. A system is an intricately connected set of things, processes, influences, people, etc. Pretty much every problem that's important to solve involves a system of some kind, and many solutions that attack one prominent and visible feature of a system fail because of the effects of the rest of the system.
Perhaps this seems obvious, at least now, but there is much to learn from Ms. Meadows book (edited by a friend after her death). The examples are well-chosen and range widely enough that there will be at least one you (or the coworker, boss, board member, or other person you want to influence) will understand and be affected by.
And, yes, the writing is clear and attractive. If you're interested in these complex issues, read the book. And pass it to anyone you know who is about to enter the working world. We need more systems thinkers.
Wonder and Mystery March 7, 2009
K. Davis (Oklahoma City, OK USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This author, Donella H. Meadows, died before her book could be published, and Diana Wright did some editing to prepare it for publication. It is an excellent book. I expect it will be used as a textbook.
Systems are complex, but the book is understandable and clearly written. It points out that thinking about the world is thinking in terms of a model--it is impossible for us to comprehend and analyze everything about a system.
The book may for you as it did for me arouse a sense of awe. There are so many things that happen in this world differently from the way we expected in advance that they would happen. Systems modeling looks at reasons why. It is awesome, truly.
Making the complex less complicated March 15, 2009
Mitchell R. Alegre (Glenwood, New York)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Systems are complex; they need not be complicated. Donella H. Meadows in her book "Thinking in Systems" does an excellent job in untangling the complex elements of systems so as to make an understanding of systems less complicated. With diagrams and clear explanations, Meadows provides the reader with the basic knowledge needed to comprehend the complex world of systems. But she does not end there. She also explains how systems may be influenced. The book identifies system traps and how to avoid them. Leverage points for intervening in systems are explained. How to live within systems is discussed.
This is a timely book. The economic, social, political, and environmental crises we face today are systems problems. They can be resolved only if we understand the dynamics of systems. A quote in the book by Václav Havel reads that "we must learn to wait as we learn to create." An understanding of systems can give us the patience and knowledge we need as citizens and leaders to resolve our current crises. Reading this book is an excellent start toward achieving that understanding.
Perfect Introduction April 24, 2009
T. Anderson (PA USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This little book zeros in on Systems Thinking and provides the reader with all the information they need to get started down the road of commonsense.
It covers stock and flow diagrams in detail. The author's style of teaching and writing make the reading very easy. She uses examples that are really easy to relate to.
This book will make you start looking at everything as a stock, flow, or feedback loop.
The samples are intended to be built in Stella/iThink and there is an appendix that has all the formulas in it. The thinking in systems web site says they are developing the models for download. In the meantime, you can build them all pretty quickly using the formulas provided.
If you have no Systems Thinking experience, this book is a perfect introduction that should be read before reading a book like Software Process Dynamics.
I recommend this book to anyone that wants a little more logic in their thought life. I really does put a new perspective on things.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 33
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