Systemic Thinking for Public Managers

Chapter 1 Introduction

DOI: 10.4324/9781003335153-1

Systemic Thinking

Systemic thinking is a mode of thinking that is holistic, focused on organizations as systems, aware of boundaries, and aware of the communication that occurs between systems (Boardman & Sauser, 2013). Systemic thinking is inclusive of other forms of thought that support understanding and managing a system. In this book, systemic thinking is comprised of systems thinking, critical thinking, and design thinking, as shown in Figure 1.1.

Systems thinking is an inclusive approach to management and leadership that seeks input from diverse perspectives. Critical thinking drives analysis and decision-making through the questioning of assumptions, thus regulating systems thinking. ...