Systems Approaches to Managing Change: A Practical Guide: A Practical Guide

From the reviews:

“Each course of this banquet is generously served by a master chef, either the creator of the methodology or a prominent practitioner. The chefs trace the origin and history of their creations and the fine ingredients they used, and discuss cooking tips and appropriate pairings. I appreciate the wisdom shared. … Reynolds and Holwell’s book … covers a smaller set of systems approaches. … Systems thinkers should read this book.” (Ernest Hughes, ACM Computing Reviews, October, 2010)

“The selection of the five approaches presented in the book on the basis that there is a rich interplay between the situation, the practitioner community and the methodology of each of the selected approaches. … it will certainly be useful for novice systems practitioners … . this is an excellent resource that will be valuable to systems scholars and practitioners … .” (Shamim Bodhanya, The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa, Vol. 7 (1), July, 2011)

In a world of increasing complexity, instant information availability and constant flux, systems approaches provide the opportunity of a tangible anchor of purpose and iterate learning. The five approaches outlined in the book offer a range of interchangeable tools with rigorous frameworks of application tried and tested in the real world . The frameworks of each approach form a powerful toolkit to explore the dynamics of how societies emerge, how organisations create viability, how to facilitate chains of argument through causal mapping, how to embrace a multiplicity of perspectives identifying purposeful activity and how to look for the bigger picture across multiple disciplines.

Systems Approaches offers an excellent first introduction for those seeking to understand what systems thinking is all about as well as why the tools discussed herein should be applied to management and professional practice. This book provides a practical guide, and the chapters stand alone in explaining and developing each approach.