Welcome to this journal of information about the breadth and effectiveness of systems thinking applications. Our intent is to provide readers with reflections on what we are seeing, learning and discovering as we go about our work. From time to time we will also comment on current events from a systemic perspective.

February 14, 2008

People often think of systems thinking as a strictly analytical approach to solving complex problems. However, solving complex organizational problems depends on the strong support of decision-makers to think and act differently. This in turn requires building a strong foundation for organizational change before applying the technical tools of systems thinking. You can learn more about how to build this foundation by going to “Building the Foundation for Change” in the leveraging change section of the AST Resource Library.

December 26, 2007

In our last journal entry we identified the unintended addictive tendencies of political leaders to solutions that perpetuate instead of solve chronic, complex social problems. This month we introduce an analysis of the United States’ growing prison population and often unsuccessful efforts to help ex-offenders integrate back into society. The analysis sponsored by the Open Society Institute (www.soros.org) concluded that one high potential area for intervention is in reducing our fears of not only being a victim of violent crime, but also of poor young people of color who make up such a high percentage of people in prisons. These findings are detailed in the new report, “Facilitating Reentry of Formerly Incarcerated People: A Systemic Approach” in the topical issues section of the AST Resource Library.

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