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Thinking in Systems: International Bestseller Paperback – Illustrated, 20 July 2017

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 5,222 ratings

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The classic book on systems thinking, with more than half a million copies sold worldwide!

This is a fabulous book. This book opened my mind and reshaped the way I think about investing. Forbes

Perfect for fans of Kate Raworth, Rutger Bregman and Daniel Kahneman

The co-author of the international best-selling book Limits to Growth, Donella Meadows is widely regarded as a pioneer in the environmental movement and one of the world's foremost systems analysts. Her posthumously published Thinking in Systems, is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. This essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers how to develop the systems-thinking skills critical for 21st-century life.

Some of the biggest problems facing the world war, hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation are essentially system failures. They cannot be solved by fixing one piece in isolation from the others, because even seemingly minor details have enormous impact.

While readers will learn the conceptual tools and methods of systems thinking, the heart of the book is grander than methodology. Donella Meadows reminds readers to pay attention to what is important, not just what is quantifiable, to stay humble, and to stay a learner.

No matter what industry or career you re in, Thinking In Systems will bring clarity to the complicated, crowded and interdependent networks that make up the world today. Thinking in Systems helps readers avoid confusion and helplessness, the first step toward finding proactive and effective solutions.

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'The publication of Thinking in Systems is a landmark ... This book is destined to shape our understanding of socio-ecological systems in the years to come in much the same way that Silent Spring taught us to understand the nature of ecosystems in the 1960s and 1970s.' Oran R. Young, Professor, Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at University of California, Santa Barbara 'Thinking in Systems is required reading for anyone hoping to run a successful company, community, or country. Learning how to think in systems is now part of change-agent literacy. And this is the best book of its kind.' Hunter Lovins, founder and President of Natural Capital Solutions and coauthor of Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution 'When I read Thinking in Systems I am reminded of the enormity of the gap between systemic thinkers and policy makers. If this book helps narrow the gap, it will be Dana's greatest contribution.' Lester Brown, Founder and President, Earth Policy Institute 'Dana Meadows was one of the smartest people I ever knew, able to figure out the sensible answer to almost any problem. This book explains how she thought, and hence is of immense value to those of us who often wonder what she'd make of some new problem. A classic.' Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy 'An invaluable companion piece to Limits to Growth, this is also a useful standalone overview of systems-based problem solving, a simple book about a complex world graced by the wisdom of a profound thinker committed to shap[ing] a better future.' Publishers Weekly 'In Dana Meadows's brilliantly integrative worldview, everything causes everything else; cause and effect loop back on themselves. She was the clearest thinker and writer co-creating the art and science of systems dynamics, and Thinking in Systems distills her lifetime of wisdom. This clear, fun-to-read synthesis will help diverse readers everywhere to grasp and harness how our complex world really works.' Amory B. Lovins, Chairman and Chief Scientist, Rocky Mountain Institute and co-author of Natural Capitalism 'Dana Meadows' exposition in this book exhibits a degree of clarity and simplicity that can only be attained by one who profoundly and honestly understands the subject at hand in this case systems modeling. Many thanks to Diana Wright for bringing this extra legacy from Dana to us.' Herman Daly, Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland at College Park 'The publication of Thinking in Systems is a landmark ... Dana Meadows' final contribution is the best and most accessible introduction to this way of thinking we have. This book is destined to shape our understanding of socio-ecological systems in the years to come in much the same way that Silent Spring taught us to understand the nature of ecosystems in the 1960s and 1970s.' Oran R. Young, Professor, Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at University of California, Santa Barbara 'An extremely interesting read, and in particular relevant for people dealing with changes in complex structures, such as organisations, architectures, or business processes ... Absolutely recommended.' Enterprise Agility 'An inspiring sequel to Dana Meadows' lifetime of seminal contributions to systems thinking, this highly accessible book should be read by everyone concerned with the world's future and how we can make it as good as it possibly can be.' Peter H. Raven, President, Missouri Botanical Garden 'Dana Meadows taught a generation of students, friends, and colleagues the art and science of thinking beyond conventional boundaries. For her systems thinking included the expected things like recognizing patterns, connections, leverage points, feedback loops and also the human qualities of judgment, foresight, and kindness. She was a teacher with insight and heart. This long anticipated book, t --Alistair Brown, Green World.

About the Author

Donella Meadows was a pioneering environmental scientist, author, teacher, and farmer widely considered ahead of her time. She was one of the world's foremost systems analysts and lead author of the influential Limits to Growth. She was Adjunct Professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College, the founder of the Sustainability Institute and cofounder of the International Network of Resource Information Centers.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chelsea Green Publishing Co; Illustrated edition (20 July 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1603580557
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1603580557
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.91 x 22.86 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 5,222 ratings

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Donella H. Meadows
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Donella H. Meadows was a pioneering environmental scientist, author, teacher, and farmer widely considered ahead of her time. She was one of the world's foremost systems analysts and lead author of the influential Limits to Growth. She was Adjunct Professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College, the founder of the Sustainability Institute and co-founder of the International Network of Resource Information Centers.

