Systems Concepts in Action: A Practitioner's Toolkit
Stanford, Calif.: Stanford Business Books (2009), viii, 327 pp.
Contains index
ISBN 978-0-8047-7062-0 (hbk); 978-0-8047-7063-7 (pbk)
Signature commbox: 00-Management-E 2009
"Explores the application of systems ideas to investigate, evaluate, and intervene in complex and messy situations. The text serves as a field guide, with each chapter representing a method for describing and analyzing; learning about; or changing and managing a challenge or set of problems. The book is the first to cover in detail such a wide range of methods from so many different parts of the systems field. The book's Introduction gives an overview of systems thinking, its origins, and its major subfields. In addition, the introductory text to each of the book's three parts provides background information on the selected methods. Systems Concepts in Action may serve as a workbook, offering a selection of tools that readers can use immediately. The approaches presented can also be investigated more profoundly, using the recommended readings provided. While these methods are not intended to serve as "recipes," they do serve as a menu of options from which to choose." (Publisher description)
About systems, thinking systemically, and being systemic, 16
I. DESCRIBING AND ANALYZING SITUATIONS
1 Causal loop diagrams, 31
2 System dynamics, 45
3 Social network analysis, 60
4 Outcome mapping, 75
5 Process monitoring of impacts, 92
6 Strategic assumption surfacing and testing, 108
II. CHANGING AND MANAGING SITUATIONS
7 Strategic area assessment, 123
8 The CDE model, 136
9 Assumption-based planning, 153
10 Cynefin, 163
11 Solution focus, 184
12 Viable system model, 199
III. LEARNING ABOUT SITUATIONS
13 Cultural historical activity theory, 217
14 Soft systems methodology, 241
15 Dialectical methods of inquiry, 262
16 Scenario technique, 273
17 Systemic questioning, 284
18 Circular dialogues, 292
19 Critical systems heuristics, 303
I. DESCRIBING AND ANALYZING SITUATIONS
1 Causal loop diagrams, 31
2 System dynamics, 45
3 Social network analysis, 60
4 Outcome mapping, 75
5 Process monitoring of impacts, 92
6 Strategic assumption surfacing and testing, 108
II. CHANGING AND MANAGING SITUATIONS
7 Strategic area assessment, 123
8 The CDE model, 136
9 Assumption-based planning, 153
10 Cynefin, 163
11 Solution focus, 184
12 Viable system model, 199
III. LEARNING ABOUT SITUATIONS
13 Cultural historical activity theory, 217
14 Soft systems methodology, 241
15 Dialectical methods of inquiry, 262
16 Scenario technique, 273
17 Systemic questioning, 284
18 Circular dialogues, 292
19 Critical systems heuristics, 303
