Is systems thinking useful for government policy?

Systems thinking is an approach that views problems as part of a whole. It examines how parts of a system connect. The approach considers broad patterns, not isolated events.

Government policy often deals with complex, interconnected challenges. Regular methods can miss the ties between problems. With this approach, the broader context is clearer.

Root causes become clearer with this method. Better solutions can result from this understanding. It can stop unintended results from occurring.

Departments work together more using this approach. Silos are eliminated in government by systems thinking. It leads to stronger communication and cooperation.

It raises the quality of government decisions. Predictions about outcomes are easier. Policies become more sustainable with these insights.

Many governments are beginning to use systems thinking in policy making. It supports creative responses to change. Complex issues are easier to solve.

It allows reaction to new challenges. Lessons from history are more useful with this method. This approach builds flexibility into government policies.

It builds resilience into government policy. Risks are identified early. Governments look to the future with systems thinking.

Evaluation shapes policy outcomes. Policies are changed based on results. Government policy keeps improving over time.

Systems thinking works throughout policy making. Systems thinking is helpful in every phase. Effectiveness is maintained.

Engagement with the public is easier. Systems thinking bridges government and citizens. Inclusivity is strengthened in government.

Governments can use systems thinking to break old patterns. Mistakes are not repeated. Improvement is ongoing.

It deals with persistent policy challenges. Solutions are more innovative. Major problems are managed better.

Many viewpoints are considered. Stakeholder involvement is encouraged. Government decisions are improved.

Applying systems thinking may require new skills and training. Investing in skills is key. This prepares staff to address today’s complex challenges.

Resources are managed more efficiently. Effective solutions are identified. Money is spent efficiently.

Success measurement improves. The approach uses specific indicators. Outcomes are monitored easily.

Decisions are clearer to the public. Communication is open. This builds trust in government policies.

Policy outcomes are improved. Policy becomes more resilient and effective. All policy areas can use this approach.

Is systems thinking important for government policy reform?

exploring mechanisms for systemic thinking in decision-making through three country applications of sdg synergies - sustainability science

increased systems thinking capacity—that is, the capacity to consider systemic effects of policies and actions—is necessary for translating knowledge on sustainable development goals’ (sdgs) interactions into practice. various models and tools that seek to support more evidence-based policy-making have been developed with the purpose of exploring system effects across sdgs. however, these often lack integration of behavioral aspects and contextual factors that influence the decision-making process. we analyze three applications of a decision-support approach called sdg synergies, which aims at building capacity in systems thinking among decision-makers and implementing agencies. our objective is to explore how behavior and context influences whether and how knowledge is taken up and acted upon when making decisions. drawing on empirical material from mongolia, colombia, and sri lanka, we identify three sets of mechanisms that appear important for enabling more systemic thinking: system boundaries (time, scale, and space), rules of engagement (ownership, representation, and purpose), and biases (confirmation biases and participation biases). results highlight some key challenges for systemic thinking that merit further attention in future applications, including the importance of localizing sdgs and incorporating this knowledge to national-level assessments, an unwillingness of stakeholders to acknowledge trade-offs, the challenge of addressing transformational as opposed to incremental change, and striking a balance between the flexibility of the approach vis-à-vis scientific robustness.

how systems thinking enhances systems leadership

by catherine hobbs and gerald midgley systems leadership involves organisations, including governments, collaborating to address complex issues and achieve necessary systemic transformations. so, i…

the growing popularity of systems thinking

systems thinking has seen growing popularity in current times. with world events such as the covid-19 pandemic, the ukraine war, the macro-economic uncertainty in the developed world, and the climate emergency, governments, industries, nonprofits, and education institutions have come to realize that

it’s time for the uk government to embrace systems mapping

by pete barbrook-johnson, co-author of systems mapping: how to build and use causal models of systems.

frontiers | systems thinking in practice when implementing a national policy program for the improvement of women

interest in applying systems thinking (st) in public health and healthcare improvement has increased in the past decade, but its practical use is still uncle...