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4.6 out of 5 stars
5,222 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides a good introduction to systems thinking and applying it to social problems. They find the ideas simple and world-changing. The language is clear and concise, making it easy to read and understand. Many describe it as a wonderful, valuable primer for anyone involved in modern system creation.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

39 customers mention ‘Thought provoking’39 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides a good introduction to systems thinking and applying it to social and other problems. They find the ideas simple and world-changing. The content is useful and covers a lot of ground, providing solid examples of how system thinking can be applied. Readers mention the failure archetypes are a good reference for designing scalable systems.

"...It has the confident feel and logical evolved structure of a book written by someone who had completely mastered her subject and was well used to..." Read more

"...uses two graphical tools to analyse systems: stock and flow diagrams to show system structure; and charts mapping stock or flow levels over time to..." Read more

"The book provides an easy to understand perspective on systems thinking and it's value when approached honestly. Worth reading, a good primer." Read more

"...Writer boldly with heart, passion and and reverberating wisdom. Impossible to put down once started. I wish you many an 'aha' moments!..." Read more

24 customers mention ‘Language’24 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's language clear and easy to read. They appreciate its concise and smooth writing style, which is both informative and artistic. The structure and organization of the book are also praised as good.

"..."p78 Looking back through it, the structure of this book is also very good as I have mentioned...." Read more

"...Worth reading, a good primer." Read more

"...Writer boldly with heart, passion and and reverberating wisdom. Impossible to put down once started. I wish you many an 'aha' moments!..." Read more

"...contents are incredibly useful, but also because it reads as smoothly as any well written novel...." Read more

20 customers mention ‘Readability’20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and a good primer for understanding the fundamentals. They describe it as a true gem and vital for anyone involved in modern systems creation.

"...Worth reading, a good primer." Read more

"...This is a wonderful book and a great introduction to the world of systems and non-linear models...." Read more

"This is a valuable, enjoyable book and should be widely read...." Read more

"This is a great primer to the organising all the thoughts you think you had on systems theory into a clear articulation of what it actually is...." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Ease of understanding’8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand and accessible. It introduces key concepts behind systems thinking.

"...Very accessible and recommended to all as an enjoyable introduction to this subject." Read more

"...and population growth - you name it - you will get an amazing, easy to follow, perspective on the "zoo" of different system types and the systems..." Read more

"...Well written, easily understood without being in any way patronising or trying to be too clever...." Read more

"...Both informative and artistic in its writing style. Very accessible and introduces key concepts behind systems thinking...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘System complexity’3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful for understanding systems. They appreciate the examples of different kinds of systems and the explanation of how systems generate their own behavior.

"...understanding of a key Systems Thinking insight, that systems generate their own behaviour...." Read more

"...thinking to an outsider of the field with many day-to-day examples of different kinds of systems...." Read more

"Systems run the world we see understanding them is essential; read this and you will...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 June 2012
    As the title suggests, this book is written as a 'primer' into the subject, and it fulfils this function with ease and grace. It has the confident feel and logical evolved structure of a book written by someone who had completely mastered her subject and was well used to introducing these key ideas to her university students.

    There is a strong emphasis within the book on economic and environmental issues, which suited me well. I presume that the late author held quite progressive environmental views anyway, but systems thinking engenders and illuminates environmental concerns better than any other approach I can think of. The sections on resource depletion are both fascinating and frighteningly realistic. Although the issues and underlying thinking was not necessarily always original to systems thinking, the language (labelling of terms) and often counter-intuitive approach of systems modelling has got a lot to give in these two subjects.

    Concepts introduced such as information hierarchies and resilience, are both common sense and useful intellectual tools at the same time.

    "I think of resilience as a plateau upon which the system can play, performing its normal functions in safety. A resilient system has a big plateau, a lot of space over which it can wonder, with gentle, elastic walls that will bounce it back, if it comes near a dangerous edge. As a system loses its resilience, its plateau shrinks, and its protective walls become lower and more rigid, until the system is operating on a knife edge, likely to fall off in one direction or another whenever it makes a move. Loss of resilience can come as a surprise, because the system usually is paying much more attention to its play than to its playing space. One day it does something it has done a hundred times before and crashes."p78

    Looking back through it, the structure of this book is also very good as I have mentioned. It progresses in a logical way from the practicalities of systems thinking through to their implications and ends with some quite philosophical themes and advice. As another reviewer has mentioned, the appendix is actually useful in this book for a change, and seems in parts like a list of the key points of the book in a type of student revision notes form.

