To me, the whole notion of System Thinking is motivated by the phrase: "The whole is more than sum of its parts." In other words, System Thinking seeks not only to understand the parts that make up the system but also the interactions that bind these parts together to become the whole system. I will talk more about System Thinking later in my blog since I will be writing a thesis on applying System Thinking to gain additional insights to a Disruptive Technology phenomenon.
One of the challenges of my thesis is to tackle the question on why so many business strategies generate disappointing results or failure? Sometimes, well-intended policies lead to results that differ drastically or are often opposite from their original objectives. Furthermore, in a business environment or in a public policy context, organizations need to embrace change in order to be competitive or successful. Only by understanding how changes take place can we prepare for the consequences and to generate sensible strategies and policies. This is where System Dynamics, a version of System Thinking, comes into play by providing a set of frameworks and tools that examines feedback loops in a dynamic system, be it social, economic, organizational, or business.
This summer, I am taking a course on System Dynamics at MIT. The course is taught by Prof. J. Bradley Morrison, an adjunct professor at MIT Sloan and an assistant professor at Brandeis Univesity. I took the same course last summer before I dropped it by the third week as I couldn't stand sitting through the entire three hour long class session. Even though I have written very positively about System Dynamics in this blog entry, the subject is nonetheless dry and mechanic. To get me through a System Dynamics class, I need someone who is not only animated and articulated, but engages actively with the class. Prof. Morrison does all of the above very well. He doesn't speak in a monotonous voice (a good start) and engages in lively discussions with the class with keen interest in listening from students on how System Dynamics relates to their professional experiences. In comparison, I like this year's System Dynamics course much better than last year's course. Besides, how can I go wrong in taking a class that has direct relevance to my thesis.
| 6/20/2006 12:41:07 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) |
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