systems thinking: a better way to make public policy

decisions in one realm have ripple effects in others. public programs need to reflect that reality.

systemic governing – applied systems thinking in practice - ed straw

“the covid-19 pandemic has shown what governments can do when faced with an existential threat……”

applying systems thinking to policy making - centre for science and policy

in november 2022, the centre for science and policy delivered a series of policy workshops on how to apply systems thnking to policy making. these workshops brought together policy makers and experts to discuss health systems, physical infrastructure, and conflict.

why systems thinking isn

systems thinking very much has a role to play across all government priorities.

a systems thinking approach for community health and wellbeing - systemic practice and action research

under national or state-based legislation, local governments are commonly required to prepare municipal health and wellbeing plans. yet, the issues these plans aim to address are often complex, and programmatic planning approaches traditionally used by practitioners struggle to engage with such complexity as they assume these issues can be ‘solved’ in isolation. systems thinking is increasingly being used as an approach to deal with those struggles more effectively, yet little is known about whether local governments and other stakeholders think systems approaches are feasible and acceptable in practice. this study tested a systems thinking approach to gauge if it could better address complex place-based health and wellbeing issues, such as to reduce noncommunicable diseases. guided by a systems change framework, the approach comprised a facilitated systemic inquiry and rich picture process involving diverse stakeholders in a remote municipality in the australian state of tasmania. among the participants there was broad support for the systems approach tested and they thought it was effective for increasing systems thinking capacity, collaboratively revealing systemic issues, and identifying opportunities to address those issues. they valued the rich picture because it created shared understandings of local issues. the findings suggest more is needed from macro-level policy to support place-based stakeholders to undertake systems approaches in practice, which could result in more sustainable and effective systems change required to improve health and wellbeing outcomes. the findings have implications for theory, research, and practice across interdisciplinary fields concerned with placed-based systems change, especially in rural and remote municipalities.

systems thinking: taking a systemic approach

systems thinking is a mental framework that helps us to become better problem solvers. it takes a systemic approach to solving complex issues.

in praise of systems thinking: what are “systems thinking” and “system dynamics”? | fe news

| in praise of systems thinking: what are “systems thinking” and “system dynamics”?

why you need systems thinking now

traditional innovation approaches—breakthrough and design thinking—often ignore the complex ripple effects they produce in interconnected systems. in a world facing multifaceted challenges like climate change and sustainability, a systems-thinking approach offers a more resilient and holistic path forward. systems thinking emphasizes understanding interdependencies, redefining problems iteratively, and engaging diverse stakeholders to co-create solutions. this article outlines a four-step framework: (1) define a desired future state. (2) reframe problems so that they resonate across stakeholders. (3) focus on flows and relationships over discrete products. and (4) implement small nudges to gradually shift the system. examples from maple leaf foods, co-operators insurance, and the csa group illustrate how this approach can realign business models for long-term sustainability. while not a replacement for other innovation methods, systems thinking addresses their limitations in tackling “wicked problems.” it encourages companies to anticipate unintended consequences, build coalitions, and adaptively guide transformation in complex environments.

systems thinking to improve e-government evaluation

worldwide there is increasing interest in both academic and government sectors to evaluate the different impacts of electronic government (e-government) systems. a number of predictive, cause-effect, linearly and functionally oriented models of evaluation have been proposed and applied. the focus of...

