Quotes in systems thinking

Defects are not free. Somebody makes them, and gets paid for making them.

The System of Profound Knowledge provides a lens. It provides a new map of theory by which to understand and optimize that we work in, and thus to make a contribution to the whole country.

A system must have an aim. Without an aim, there is no system.

Managers are not confronted with problems that are independent of each other, but with dynamic situations that consist of complex systems of changing problems that interact with each other. I call such situations messes. Problems are extracted from messes by analysis. Managers do not solve problems, they manage messes.

Government service is to be judged on equity as well as on efficiency.

A problem never exists in isolation; it is surrounded by other problems in space and time. The more of the context of a problem that a scientist can comprehend, the greater are his chances of finding a truly adequate solution.

When we are blind to systemic causes of problems, all the solutions we try will likely make matters worse.

Never give children a chance of imagining that anything exists in isolation. Make it plain from the very beginning that all living is relationship. Show them relationships in the woods, in the fields, in the ponds and streams, in the village and in the country around it. Rub it in.

Does a security guard empower the CEO to enter the building?

Nothing can do you so much harm as a lousy competitor. Be thankful for a good competitor.