Part 2 explores the surprising characteristics and behaviors of systems. Meadows repeatedly emphasizes that systems are models are tools-simplified representations of complex mechanisms. Meadows also teaches us about ways to read systems through stock-and-flow diagrams and common system structures. Together these parts drive the behavior of a system. Here we learn about the essential parts of a system: elements, interconnections and a goal or purpose. Part 1 focuses on the nuts and bolts of systems. The book is neatly divided into three parts. Similarly, a single person is also part of many systems larger than itself: a household, a neighborhood, a city, a region, a state, a nation, and so on. The human body is a good example of this with its constituent subsystems: a circulatory system, a respiratory system, a nervous system, a digestive system, and so on. There are also hierarchical connections whereby subsystems are nested in other systems which are, in turn, part of larger systems. There are linear and overlapping connections. Not only are systems everywhere, but systems are endlessly connected with other systems in different ways. Remove a key part from a system and the system will cease to work. Understanding a system-its inputs, outputs, interconnections and causal relationships-is the first step to improving a system.
Why should we care about systems? Simply put, systems are everywhere. Donella Meadows’ engaging book, “ Thinking in Systems: A Primer” (2008) looks at the composition of systems, their surprising and often counterintuitive behaviors, and the myriad ways we can interact with them to shape them to our benefit. What is a system? A system is a set of interconnected things (people, cells, molecules, components, etc.) that produces a specific outcome over time.
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