systems thinking for better social policy: a case study in financial wellbeing | journal of social policy | cambridge core

systems thinking for better social policy: a case study in financial wellbeing

thinking in systems: why public policy needs… | dartmouth engineering

browsing the daily news headlines might lead one to conclude that we live in an era ruled by populism, fear, and misinformation. in reality, over the past…

systems thinking in uk environmental policy making

in recent years, there has been a marked rise in the use of systems thinking approaches in uk policy making institutions, especially in environmental domains. to better understand practice

support for policymakers | royal academy of engineering

engineering expertise meets policymaking practice - explore raeng programmes like policy fellowships and system approaches in government that bring systems thinking to government challenges

what can policy-makers get out of systems thinking? policy partners’ experiences of a systems-focused research collaboration in preventive health

background there is increasing interest in using systems thinking to tackle ‘wicked’ policy problems in preventive health, but this can be challenging for policy-makers because the literature is amorphous and often highly theoretical. little is known about how best to support health policy-makers to gain skills in understanding and applying systems thinking for policy action.   methods in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 policy-makers who are participating in an australian research collaboration that uses a systems approach. our aim was to explore factors that support policy-makers to use systems approaches, and to identify any impacts of systems thinking on policy thinking or action, including the pathways through which these impacts occurred.   results all 18 policy-makers agreed that systems thinking has merit but some questioned its practical policy utility. a small minority were confused about what systems thinking is or which approaches were being used in the collaboration. the majority were engaged with systems thinking and this group identified concrete impacts on their work. they reported using systems-focused research, ideas, tools and resources in policy work that were contributing to the development of practical methodologies for policy design, scaling up, implementation and evaluation; and to new prevention narratives. importantly, systems thinking was helping some policy-makers to reconceptualise health problems and contexts, goals, potential policy solutions and methods. in short, they were changing how they think about preventive health.   conclusion these results show that researchers and policy-makers can put systems thinking into action as part of a research collaboration, and that this can result in discernible impacts on policy processes. in this case, action-oriented collaboration and capacity development over a 5-year period facilitated mutual learning and practical application. this indicates that policy-makers can get substantial applied value from systems thinking when they are involved in extended co-production processes that target policy impact and are supported by responsive capacity strategies.

thinking in systems

an overview of thinking in systems and quick tips on how to recognize issues and apply solutions.

systems thinking for impactful innovation (ddn2-a48) - csps

this article explores the importance of systems thinking as a mindset for designing, developing, procuring and delivering products, services, programs and policies, and how to apply it to product management.

applying systems thinking to knowledge mobilisation in public health - health research policy and systems

context knowledge mobilisation (km) is a vital strategy in efforts to improve public health policy and practice. linear models describing knowledge transfer and translation have moved towards multi-directional and complexity-attuned approaches where knowledge is produced and becomes meaningful through social processes. there are calls for systems approaches to km but little guidance on how this can be operationalised. this paper describes the contribution that systems thinking can make to km and provides guidance about how to put it into action. methods we apply a model of systems thinking (which focuses on leveraging change in complex systems) to eight km practices empirically identified by others. we describe how these models interact and draw out some key learnings for applying systems thinking practically to km in public health policy and practice. examples of empirical studies, tools and targeted strategies are provided. findings systems thinking can enhance and fundamentally transform km. it upholds a pluralistic view of knowledge as informed by multiple parts of the system and reconstituted through use. mobilisation is conceived as a situated, non-prescriptive and potentially destabilising practice, no longer conceptualised as a discrete piece of work within wider efforts to strengthen public health but as integral to and in continual dialogue with those efforts. a systems approach to km relies on contextual understanding, collaborative practices, addressing power imbalances and adaptive learning that responds to changing interactions between mobilisation activities and context. conclusion systems thinking offers valuable perspectives, tools and strategies to better understand complex problems in their settings and for strengthening km practice. we make four suggestions for further developing empirical evidence and debate about how systems thinking can enhance our capacity to mobilise knowledge for solving complex problems – (1) be specific about what is meant by ‘systems thinking’, (2) describe counterfactual km scenarios so the added value of systems thinking is clearer, (3) widen conceptualisations of impact when evaluating km, and (4) use methods that can track how and where knowledge is mobilised in complex systems.

