CYNEFIN and the Method Kits
Online presentation and discussion 8 July 2021 more details at ANZSYS Events
Prof Dave Snowden
A Great Opportunity for ANZSYS and ISSS conference delegates to engage with a Thought Leader on Critical Systems Thinking
ANZSYS invites all interested in systems thinking and knowledge management, especially CYNEFIN Domains of Knowledge, to join a collaborative venture with David Snowden
Variety Dynamics: Controlling Highly-Complex Systems
Online presentation and discussion 8 July 2021 more details at ANZSYS Events.
Dr Terence Love
Terence's presentation describes a new Systems approach, Variety Dynamics for analysis,management and control of highly-complex, coercive, unbounded or chaotic systems - and more normal systems.
Read more: Variety Dynamics: Controlling Highly-Complex Systems
'Feedback Economics' - new Systems book
Feedback Economics
Economic Modeling with System Dynamics
Editors: Cavana, R.Y., Dangerfield, B., Pavlov, O.V., Radzicki, M.J., Wheat, I.D.
"This book approaches economic problems from a systems thinking and feedback perspective.
Translating Systems Ideas to Other Fields
Online presentation and discussion 17 June 2021 more details at ANZSYS Events
Bob Williams
In this presentation, Bob Williams will describe a team has adapted systems concepts to the evaluation field. The process included identifying tacit systems concepts and re-framing them to be more accessible to evaluators.
Paradigm shifts and blind spots
Online presentation and discussion 3 June 2021 more details at ANZSYS Events
Bob Dick
Bob's presentation will explore the massive but slow paradigm shift currently under way. From a complexity standpoint, Bob will examine why very successful new-paradigm organisations are almost never imitated, even by their direct competitors.
Circulist and Systems and Sustainability
Online presentation and discussion 20 May 2021 more details at ANZSYS Events
Nick Gonios
Nick 's presentation will focus on 'Circulist and Systems and Sustainability' about re-imagining the business of manufacturing in a new built world ecosystem.
Towards a critical operations management?

Dr. Jeff Foote
Online presentation and discussion 22 April 2021 9pm Orago NZ (7pm Sydney) - more details at ANZSYS Events
Join the Zoom meeting via
https://otago.zoom.us/j/99600960387?pwd=dXdtanNDdVo0RTc5ZkJFL1ZValR1QT09
Contemporary operations management theories are premised on a mechanistic view of the world. Although operations are socio-technical, a 'hard' systems perspective and concern for efficiency dominate scholarship. The role that values, interests and power-relations play in governing operational performance is seldom acknowledged but necessary
System boundaries and Surprise Attacks
Online presentation and discussion 6 May 2021 more details at ANZSYS Events
Professor Dr Bill Hutchinson
Investigating the problem of surprise attack using a systemic approach gave unusual insights including:
- Boundary development is by its nature something that restricts reality and actually forms its own. Reification is a great danger to the solution to the problem at hand.
- Boundaries are defined by power and influence and tend to be self-limiting.
Think Like a System Act Like an Entrepreneur
Online presentation and discussion 25 March 2021 more details at ANZSYS Events
Dr Lewe Atkinson
Linda Ginger
How entrepreneurs can use data science to test the value of their idea because its not always good enough to enter a new market with a “better product” and the world is “getting flatter” (maintaining competitive advantage via asynchrony of market information is no longer sustainable) so that’s why mining data the new way to unearth the nuggets.
New forms of education, economics democracy and governance : reframing economics, accounting and accountability
Online presentation and discussion 8 April 2021 more details at ANZSYS Events
Janet MacIntyre-Mills
Rudolf Wirawan
The presenters propose an alternative cyclical economy based on eco-villages supporting urban hubs to re-generate rural-urban balance based on eco-facturing, to use Gunter Pauli’s concept. The development of eco-facturing
Systems Thinking for Tackling Wicked Problems
A Compendium of Managing Complex Systems
This picture is used by a Complexity advocate to conjecture that complex systems cannot be managed. This is not correct, as many of the claims made by self-proclaimed complexity experts. I've seen this scene of flocking birds first hand. It is mesmerizing to watch.Turns out these birds can be modeled with Boids, Flock Simulation of Birds, The Convergence of Bird Flocking, Flocking algorithm for autonomous flying robots, and numerous others.
Glen Alleman - see https://herdingcats.typepad.com/my_weblog/2020/03/a-compendium-of-managing-compelx-systyems.html
Applying Systems Thinking to Managing Projects: A Viable Governance Model based on Stafford Beer’s Work
Prof. Shankar Shankaran
Online presentation and discussion
Wednesday 10th February 19:00 AEST
Zoom presentation - https://utsmeet.zoom.us/j/84018555928
New ebook: From Modularity to Emergence - Short Review
Dr Chih-Chun Chen and Dr Nathan Crilly of the Cambridge University Engineering Design Centre Design Practice Group have released a free, downloadable book, From Modularity to Emergence: A Primer on the Design and Science of Complex Systems.
