
50 The Complete Guide to Systems Thinking and Learning
Tool #3 #2 Systems Question—The Need for Feedback
Application of Systems Dynamics #5: Feedback
After answering The #1 Question, ask
The #2 Question—
“And how will I know I’ve achieved
it?” (i.e., feedback loop of outcome measures).
The concept of feedback is important in understanding how a system maintains a steady state
or how it changes successfully. Information concerning the outputs of the system is fed back as
an input to the system.
This crucial concept, which is taken from the control theory of the engineer, consists of
modifying the behavior of a system by reinserting the results of actual ...