Systems Thinking

A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.

– John Gall (Systemantics: How Systems Really Work and How They Fail)

Chaos

Basic building blocks follow simple rules and create complex systems

Before a complexity threshold, there is convergence. For example,

• Organic molecules converge to a finite number of possible stable states, proteins
• Plants and animals in a desert end up with a small set of strategies to survive

After the threshold, a system enters into the land of chaos. A minor change can create enormous differences. There is no balance point to arrive

Key Concepts

Feedback loops

Bottlenecks

Constraints

Equilibrium

Churn

Compunding

Atomicity

Margin of Safety

Backup Systems

Criticality

Emergence

When systems look broken, it’s often because the function they’re really trying to serve is not what we think. Companies, schools, hospitals, politics, ..

“Simple rules produce complex behavior. Complex rules produce stupid behavior.”