Systems thinking means seeing how different parts of a system connect and how those connections shape outcomes. When we focus on one piece without looking at the whole, our solutions often fall short (Kim, 1999).
Picture any system—a machine, a classroom, or a company—as a group of parts working together. Each part matters, but its value grows when linked to the rest. A bookshelf and a book on their own serve a small purpose, but together they create something bigger—a library that organizes knowledge and makes it accessible.
Context awareness adds another layer. It’s about understanding the environment where the system exists—internal factors like team dynamics or company culture, and external ones like market trends or available resources. Without that awareness, solving problems accurately is almost impossible. It’s like repairing a machine without noticing the room is too hot or realizing the operators lack training. Context shapes a system’s needs just as much as its individual parts.
When combined, systems thinking and context awareness help us see hidden connections and address root causes.
Systems Thinking Tools in Action
Causal Loop Diagram (CLD)
A Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) is a simple way to map how different factors in a system influence one another over time. It helps reveal the feedback loops that keep problems going—or help balance them out (Sterman, 2000).
Let me share an example that felt very real to me.
When I worked the graveyard shift in the BPO industry, I struggled with constant fatigue. As a newbie, I had to adjust to a schedule completely opposite from the rest of the city. I woke up when everyone else was winding down. Public transport was scarce late at night, making commuting harder. My body felt like it should be asleep while I was starting work. It was exhausting and disorienting.
At first, I blamed my late arrivals and low energy on bad time management. I set more alarms, planned routes better, and left home earlier. But the problem persisted. A CLD helped me see why.
figure 1: Simple Casual Loop Diagram (Adapted from kim 2000) How to Boost productivity while working for a graveyard shift
In the diagram, the Reinforcing Loop is on the right side, involving “Fatigue,” “Limited Transportation,” and “Less Productive.” This loop represents a cycle that worsens over time: limited transportation options lead to fatigue, which then reduces productivity, ultimately feeding back into increased fatigue. This creates a reinforcing process where each factor amplifies the other, making the situation progressively worse.
On the left side, the Balancing Loop involves “Sleeping Lounge,” “Temporary Relief,” and “Fatigue.” Here, the sleeping lounge provides temporary relief to counteract fatigue. This loop seeks to restore some balance by reducing fatigue temporarily, limiting the ongoing impact of the reinforcing loop.
It’s good to think that something as simple as the sleeping lounge offered by the company might seem like just a perk. But now that I think about it, that lounge did more than just provide a place to rest. It cut down on the stress of traveling back and forth, especially late at night. After a shift, instead of battling traffic in a busy city or worrying about how to get home, we could just crash in the lounge and save time and energy for the next workday.
Iceberg Model
Have you ever felt like you’re always reacting to the same kinds of problems, wondering if there’s a way to see the hidden forces driving them? Recently, I’ve been working on constant revision requests from clients, and I started to ask questions if I did something wrong in the process. Or—maybe they’re just indecisive, right? When I read about the mental models in system thinking and came across the Iceberg Model.
The Iceberg Model separates reality into three levels: events, patterns, and systemic structures (Kim 2000). On the surface, events are those daily occurrences we notice and respond to—a missed deadline, a recurring conflict, a product issue. But are these events just random? The Iceberg Model suggests that beneath these events are patterns, like repeated behaviors we see in people or processes. We often hear the phrase “it’s a pattern of behavior” when someone struggles to break a habit. This repetition isn’t just by chance; it points to something more ingrained.
Going down, the model shows systemic structures—those unseen frameworks and norms that contribute to these recurring patterns. Structures like organizational culture, policies, or processes drive the patterns and the surface events. Focusing on all three levels, we reposition from merely reacting to problems to understanding their origins. Here’s how I approach the model using my experience:
figure 2: Iceberg Model (Adapted from Kim 2000) Why There’s a constant revision from Client’s Requests
Starting at the top, we have the event level. Here, the visible event is not meeting expectations. This represents the immediate, noticeable outcome—like a client feeling unsatisfied or a project not aligning with the expected result. At this level, it’s easy to see that there’s a problem, but it doesn’t tell us why the issue keeps happening.
In the middle, we get to the pattern level, where we see revision requests. These requests happen repeatedly over time, showing a recurring trend or behavior. In this case, the pattern reveals that each project ends up needing additional work, which may suggest a broader communication issue. Patterns like these indicate that this isn’t a one-time event, but rather part of an ongoing cycle.
At the base of the iceberg lies the systemic issue: insufficient discussion. This is the root cause, the underlying factor driving both the visible events and the recurring patterns. Here, the model suggests that a lack of clear, detailed conversations upfront may be causing misalignment and leading to unmet expectations. When communication is lacking from the start, misunderstandings or vague expectations are bound to arise later, resulting in the pattern of frequent revision requests.
In this case, I realized I had been taking on too many clients without fully discussing expectations upfront. This led to misunderstandings, which showed up later as revision requests. The structure below the pattern showed that my client’s communication process needed improvement, and at the mental model level, I hadn’t been giving communication the priority it deserved. Once I addressed these issues, the revisions became much less frequent. It suggests that the visible “event” (the revision requests) is just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath that event lies a pattern, and in this case, that pattern is miscommunication.
Bringing Systems Thinking and Context Awareness into Future Problem-Solving
Systems thinking and context awareness guide how I address challenges in instructional design. I examine how systems function as connected frameworks influenced by environment, expectations, and feedback loops. This perspective supports work in settings such as higher education, where decisions extend beyond individual courses.
These frameworks reinforced a core insight. Every environment carries embedded forces that enable or restrict success. Looking beyond obvious issues strengthens analysis. Including learners, instructors, administrators, and professional teams supports outcomes grounded in real needs.
This perspective informs my ongoing practice. It sharpens analysis. It strengthens foresight. It supports instructional outcomes that remain stable beyond implementation.
References
Bond, A., Lockee, B., & Blevins, S. (2023, October 31). Instructional Designers as Institutional Change
Agents. Educause Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2023/10/instructional-designers-as-institutional
change-agents
Kim, D. H. (1999). Introduction to Systems Thinking. Pegasus Communications.
https://thesystemsthinker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Introduction-to-Systems-Thinking
IMS013Epk.pdf
Kim, D. H. (2000). Systems thinking tools. Pegasus Communications, Inc.
https://thesystemsthinker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Systems-Thinking-Tools-TRST01E.pdf
Lyon, A. (2017, 22 February). Systems Theory of Organizations [Video file].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L1c-EKOY-w
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