Sauser, Brian; Boardman, John

Systems Thinking : Coping with 21st Century Problems

Foreword ix Acknowledgments xi The Story So Far xvii Chapter 1 Perspectives 1 1.1 If You Leave Me Now 1 1.2 Areas of Perspective 3 1.2.1 Or 3 1.2.2 And 5 1.2.3 Not 7 1.2.4 Paradox 9 1.3 Perspectives on Google 10 1.4 Returning to Iraq 14 1.5 Time to Think 16 Endotes 18 Chapter 2 Concepts 19 2.1 Just a Thought 19 2.2 What's the Big Idea? 21 2.2.1 E Pluribus Unum 21 2.2.2 The Sameness of Systems 22 2.3 The Conceptagon 23 2.3.1 Boundary, Interior, Exterior 23 2.3.2 Wholes, Parts, Relationships 24 2.3.3 Inputs, Outputs, Transformations 25 2.3.4 Structure, Function, Process 26 2.3.5 Emergence, Hierarchy, Openness 30 2.3.6 Variety, Parsimony, Harmony 35 2.3.7 Command, Control, Communications 36 2.4 Time to Think 40 Endnotes 42 Chapter 3 Engineering 45 3.1 Pressed into Action 45 3.2 The Way We Were 47 3.2.1 Life Cycles 48 3.2.2 Passing Through 50 3.2.3 Eggs Is Eggs 52 3.2.4 See What I Mean 53 3.2.5 Spoiled for Choice 55 3.2.6 Modeling and Simulation 55 3.2.7 The Long Haul 58 3.3 Quite Another Story 61 3.4 Time to Think 63 Endnotes 64 Chapter 4 Dynamics 65 4.1 Thinks Can Only Get Better 65 4.1.1 A Systems Language 65 4.1.2 Servers and Clients 66 4.1.3 Archetypes 69 4.2 Time to Think 75 Endnotes 78 Chapter 5 Soft 79 5.1 Breakfast @ Tiffs 'n Ease 79 5.2 Softly, as I Lead You 80 5.2.1 What Seems to Be the Problem? 81 5.2.2 Getting to the Root of the Problem 84 5.2.3 Ideally, This Is What We See 86 5.2.4 It's Good to Talk 89 5.2.5 The Long UMA finding_ Road Map 91 5.3 Time to Think 91 Endnotes 94 Chapter 6 Systemigrams 95 6.1 Into Great Issues 95 6.2 Evolution 99 6.3 From Prose to Picture 100 6.4 Going off the Rails 102 6.5 Normal Service Will Never Be Resumed 107 6.6 Postlude 111 6.7 Time to Think 113 Endnotes 115 Chapter 7 Togetherness 117 7.1 Common Causes 117 7.2 An Intelligent Community? 118 7.2.1 The Way It Is 118 7.2.2 The Way It Must Be, OK? 120 7.2.3 Making Sense of Togetherness: 1 122 7.3 The Madder of All Wars 124 7.3.1 Future Capabilities 124 7.3.2 A New Constellation 126 7.3.3 Making Sense of Togetherness: 2 130 7.4 Principles for Togetherness 132 7.4.1 Coexistence 132 7.4.2 Cooperation 134 7.4.3 Coeducation 135 7.5 Time to Think 136 Endnotes 141 Chapter 8 Of 143 8.1 Social Networks 144 8.2 Order Forms 146 8.3 Technology Networks 147 8.4 Less Auto, More Mobile 149 8.5 The Price and Prize of Togetherness 151 8.6 The System of Systems Debate 154 8.7 Essential Characteristics 155 8.7.1 Autonomy 157 8.7.2 Belonging 157 8.7.3 Connectivity 158 8.7.4 Diversity 159 8.7.5 Emergence 160 8.8 Back to Biology 161 8.9 Time to Think 163 Endnotes 166 Chapter 9 Paradox 169 9.1 Make My Joy Complete 169 9.2 The World of Both 170 9.3 System Paradoxes 172 9.3.1 Boundary 172 9.3.2 Control 174 9.3.3 Diversity 178 9.4 Bothersome Bovines 181 9.5 Time to Think 182 Endnotes 184 Chapter 10 Complex 187 10.1 Life's Rich Tapestry 187 10.2 Sides of Bacon 190 10.3 A Weakness Stronger Than Strength 192 10.4 Ready, Fire, Aim 193 10.5 Snowballs and Seesaws 197 10.6 Significant Others 203 10.7 Postlude 204 10.8 Time to Think 205 Endnotes 207 Index 209