Overview
Schaveling & Bryan (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018) — Practical application of systems thinking (Goodman & Senge tradition) to organizational decision-making. Core thesis: organizations waste enormous energy on the same recurring problems because they apply sticking-plaster solutions instead of addressing root causes. Translation/adaptation of Dutch bestsellers on systems thinking.
Core Problem
“Yes, you’re absolutely right, we should set aside some time to analyse this problem in greater depth, but what are we going to do now?”
This mindset — action bias over analysis — creates a never-ending cycle: problem → solution → problem → solution → problem. The book argues for postponing the “doing” to investigate what’s really happening.
Key Themes
- Firefighting vs. Root Causes — Most organizational “solutions” are kneejerk responses that create new problems
- Adaptive Challenges vs. Technical Problems — Technical problems can be solved with current knowledge; adaptive challenges require learning and changing assumptions
- Dilemma Management — Time dilemma (short vs. long-term), Scope dilemma (narrow vs. wide), Part-whole dilemma
- System Loops — Tools for creating causal loop diagrams to make systemic behavior visible
- Leadership — Systems thinking as leadership practice, not just analytical technique
Structure
- Making Better Decisions Using Systems Thinking
- What Is Systems Thinking? — Looking at the whole, unintended side effects, underlying dynamics
- The Evolutionary Heritage — Two cognitive systems, theory of reality, data compression
- Good Management: Dealing Wisely with Dilemmas
Case Study: Imtech
A €4B European technical enterprise that went to the brink of bankruptcy despite multiple rescue attempts — because management focused on day-to-day firefighting rather than systemic analysis. The company’s growth-by-acquisition strategy had obscured its loss of purpose and broken feedback loops.
Related
- thinking-in-systems — Meadows’ foundational primer that this book applies to practical management
- systems-thinking-playbook — Booth Sweeney’s experiential exercises for developing systems thinking habits