how systems thinking enhances systems leadership - realkm

by catherine hobbs and gerald midgley. originally published on the integration and implementation in

development of the systems thinking for health actions framework: a literature review and a case study

background systems thinking is an approach that views systems with a holistic lens, focusing on how components of systems are interconnected. specifically, the application of systems thinking has proven to be beneficial when applied to health systems. although there is plenty of theory surrounding systems thinking, there is a gap between the theoretical use of systems thinking and its actual application to tackle health challenges. this study aimed to create a framework to expose systems thinking characteristics in the design and implementation of actions to improve health.methods a systematised literature review was conducted and a taxonomy of systems thinking objectives was adapted to develop the new ‘systems thinking for health actions’ (stha) framework. the applicability of the framework was tested using the covid-19 response in pakistan as a case study.results the framework identifies six key characteristics of systems thinking: (1) recognising and understanding interconnections and system structure, (2) identifying and understanding feedback, (3) identifying leverage points, (4) understanding dynamic behaviour, (5) using mental models to suggest possible solutions to a problem and (6) creating simulation models to test policies. the stha framework proved beneficial in identifying systems thinking characteristics in the covid-19 national health response in pakistan.conclusion the proposed framework can provide support for those aiming to applying systems thinking while developing and implementing health actions. we also envision this framework as a retrospective tool that can help assess if systems thinking was applied in health actions.

systems thinking in local government: intervention design and adaptation in a community-based study - health research policy and systems

background systems thinking approaches are increasingly being used by communities to address complex chronic disease. this paper reports on the vichealth local government partnership (vlgp) which sought to co-create improvements in the health and well-being of children and young people by working with local government in victoria, australia. methods the vlgp included a series of health promotion modules, aimed at creating policy, programme and practice changes across local government. one of these modules, connecting the dots – creating solutions for lasting change, aimed to build capacity for systems thinking in municipal public health and well-being planning across 13 councils. the approach was adapted and data were collected on the stimuli for, and results of, adaptation. results the council adapted the systems thinking approach to meet geographic characteristics, priority health issue/s and participant target group needs. adaptions applied to workshop materials, training delivery, existing and new resources, and to align with other community-based approaches. stimuli for adaptation included the covid-19 pandemic, needs of children and young people, capacity of council to deliver the workshop series, and time available within the project or for the participant group. conclusions systems thinking was used and adapted by councils to improve the health and well-being of children and young people and increase the voices of children and young people in decision-making. flexible delivery is critical to ensure communities can adapt the approach to meet local needs.

systems thinking means better collaborative infrastructure outcomes | mott macdonald

cross-industry support for a new systems thinking report will help the built environment sector to deliver joined-up approaches with better results for people, places and planet, says mott macdonald’s global cities lead and fellow, clare wildfire.

systems thinking for policymaking

alyx slater from food standards agency reflects on why systems thinking is an essential component of policy design.

systems thinking: what is it and how do i apply it?

join our online event to explore the basics of systems thinking and why it

systems thinking for better policy and practice

last month we had a really interesting ibspn seminar on applications of systemic thinking to behaviour change. using a systems lens to explore behavioural challenges in policy development can lead to impactful and holistic policy solutions.

systems approaches - observatory of public sector innovation

systems thinking brings problems to the surface, making it easier for governments to collectively develop, influence and shape solutions, including in relation to grand missions, policy domains and governments themselves.

systemic governing - applied systems thinking in practice - observatory of public sector innovation

guest blog from the applied systems thinking in practice group, school of engineering & innovation, the open university (uk) systems thinking in times of complex challenges the covid-19 pandemic has shown what governments can do when faced with an existential threat: the climate and associated emergencies are existential threats. these will require even more of governments and of governance. further, these new ways of governing are what is needed to enable governments to achieve real...

systems thinking – local government utopia

posts about systems thinking written by lancingfarrell

Can government policy benefit from systems thinking? Does systems thinking make government policy better? Is systems thinking important for government policy reform? Can systems thinking transform government policy? How does systems thinking affect government policy? Is systems thinking effective for government policy making?
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