Stray From the Standard
Systems thinking can bring fresh ideas to essays and mission plans by helping you step back from conventional approaches and broaden your perspective.
THE IDEA
Stray From the Standard
Stepping back from conventional thinking can open up new perspectives. When writing essays or mission plans, systems thinking can help you see connections and broaden your approach.
When to use it
Writing an academic paper that explores connections between disciplines.
When developing a business strategy to identify unintended consequences.
When planning a community project to see the bigger picture and long-term effects.
When solving a complex problem where linear thinking fails to capture interdependencies.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Business Strategy Essay
When writing a business strategy essay, instead of following the standard SWOT analysis, use systems thinking to map out interconnected feedback loops and identify leverage points.
Non-Profit Mission Plan
In a mission plan for a non-profit, step back from conventional metrics and consider how systemic changes could lead to long-term impact.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
In what areas of your life do you default to conventional thinking? How could systems thinking provide a fresh perspective?
Think of a recent essay or project. What might you have learned by trying a different approach?
What assumptions are you making that might be limiting your view of a problem? How would a systems perspective challenge them?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Thinking in Systems and Mental Models Think Like a Super Thinker (Dawson, Marcus P)