systems.txt

systems.txt

thinking in systems by donella meadows

a) the behavior of a system cannot be known by just knowing the elements
of which the system is made — blind men and elephant

b) a system is more than the sum of its parts — made of parts,
interconnections, purpose. changing interconnections and purpose change
the system

c) stocks are important elements in a system — connected by flows 

d) stocks can be increased by increasing the inflow or decreasing the
outflow

e) stocks levels change slowly — they act as buffers or shock absorbers
in systems

f) feedback loops are due to the level of the stock and go back into the
inflow to affect the level

g) two types of feedback loops — balancing and reinforcing 

h) systems with similar feedback structure produce similar dynamic
behaviors

i) a delay in a balancing feedback loop will likely make the system to
oscillate

j) no physical system can grow forever — for a reinforcing feedback loop
there must be a balancing feedback loop

k) systems that work well are resilient, self-organizing and hierarchical

l) self-organizing help systems evolve

m) hierarchy helps systems to work efficiently

n) system behavior reveals itself as a series of events over time

o) many relationships in a systems are non-linear

p) there are no separate systems. the world is a continuum. where to draw
a boundary around a system depends on the purpose of the discussion

q) the most important flow in a system is the one that is the most
limiting

r) physical entities are surrounded by layers of limits. there is always
a limit to growth

s) when there are long delays in feedback loops, some sort of freight is
essential

t) the bounded rationality of each actor in a system may not lead to
decisions that further the welfare of the system as a whole

u) when various actors pull a system stock toward various goals the
result is policy resistance. the way out is to let go.

v) various actors can benefit from using a commonly shared resource, but
they also share the cost of its abuse by every other actor (tragedy of
the commons). the way out is: a) education, b) privatization, c) regulation

w) feedback loops based on past performance, especially when there is a
negative bias in perceiving the performance, make a system drift toward
low performance. the way out is to set absolute performance standards

x) system can be locked in an escalation trap where various actors try
to surpass each other. the way out is to not get in the arms race in
the first place

y) a feedback loop can lead to a system that systematically reward
winning actors and punish losers. the way out is: diversification
and limitations

z) when the solution to a systemic problem addresses the symptoms
but not the real problem a feedback loop can make the system become
dependent on the solution that addresses the symptoms making the
system deteriorate in the long run. the way out is to not get into
the trap

aa) rules to govern a system can lead to rule beating. the way out is
to redesign the rules

bb) system are sensitive to the goals of feedback loops, the system
may work to produce the wrong result if these goals are wrong. the way
out is to make sure the goals are set correctly. pay attention to
systems that produce effort and not result