Systems thinking

Systems thinking allows us to see the bigger picture behind complex challenges. We use systems mapping, feedback loops, and futures thinking to design interventions that don’t just solve isolated problems, but target the systems in which those problems are rooted, pushing toward more sustainable and regenerative futures.

What do we mean by Systems Thinking?

Systems thinking is an approach to understanding complexity by focusing on relationships, feedback loops, and patterns rather than isolated parts. It helps us see how causes and effects reinforce one another across a whole system.

Instead of asking only “What is broken?”, systems thinking asks “How do the parts interact, and where can change have the greatest effect?” This shift in perspective opens up possibilities for interventions that are both more strategic and more transformative.

Why it matters

Complex challenges rarely have simple fixes. Systems thinking matters because it equips organizations to act strategically in complexity – avoiding quick wins that fade and instead aiming for interventions with lasting impact.

• Complex problems need complex responses
  Issues like climate change, digital ethics, or public health cannot be solved with isolated solutions.

• Revealing hidden dynamics
  By tracing reinforcing and balancing loops, systems thinking explains why some interventions fail and where systemic leverage lies.

• Strategic clarity
  Mapping systems shows which actions address root causes – and which merely treat symptoms.

• Future orientation
  Using backcasting, systems thinking links today’s initiatives with visions of desirable futures, making sure efforts align with long-term goals.

Key Facts and Concepts

The field of systems thinking draws from decades of research and practice, but it has become increasingly relevant as organizations face interconnected challenges:

• Emerging in the mid-20th century, systems thinking built on cybernetics and organizational theory.

• In systemic design, leverage points are the places where small changes can create large-scale effects.

• Transition design builds directly on systems thinking by applying it to long-term, societal-scale transformations.

Principles of Systems Thinking

1. Interconnectedness
   Every part of a system is linked, and changes ripple across the whole.
   

2. Feedback loops

   Reinforcing and balancing dynamics explain why change accelerates or resists.

3. Emergence

   “the whole” has properties that cannot be understood by analyzing the parts alone.

4. Leverage points

   Some interventions have disproportionately high impact; pulling the right lever can shift entire systems.

5. Visioning and backcasting

   Starting from a desirable future and working backwards to identify today’s priorities.

How we help organizations apply systems thinking

At 1508, we use systems thinking not as theory, but as a practice that turns complexity into clarity and action.

• Mapping systems
  Together with clients, we create visual maps of actors, dynamics, and loops – making the invisible visible.

• Identifying leverage points
  We highlight where small, well-placed interventions can generate disproportionate impact.

• Connecting present and future
  We use backcasting to align today’s initiatives with tomorrow’s visions.

• Embedding collaboration
  Systems are social by nature; we bring teams and stakeholders together to create shared ownership and alignment.

Our role is to help organizations navigate complexity with confidence – ensuring interventions do not just solve symptoms, but create meaningful, lasting change.

Glossary

Backcasting
A planning method that starts with a vision of a desirable future and works backwards to define the steps needed today.

Emergence
The principle that systems as a whole have properties that cannot be explained by analyzing the parts in isolation.

Feedback Loop
A system dynamic where actions reinforce or balance outcomes, creating either growth and decline or stability.

Leverage Point
A place within a system where a small, well-placed change can create large-scale impact.

Systems Map
A visual representation of actors, elements, and their relationships in a system.

Systems Thinking
An approach that focuses on relationships, patterns, and feedback to understand and influence complex systems.

Transition Design
A design approach that builds on systems thinking to guide long-term systemic change toward sustainable and regenerative futures.

Wanna know more?

• 1508 Morgenboosters: Designing For Ecosystem Transitions

• 1508 Morgenboosters: Designing For Systems Change