    The writing and citations in this book almost seem to suggest an air of bemused condescension on behalf of systems thinkers for their misdirected non systems thinking fellow man and the subsequent mistakes they make. Similar to the airy condescension of free market economists, but more justified and less disproved by recent events. There are many examples given which justify this air of superiority, and it seems to me to be an easy stance to buy into! Systems thinking does seem to contain the right tools for tackling the biggest contemporary problems.

    Anyone suggest a suitable follow up book on systems thinking? ( preferably one biased towards economics)

    Very accessible and recommended to all as an enjoyable introduction to this subject.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 June 2012
    I recommend Thinking in Systems because it has changed the way I understand and relate to my world. Published after Donella Meadow's death, it introduces Systems Thinking by way of definition, illustration and application.

    In Part 1, System Structure and Behaviour, Meadows uses two graphical tools to analyse systems: stock and flow diagrams to show system structure; and charts mapping stock or flow levels over time to explore system behaviour for specific scenarios. The diagrams can be used to display "balancing" (aka "negative") and "reinforcing" (aka "positive") feedback loops, and the charts to explore how these might play out.

    While some of the systems might seem simplistic, they build up understanding of a key Systems Thinking insight, that systems generate their own behaviour. And if you're ever wondered why the "heroes and villains" style of explanation only works in retrospect, this is a damn good explanation.

    Chapter two, The Zoo, is a library of common system structures and their behaviour. Those of us from the software world will be reminded of a patterns library. Again, these patterns illustrate a deeper insight, that "systems with similar feedback structures produce similar dynamic behaviors, even if the outward appearance of these systems is completely dissimilar." (p 51)

    In Part 2, Systems and Us, Meadows applies Systems Thinking to our world. Many of the examples are dated, but I found myself thinking how applicable these patterns and insights were to topics I was currently encountering - for example, I can't help thinking she would have loved the way that Kanban reflects a systems learning, that the ability of people and organisations to execute tasks degrades rapidly as the number of tasks rises beyond a critical limit.

    Of course one natural and urgent interest in systems behaviour is how to change it. If worshipping heroes and lynching villains isn't going to reform systems that may exhibit non-linear, perverse or self-preserving behaviour, what is?

    In Part 3, Creating Change in System and in our Philosophy, Meadows gives us a dozen leverage points for changing systems, starting with the simplest and ending with the most powerful. She finishes with a list of "systems wisdoms" - attitudes and values that she and others she respects have adopted to make them more effective at understanding and changing the systems we live in.

    Like many of the other reviewers, I wish I'd read this book a long time ago. It has its limitations - I'd love to see more recent examples, and can't help wondering if there are any open-source Systems modelling resources. But for me this is a book of timeless value for anyone interested in a better understanding of their world and their options in it.
    16 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 April 2024
    The book provides an easy to understand perspective on systems thinking and it's value when approached honestly. Worth reading, a good primer.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 October 2014
    I cannot believe that I have only now stumbled upon system thinking and system dynamics.
    So many things start to make "sense", from economy, environment, politics to relationships and psychology. And by making sense , I mean standing on the shore and seeing the beautiful complexity of everything that surrounds you.
    This is a wonderful book and a great introduction to the world of systems and non-linear models.
    It has just enough science to make it concrete but so much that it becomes a dry scientific treatise.
    Writer boldly with heart, passion and and reverberating wisdom. Impossible to put down once started.
    I wish you many an 'aha' moments!
    The only downside of this book is that once you get through it, you'll crave a follow up to it...
    (A good problem to have)
    PS this is my first ever review on Amazon. Only now I have been compelled enough to shout from the rooftops about something this good.
    7 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • SSC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
    Reviewed in the United States on 11 December 2024
    Fresh ideas. Enjoyed the read.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thinking
    Reviewed in Canada on 10 September 2024
    Gets your brain working
  • JorgeGM
    5.0 out of 5 stars Libro conciso e interesante
    Reviewed in Mexico on 10 September 2023
    Excelente libro. Corto y al punto. Muy buena introducción a systems thinking.
  • Gabriel Fernandes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Referência para o pensamento sistêmico
    Reviewed in Brazil on 24 September 2022
    Comece por esse livro se estiver chegando ao tema de sistemas agora. Aprofunde-se com este livro se já tiver estudado sobre sistemas.
    O pensamento sistêmico é um antídoto para alguns dos mais complexos e desafiadores problemas da humanidade. Deveria ser matéria obrigatória nas escolas e faculdades. Esse livro ensina os fundamentos, de forma sólida e direta.
    Uma pena ainda não ser traduzido para português.
  • Yogesh Kulkarni
    5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Asset
    Reviewed in India on 1 December 2024
    Illustration of basic concepts of System Thinking in simple language and supported by examples. Ok One of the greatest books I have ever come across. Must read for new age leaders.