Read more: New ebook: From Modularity to Emergence - Short Review
Video: Keith Grint on Wicked Problems & Leadership
Here is Professor Keith Grint on Wicked Problems and Leadership
New book: 'Small Arcs of Larger Circles; by Nora Bateson
In her new book 'Small Arcs of Larger Circles', Nora Bateson invites us to weave together the rigor of systems thinking and complexity thinking with the expansiveness of our embodied, aesthetic experience - and introduces us to a new language and vocabulary of contextual, mutual learning.
Read more: New book: 'Small Arcs of Larger Circles; by Nora Bateson
Systems Resources from IIED
IIED is a policy and action research organisation in sustainable development. Based in London IIEDworks in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific with some of the world’s most vulnerable people to strengthen their voice in decision-making arenas that affect them.
MITs Free Software for Planning Large Cities of the Future
MIT has just released its open source Urban Network Analysis software for analysing interdependent aspects of urban development at city level.
Read more: MITs Free Software for Planning Large Cities of the Future
Resources: Systemic Thinking for Planners and Designers
Gary Metcalf a visiting member of faculty at Aalto university in Finland has collated a useful list of Systems liiterature resources under broad topic headings.
Read more: Resources: Systemic Thinking for Planners and Designers
Co-creation without systems thinking can be dangerous
Gerald Midgely asks 'Why does the theory and practice of co-creation need to be informed by systems thinking?' Co-creation without a thorough understanding of systems thinking can be deeply problematic. Essentially, we need a theory and practice of systemic co-creation.
To read in full this interesting blog article by Gerald at www.i2insights.org go to here.
Soft systems methodology cartoon
Here is soft systems methodology via cartoon:
WCSA 2017 in Brazil more details
For more details on the WCSA 7th World Conference on Governing Turbulence - Risk and Opportunities in the Complexity Age that will be held in Brazil in 2017 download the flyer here.
Peter Checkland on the origins of SSM
Here is Peter Checkland describing the origins of the Soft Systems Methodology.
SSM - Rich Pictures in Evaluation
Judy Oakden describes the use of Rich Pictures in SSM in evaluation.
New Book! A Guide to Systems Research
New book A Guide to Systems Research: Philosophy, Processes and Practice is available from Springer. Authors are M.C. Edson, P. Buckle Henning and S. Sankaran. Introductory 20% discount see below.
Stafford Beer VSM origins (video)
Stafford Beer describing the origins of the Viable Systems Model.
Call for abstracts ISSS 2016 India and USA
Final call for abstracts - ISSS 60th Annual Meeting and First Policy Summit - an East-West Systems Dialogue "Realizing Sustainable Futures" held jointly in Boulder, USA and Vadlamudi, India 25-29 July 2016.
New Book Think Crime!
New book Think Crime! by Paul Cozens describes a systems-based approach to designing environments to reduce crime.The book focuses on using practical understanding of the interplay of multiple interrelated systemic factors that shape motivation and opportunities for crime.
Systems Map of Obesity Factors
The UK Government Foresight Group at the Office for Science has published Tackling Obesities: Future Choices - Building the Obesity Systems Map This describes the building of a systems map of factors affecting obesity to help guide choices for future state level and local interventions to reduce levels of obesity in UK populations.
Bio: Alvaro J. Romera
I have been doing research in agricultural production systems for the last twenty years. This has included farm system modelling and running experimental farms and designing and operating field experiments. Since the year 2000 I have been mostly dedicated to farm system modelling activities, programming in Java, Excel-Visual Basic and Stella. Optimisation modelling has become an important part of my research in recent times, using GAMS for the models (farm and catchment modelling). I have been studying participatory research techniques, but mostly as personal interest.
System Thinking World Webinars
System Thinking World is offering systems thiinking webinars in 2016 run by Gene Bellinger.
- System Dynamics of Tourism Ningaloo
- Systems Thinking - Linked-In Group
- Book: Differences by Ackoff
- IFSR Conversation
- Book - Strategic Foresight
- Webinar: Systems Philosophy and its Relevance to SE
- ISCE survey
- ANZSYS Affiliated to IFSR
- Proceedings: Relating Systems Thinking and Design 2014 Symposium
- Book: Systems Concepts in Action
- Ashby aphorism cards
- DISCOUNT! Systems Thinking by Bill Hutchinson
- Systems and Organisation Management (lectures)
- Soft Systems - Dr John Mackness
- Complex Systems Society
- Insight Maker Free Online Software