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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
informative
fast-paced
informative
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A bit of a game-changing read in the way it challenges one to think very clearly about what exactly one means when bandying around terms like “systems change”.
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Fantastically written. Excellent and much needed topic
informative
reflective
medium-paced
It'a a good book to get a general understanding of what Systems Thinking really is.
My key takeaways after reading this book:
* When you create some process/initiative - add a paragraph about the way your thing will evolve over time - what kind of feedback will make it better and what kind of feedback will make it worse. Make a thought experiment in each direction and think of how your system is going to learn over time.
* Most of the time systems are complex :)
* There are a lot of systems traps like Policy resistance, The tragedy of commons, Success to the Successful and the entire chapter about it was my favourite part of this book.
* The most interesting system trap for me was "drift to low performance". TLDR:
1. We tend to believe bad news more than good news
2. We believe our current performance is worse than it actually is
3. We adjust our performance goal based on our perceived current state
4. We adjust our corrective action based on our performance goal
5. Our actual performance gets worse
* Introducing new law and policies in order to fix something might take us in a completely undesired direction. I was aware of that, but after reading this book I feel even more informed about it
My key takeaways after reading this book:
* When you create some process/initiative - add a paragraph about the way your thing will evolve over time - what kind of feedback will make it better and what kind of feedback will make it worse. Make a thought experiment in each direction and think of how your system is going to learn over time.
* Most of the time systems are complex :)
* There are a lot of systems traps like Policy resistance, The tragedy of commons, Success to the Successful and the entire chapter about it was my favourite part of this book.
* The most interesting system trap for me was "drift to low performance". TLDR:
1. We tend to believe bad news more than good news
2. We believe our current performance is worse than it actually is
3. We adjust our performance goal based on our perceived current state
4. We adjust our corrective action based on our performance goal
5. Our actual performance gets worse
* Introducing new law and policies in order to fix something might take us in a completely undesired direction. I was aware of that, but after reading this book I feel even more informed about it
The concept is nice, but the attempt of brevity has it fall short. I think the examples for exploration in systems need flushed out because systems thinking can be applied to ideas we wouldn’t think of as systems.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This book should be required reading for all adult humans
medium-paced
Wow! It's very rare to find a book that seems to lend a whole new lens through which to see the world through. This is that kind of book.
Donella Meadows offers not only a primer in the basics of systems thinking, the components and mechanics of systems in the world. She also goes through lengths to explain the interconnected nature of various systems and subsystems.
I walked away from this one with both a greater eye for the various components that affect the whole of a thing, but also a deeper appreciation for the nuance around the boundaries of everything in our world.
Donella Meadows offers not only a primer in the basics of systems thinking, the components and mechanics of systems in the world. She also goes through lengths to explain the interconnected nature of various systems and subsystems.
I walked away from this one with both a greater eye for the various components that affect the whole of a thing, but also a deeper appreciation for the nuance around the boundaries of everything in our world.