Introduction
Welcome to this free course, Understanding systems thinking in practice (STiP).
Systems thinking in practice (STiP) is the namesake of an innovative Open University postgraduate programme of study that was launched in 2009. The core STiP modules were designed to draw upon and develop experiences and skillsets of mostly mature-age students wanting to enhance their individual professional practice.
Understanding STiP is presented in two parts introducing three core STiP activities based on a STiP heuristic for making strategy and improving ‘wicked’ situations of change and uncertainty.
This course provides a brief overview of five key systems approaches.
These approaches are:
- system dynamics (SD)
- viable system model (VSM)
- strategic options development and analysis (SODA)
- soft systems methodology (SSM)
- critical systems heuristics (CSH).
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- understand systems thinking as a relational activity in terms of being both systemic and systematic
- describe three STiP activities – understanding interrelationships, engaging with multiple perspectives and reflecting on boundary judgements – relevant to any situation of professional interest
- appreciate the range of conceptual tools from key systems approaches for making strategy in changing situations
- craft some initial systems design with attention to both systemic desirability (thinking) and systematic feasibility (practice) in a situation of your own professional interest
- describe examples of conventional managerial entrapments associated with reductionism, dogmatism, holism, and pluralism, to which systems thinking is addressed.
This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University postgraduate course TB871 Making strategy with systems thinking in practice and draws on the 2nd edition (2020) publication of Systems Approaches to Making Change: A Practical Guide by M. Reynolds, and S. Holwell (eds.) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-7472-1_1