Systems Thinking Review
FRAME: Feedback loops and lags in Systems
The Art of Systems Thinking: Part One
by Joseph O’Connor & Ian McDermott – Review by Bryan Coffman
A system is an entity that maintains its existence and functions as a whole through the interaction of its parts. The behavior of systems depends on how the parts are related, rather than on the parts themselves. Therefore you can understand many different systems using the same principles. Each part of the system may influence the whole system, and changes to any part of the system will always have side effects.
This review walks us through the components of the model presented by O’Conner and McDermott and provides brief explanations of each component. We learn about different types of feedback and what can be done with the information that feedback is providing.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- The Components of the Model
- Reinforcing Feedback
- Balancing Feedback
- Lags – Time Delays
- The Ordeal of Fire and Ice
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