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Systems Thinking: Unlocking Sustainable Value Through Holistic Insights

Unlock organisational performance by understanding interconnectedness, managing complexity, and enabling sustainable decision-making and continuous improvement.

Apply Systems Thinking to understand complexity, improve decision-making, and drive sustainable organisational change.

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https://nkdagility.com/resources/systems-thinking/

Overview

Systems Thinking is a holistic approach that enables organisations to understand and navigate complexity by viewing systems as interconnected wholes rather than isolated parts. This perspective is crucial for improving decision-making and fostering sustainable organisational change. By recognising the interdependencies within systems, teams can identify leverage points that lead to significant improvements in performance and value delivery.

This approach matters because it encourages a culture of collaboration and shared understanding, allowing teams to anticipate the consequences of their actions across the entire system. It empowers organisations to adapt more effectively to change, as they can better understand how various elements influence one another. Systems Thinking also supports the principles of Agile, Lean, and DevOps by promoting continuous learning and improvement, ensuring that teams can respond to feedback and evolving requirements in a predictable manner.

By integrating Systems Thinking into their practices, organisations can enhance their ability to innovate and deliver value consistently, creating a resilient framework that supports long-term success. This systemic view not only aids in problem-solving but also cultivates an environment where teams can thrive, ultimately leading to more effective and sustainable outcomes.

Learn More about Systems Thinking

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Organisational Physics

Organisational Physics is a conceptual model that uses systems thinking to analyse and influence the dynamics within organisations, focusing on the interplay between people, processes, and technology.
Blog

Why Measuring Individual Cycle Time is Killing Your Flow (And What to Do Instead)

Measuring individual cycle time in Kanban misleads teams, hides real bottlenecks, and harms flow. Focus on system-wide metrics like PCE, WIP, and throughput instead.
Tags

Complexity Thinking

An approach to understanding and managing organisations, systems, and uncertainty using complexity science, emergence, and nonlinear dynamics. Incudes but not limited to Cynefin and Stacy.
Videos

There’s No Such Thing as an Agile Transformation: Why You Should Focus on the System, Not the Culture

Explains why lasting organisational change comes from adjusting systems—rules, processes, and structures—rather than trying to directly transform culture.
Signals

Why Measuring Individual Cycle Time Fails to Help Teams

Measuring individual cycle time overlooks team performance and system bottlenecks. Focus on lead time, throughput, and process efficiency to improve workflow.
Signals

Measuring Worker Speed in Manufacturing Plant Operations

Measuring individual worker speed in manufacturing or knowledge work can create bottlenecks; true efficiency comes from improving the whole system, not just individuals.
Videos

Addressing Systemic Issues in Agile Organizations

Explores why Agile fails without addressing systemic issues, highlighting the need for organisational change, meaningful metrics, and the courage to make bold improvements.
Videos

Transforming Agile: How to Shift from Blame to Systemic Solutions for Better Team Dynamics

Explores how shifting from blame to addressing systemic issues and measurement systems can improve team dynamics, collaboration, and agility in software development.
Videos

Avoiding the Local Optimisation Trap: How to Ensure Your Governance Drives Organisational Success

Explains how focusing on isolated improvements in governance can harm overall organisational success, and offers strategies for integrated, system-wide optimisation.

Connect with Martin Hinshelwood

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