how we think shapes what a system lets us see
in our systems leadership program with Dana Shen, we are working through a series that takes the systems practice framework one area at a time. the framework names six areas of systems practice, knowing, being, doing, relating, thinking and perceiving, and the capabilities each asks of us. we explore a practice area through concepts and methods, and through mindfulness meditation. we also run peer coaching clinics where participants bring the leadership challenges they are working through. having practised with knowing, being, perceiving and doing, we come now to thinking.
thinking is the practice of noticing and reflecting on how we use our minds to understand what is in front of us, make judgements, and respond. it holds two things intertwined, the application of reason and the forming of opinion, so the practice is always partly about how lightly or tightly we hold what we think we know.
one of the clearest places to see a shift in how we think right now is the arrival of AI. not only is it shaping how we think, but also how we relate, with consequences for our systems leadership practice. the antidotes we explored are to stay active rather than passive, to keep a critical mind, and to keep place-based, in-the-world learning alive alongside the technology.
within thinking, four elements carry particular weight for systems leadership (in the image below). none is unique to systems work; we gather them for how strongly they shape the way we come to understand a system.
visual modelling lets us reach beyond what we have language for, and its first purpose is often our own sensemaking, before it communicates anything to others. in practice the visual can stay simple, and the dialogue around it does the work.
patterns and trends move us out of the immediate moment onto a longer time scale, backward and forward. trends show the direction of movement over time, patterns how something moves across levels or between systems. dana brought this to life with patterns she has seen recur across child protection and corrections over close to a decade of work. one she named: a record made early in one system follows a person into the next, and the barriers compound in ways no single system can see on its own.
sensemaking is what we are all doing in complexity, where there is no back of the textbook to turn to for answers. social learning is the knowledge that only comes into being through conversation and negotiation with others, so it is never a solitary act. the two met in a research project we shared, where a large visual synthesis became the ground for rounds of collective sensemaking, surfacing themes, then patterns and relationships, then the complex problem itself, which was followed back into the day-to-day work where it was already playing out.
held as thinking practices, tools like these make visible the insight, resources and opportunities we might not otherwise have noticed.
where could a picture, a pattern, or a conversation with others show you more than you can see alone?
