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Learning LibrarySystems Thinking Primer

Systems Thinking — Starter Prompts

Purpose: Short introduction and practical prompts for mapping systems to understand root causes, not just symptoms.

🔍 What is Systems Thinking?

Systems thinking helps you see the whole picture — the connections, patterns, and root causes behind problems, not just the visible symptoms.

Instead of asking “How do we fix this broken thing?” systems thinking asks:

  • Why is it broken? (Root causes)
  • Who and what is connected to it? (Actors and relationships)
  • Where can small changes create big impact? (Leverage points)

🧩 Four Key Elements to Map

When analyzing any problem, look for these four elements:

1. Actors

Who are the people, organizations, or entities involved?

Example (Market Waste): Vendors, customers, waste collectors, local government, recycling cooperatives, drainage maintenance workers

2. Flows

What moves through the system? (Materials, money, information, trust)

Example:

  • Waste flows from vendors → drains → flooding
  • Money flows from customers → vendors
  • Information flows through word-of-mouth networks

3. Constraints

What limits or blocks desired outcomes?

Example:

  • Collection costs too high for individual vendors
  • No trust in payment systems
  • Lack of nearby recycling facilities
  • Cultural norms around waste disposal

4. Leverage Points

Where can small interventions create disproportionate positive change?

Example:

  • A visible collection drum at market entrance (changes behavior)
  • Micro-payments via mobile money (removes cost barrier)
  • One enthusiastic vendor champion (builds trust)

🎨 Practical Exercise: Map Your System

Follow these steps to create a simple system map for your problem:

Step 1: Draw the Actors (5 minutes)

  • Write down all the people/groups involved
  • Circle the ones with the most power or influence
  • Star the ones most affected by the problem

Step 2: Map the Flows (5 minutes)

  • Draw arrows showing what moves between actors
  • Label each arrow (waste, money, information, etc.)
  • Use different colors for different types of flows

Step 3: Identify Constraints (5 minutes)

  • Write down what’s blocking desired outcomes
  • Categorize: Physical? Economic? Social? Technical?
  • Mark which constraints you might be able to influence

Step 4: Find Leverage Points (10 minutes)

  • Look for places where multiple flows intersect
  • Identify actors who could become champions
  • Find small changes that could shift behavior patterns

📊 Example: Market Waste System Map

Actors

  • Vendors (200+ stalls) — generate waste, pay for space
  • Waste collectors (informal, 5-10 people) — collect for resale
  • Market manager — controls space allocation
  • Customers (5,000+ daily) — generate packaging waste
  • Recycling cooperative (nearby) — buys sorted plastic

Flows

  • Waste flow: Vendors → ground → drains → flooding
  • Money flow: Customers → vendors → market fees
  • Information flow: Vendor networks (WhatsApp groups, word-of-mouth)

Constraints

  • Economic: Individual collection too expensive ($2/day per vendor)
  • Trust: Previous “reward” schemes failed, vendors skeptical
  • Infrastructure: No bins, drains designed for water only
  • Behavioral: “Someone else’s problem” mentality

Leverage Points

  1. Collective collection drum — Shared cost, visible progress
  2. Mobile money micro-payments — Builds trust through transparency
  3. Vendor champion network — One per section, peer influence
  4. Visual feedback — Painted fill markers show community impact

💡 Key Questions for Your Team

Use these prompts to deepen your systems understanding:

Understanding Interconnections

  • What happens upstream and downstream of our intervention?
  • Who benefits if this problem continues? (Sometimes problems persist because they serve someone)
  • What unintended consequences might our solution create?

Finding Root Causes

  • Ask “Why?” five times to get past symptoms
  • What would happen if we did nothing?
  • What’s the difference between what people say and what they do?

Designing Interventions

  • Where are the feedback loops? (What reinforces current behavior?)
  • Can we work with existing flows instead of creating new ones?
  • What’s the smallest intervention that could test our assumptions?

🛠️ Tools and Templates

Simple System Mapping Template

PROBLEM: [One sentence]

ACTORS:
- [Name] — [Role/Interest]
- [Name] — [Role/Interest]

FLOWS:
- [What] flows from [Actor A] to [Actor B]

CONSTRAINTS:
- [Type]: [Description]

LEVERAGE POINTS:
1. [Intervention idea] — [Why it might work]

The “5 Whys” Technique

Problem: Plastic waste blocks drains

Why? → Vendors dispose of waste on the ground
Why? → No convenient collection system
Why? → Individual collection too expensive
Why? → No shared infrastructure
Why? → No one has organized collective action

ROOT CAUSE: Lack of collective action infrastructure

📚 Further Learning

  • Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows — The classic primer
  • The Systems Thinker — Free articles at thesystemsthinker.com 
  • Kumu.io — Free tool for creating interactive system maps
  • Loopy — Simple tool for drawing feedback loops (ncase.me/loopy )

✅ Systems Thinking Checklist

Before finalizing your solution:

  • Have we mapped all the key actors in this system?
  • Do we understand what flows through the system?
  • Have we identified the root causes, not just symptoms?
  • Can we name at least 3 constraints we’re working with?
  • Have we found leverage points where small changes could have big impact?
  • Have we considered unintended consequences?

Remember: The goal isn’t to map everything perfectly. It’s to see patterns and connections you might have missed by looking at the problem in isolation.

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