Systems thinking has been the single most impactful topic I've ever endured. It has changed the way I view the world, not just my job. This is a detailing of some of the best ways to start learning systems thinking. My perspective is that of an engineer and someone who obsesses over problem solving in its most general form. I suggest starting with the Primer by Dr. Ackoff. From there explore as you must. Its ordered in level of depth and understanding, but feel free to bounce around as you see fit.
- Primer - If Russ Ackoff had given a TED talk
- Dr. Ackoff is quite the story teller! You'll see him listed quite a bit here
- Thinking in Systems - By Dr. Meadows
- a gentle intro to systems thinking from Dr. Meadows, an incredible teacher ❤️
- a summarized video format given by Dr. Meadows can be found here
- Idealized Design - Systems Thinking, and a Model for Outlier Innovation by Dr. Ackoff
- this is one of my favorite story tellings of Dr. Ackoff
- bonus tip: a great listen during the commute!
- Two Day Training in Thinking, Understanding, and Learning by Dr. Ackoff
- this is a playlist of a workshop Dr. Ackoff gave back in the 90s
- bonus tip: more excellent listenings for the commute/travel!
- A Philosophical Look at Systems Dynamics by Dr. Meadows
- everything from the Donella Meadows youtube channel featuring real lectures from Dr. Meadows are fantastic
- Tranforming Organizations by Dr. Ackoff
- Another profound knowledge gem by Dr. Ackoff
- The Deming Cooperative
- A treasure trove of resources from Dr. Ackoff and beyond!
- The Annual lectures by Dr. Ackoff are all fantastic
- Dr. Ackoff - fearless revival
- another treasure trove of quotes, essays, books, videos and so much more from Dr. Ackoff and his contemporaries!
- so much good stuff to pull from here, enjoy the rabbit hole 😂
- Peter Drucker - fearless revival
- another legendary figure in the systems thinking philosophy
- very little of his is engineering specific, it applies so broadly at every layer of the organization and life!
- W. Edwards Deming - fearless revival
- another systems thinking legend, and similar treasure trove of content, although much of this is aimed at layers of management that can affect the system. Though... any individual has the ability to create change!
- warning: is a bit dry to listen too, excellent choice for an LLM to summarize 😅