Systems Approaches

Part 1: Thinking like a System

Systems approaches can be used in a variety of ways to help us create a better world. Here, we’ll talk about one systems thinking technique which helps us think in a more joined-up way. Read on to discover what it is and how it can help us understand issues more fully and with greater perspective.

Firstly, what is a system?

A system is something made of multiple parts which all interact with each other. The end result is greater than the sum of its parts...it takes on its own unique identity. For example, your body is a system – you’ve got many different aspects (organs, muscles, bones, etc.) which work together to power your body. More than this, you’ve got your own personality, you’re capable of a massive range of skills, you can talk about the meaning of life... Your parts add up to your own, unique identity.

Systems can be bigger than the human body. Your local community is a system, made of all the different people, groups, organisations, shops and services. Your community sits within your local eco-system, made of all the different plants, animals, insects, soils and waterways. Our planet Earth is a system, made of flora and fauna, people, forests, oceans and other habitats all around the world.

All these systems are connected. You impact your community, your community impacts the ecosystem around it, and vice versa. These wide-reaching interconnections mean that when change occurs in one place, it can spark change elsewhere.

So, what is systems thinking?

Systems thinking means that instead of looking at something on its own, you consider all the other things which relate and connect with it. You look at how these various elements link together, where they support each other and where they conflict. It’s like making a giant mind map.

Why is it useful for sustainability?

Systems thinking stops us putting the blinkers on and forgetting that our decisions have far-reaching impacts. It helps us realise who and what is affected by a particular issue, understand their perspectives and needs, and imagine what might happen if we took a particular course of action. This helps us create genuinely effective and sustainable change.

For example...

Let’s say we’d like to make London a car-free city. A win for the climate, a win for health, a win for safer streets! But how would we make this a reality? Let’s look at it from a systems perspective and see some of the interlinking issues...

You can see that systems thinking raises a lot of useful questions. Things like, “Who and what are going to be affected by this?” “Who benefits and who loses out?”

We can see positives, negatives and all things in between. Going car-free reduces greenhouse gas emissions, meaning less air pollution and positive impacts on people’s health. However, those who depend on cars for their livelihoods may lose out, meaning they experience potentially negative impacts on their health and wellbeing. This encourages us to think about equitable solutions – perhaps a re-training scheme to enable those affected to transition into low-carbon jobs...

We use systems thinking as much as we can here at Impact – when we dream up new ideas, put on events and decide what products to sell at our market stall. We try to think about all the interconnected issues to help us make the best decisions we can at the time.

By exploring all the nooks and crannies of an idea, we are well placed to find decent, realistic solutions to big challenges. We are able to ask: “How can we ensure that we meet the needs of all people and the rest of nature?”

Food for thought.......

Author: Lucy Bird

Lucy is an Impact Festival Trustee and general sustainability whizz! She holds an MSc in Sustainability from the Centre for Alternative Technology, and currently works for Change Agents as their Sustainability Projects & Education Lead.