A Systems Story (Systems Thinking)

A Systems Story - A short introduction to key systems thinking concepts (subtitles available in English, Japanese, Indonesian, Arabic and Turkish)

Directed by: Gyula Gábor Tóth, Videographer : Dénes Fellegi, Design: Enikő Simonyi, Text: Gyula Gábor Tóth, Linda Juhász-Horváth, Narration: Sarah Czunyi, Action: Szilvia Penyigey

BEE Environmental Communication

Balaton Group

For educational use, you can download definitions of key concepts introduced in the video here:

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'A Sufi story tells of a village of blind men. One day, a new creature arrived. Each of the men grasped one part of it, and declared they knew what it was:
- A snake!
- A rug!
- Columns!
But by only experiencing one part of it – each was wrong.

In our everyday lives, we also tend to look at things in parts rather than experiencing the world as a whole. This is not surprising, as such divisions start early on in school where we are divided into a range of subjects. Yet, the world is much more complex. If we are to understand its complexity, we have to think about the greater picture. We have to think in systems. Let’s illustrate this with a universal example: love.

- Do you love me? - Yes. - But how much?
In our love systems, the amount of love is always crucial (stock). Some things help love grow – such as laughter and good conversation… (inflows) However, the amount of love can also diminish, such as after a bad argument. (outflows). Thankfully we have precious moments in life, like a honeymoon, where we ensure our love is strengthened (reinforcing feedback loop), while in the everyday we tend to settle for a sweet harmony (balancing feedback loop). Indeed our love systems are extremely sensitive. In some cases, tiny actions can have a huge effect, (non-linearity) while others take some time to manifest (delays).

Yet love doesn’t just exist between two people – it’s much more than that. Love also exists between brothers and sisters, kids and parents, within family circles, and also among friends and wider communities. In reality, love connects us all. (non-existent boundaries)

However, we often damage love by repeating the same mistakes and not recognizing unintended consequences. For example, grounding a naughty child to ‘teach’ good behavior, could make them more rebellious. (policy resistance) Sometimes even small arguments can turn into large and messy fights. (escalation) As adults, we make promises to our parents to call them more often… but this can soon fade as time passes. (eroding goals) We can also become fixed to distractions not realizing that this may be creating deeper disconnects in a relationship. (addiction) And too often we lose sight of what really makes us happy. (seeking wrong goals)

Although we all tend to make such mistakes in love, there are wisdoms that can guide us towards systemic solutions:

Take time to understand the system
Make your language meaningful and truthful
Favour quality over quantity
Acknowledge mistakes, stay a learner
Go for the good of the whole

So why don’t we use such wisdoms to understand more complex systems, not just love?'

[optimusprime]

Wow... amazing video. NO video can explain system dynamics and thinking better that this. Kudos to the makers.
This video was recommended by one of our professors.

[donmertz]

Well done. My every-waking-moment mantra: Be aware, focus, think. Nature's absolutes that are evaded in society: reality, reason, and cause and effect. Much of today's problems stem from people rejecting systems thinking because they know they will not like the final answer, i.e., it is not what they wish for.

[JenniferMillar]

What a *GREAT* concept! Stumbled upon this & I had to share. Enjoy!

[aparna]

“Systems thinking needs a simple language “ Say that to my college professor who loves to deliver concepts in over complicated formats and drown the students in a flood pool of jargons.
Thank you for this video! You brought clarity on many things using some wonderfully crafted visual examples. This is how it should be done in educational institutions. Take note! 🙄

[Chiquitahananah]

This video is extraordinary. I couldn't agree more, "systems thinking needs simple language." What a beautiful and clear way to capture the impact of systems thinking. I cannot wait to spread this message (and video)!

[fatemekrm]

i really admire the idea behind this production

[kathuman]

Simple language for fundamental concepts. Very good video.

[alenpuacadesign]

Such an awesome video! Thanks for the effort in putting together in front of our very eyes very visible symptoms of this very invisible domain of complex systems.

[btetschner]

I loved how systems thinking was applied to love. Thank you so much for the video.

[robsterocks]

Loved this video! ...the allegory of the building/ play blocks, the connection to love for understanding systems thinking in the context of the fundamental drive for all humans to do good in this world - brilliant!

[samarjsingh]

Brilliant in its simplicity and elegant in its rendition. Wonderful empathetic voice. I request BEE Environmental Communication make a lot more videos on Systems Thinking as they seem to have found a way to overcome the biggest hurdle in Systems Thinking i.e.teaching it.

[jennayyzoh]

Thank you so much for making this! It is thoughtful, beautiful, and easy to digest. I've had trouble finding a way to communicate systems thinking to wider audiences with increasingly limited attention spans, but this video is something special.

[juliehuntington]

Thank you. There is so much in this video, worth a lifetime of sharing. Be kind.

[koushikmondalsartjourney]

The best explanation about System Thinking I ever seen. What and idea. Really appreciate the effort. Keep making this type of videos and more and more people should be enlightened with system thinking. 👌

[CloudNativeJanitor]

awesome connection and smooth flow of the story, concepts. clarifies the ideas and make them very visible and understandable. touching from own life and actions we have made or gone through. awesome, thank you for all who involved in making it

[idesdevos]

This is a great video :a complex matter simple explained, and understandable for everyone .

I love your video. It's very concise, engaging and beautiful. Please do more!

[anaelisasmith]

Loved it. I'll show it in strategic planning undergrad classes and to agribusiness graduate students at Universidade Estadual Paulista in Brazil. Thanks for sharing the video with us. 

[fitnesssolutions]

awesome video. thanks for helping to understand system thinking in an simple way.

[azza-yfxn]

I love this video, i can learn more about system thinking. Thank you!!