Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
This book provided me with a framework for seeing the world more clearly, deeply, and accurately. It's concise at just 242 pages. Definitely one for my short list of books that explain the world.
ok book with great summary at end with detailed explanations of common systems and how to handle them.
informative
reflective
fast-paced
informative
slow-paced
This didn't improve my understanding of systems and so I largely feel like the point of my picking up this book was missed. It did introduce the concepts and was pretty well written but I didn't get what I wanted from it.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A beautifully written and insightful introduction into the world of complexity and chaos. Donella masterfully weaves real-world applicability with facile theory, she leaves questions hanging at crucial moments allowing the reader to draw inferences on their own rather than being force fed contrived exposition.
Although any literature which critiques neoclassical economics will automatically be a 5 star this book artfully picks apart the archaic theories of marginalised productivity and endless exponential growth with simple, straight forward arguments. (All without the backing of GFC)
Refreshingly, she at all times admits - and sometimes even encourages - the theory's shortcomings and flaws (other economists take note!)
There were several, eye-widening moments which definitely caught me by surprise, for instance:
- Shortening delay times in a system (an inventory manager's perception of the sales rate) can have dire - and counter intuitive - consequences, mainly in the form of oscillations. This is due to the over and under correction of information flows. Jumpiness response. And;
- Within a policy-resistant system, actors fight for their own individual goals, so that if one gains an advantage the others double their efforts to pull it back. This culminates in a standoff, whilst the actual stock of system remains unchanged. A way around this is to let go. "Give up ineffective policies. Let the resources and energy spent on both enforcing and resisting be used for more constructive purposes. You wont get your way with the system but it wont gar as far in the bad direction as you think, because much of the action you were trying to correct was in response to your own action."
The final chapter a menagerie of concepts gleaned from decades within the field was the crescendo of the book. It felt like an acceptance of the complexities and uncertainty she so vehemently argued for throughout the book. These concepts applicable to more than just policy evaluation. The most profound of which being, get the beat of the system: "... watch how it behaves. If it’s a piece of music or a whitewater rapid or a fluctuation in a commodity price, study its beat. If it’s a social system, watch it work. Learn its history. Ask people who’ve been around a long time to tell you what has happened."
Analytical, concise and persuasive it's safe to say this book has indoctrinated me into complexity economics.
Although any literature which critiques neoclassical economics will automatically be a 5 star this book artfully picks apart the archaic theories of marginalised productivity and endless exponential growth with simple, straight forward arguments. (All without the backing of GFC)
Refreshingly, she at all times admits - and sometimes even encourages - the theory's shortcomings and flaws (other economists take note!)
There were several, eye-widening moments which definitely caught me by surprise, for instance:
- Shortening delay times in a system (an inventory manager's perception of the sales rate) can have dire - and counter intuitive - consequences, mainly in the form of oscillations. This is due to the over and under correction of information flows. Jumpiness response. And;
- Within a policy-resistant system, actors fight for their own individual goals, so that if one gains an advantage the others double their efforts to pull it back. This culminates in a standoff, whilst the actual stock of system remains unchanged. A way around this is to let go. "Give up ineffective policies. Let the resources and energy spent on both enforcing and resisting be used for more constructive purposes. You wont get your way with the system but it wont gar as far in the bad direction as you think, because much of the action you were trying to correct was in response to your own action."
The final chapter a menagerie of concepts gleaned from decades within the field was the crescendo of the book. It felt like an acceptance of the complexities and uncertainty she so vehemently argued for throughout the book. These concepts applicable to more than just policy evaluation. The most profound of which being, get the beat of the system: "... watch how it behaves. If it’s a piece of music or a whitewater rapid or a fluctuation in a commodity price, study its beat. If it’s a social system, watch it work. Learn its history. Ask people who’ve been around a long time to tell you what has happened."
Analytical, concise and persuasive it's safe to say this book has indoctrinated me into complexity economics.
"In the end, it seems that mastery has less to do with pushing leverage points than it does with strategically, profoundly, madly, letting go and dancing with the system."
The best introduction to Systems Thinking I've read so far.
An enjoyable and easy read on systems way of thinking. It's really small - should take you just one evening or so to get through it. Lots of nice, easy examples. I also enjoyed the more philosophical discussion towards the end. Recommended to all system design enthusiasts.
A compendium of different aspects of systems and ways to think about them. Ranging from the more concrete, "stocks and flows" model to more general discussions/food for thought. Makes for a decent primer and reference book to seed some thoughts one might be grasping at when framing a problem.
However, most of it is perhaps a bit too general to be immediately useful.
However, most of it is perhaps a bit too general to be immediately useful.