The Systems Thinking Playbook

Since Volume I of The Systems Thinking Playbook was published in 1995, it has become a favorite of K-12 teachers, university faculty, and corporate consultants. The book provides short gaming exercises that illustrate the subtleties of systems thinking. Volume II appeared in 1996, adding ten new games. Volume III was added with ten entirely new exercises contained in 165 pages, doubling the size of the book! In 2005, the authors added a companion DVD of videos illustrating good practice in introducing and running the 30 games.

The 30 games are classified by these areas of learning – Mental Models, Team Learning, Systems Thinking, Shared Vision and Personal Mastery. Each description clearly explains when, how, and why the game is useful. There are explicit instructions for debriefing each exercise as well as a list of all required materials. A summary matrix has been added at the back for a quick glance at all 30 games. When you are in a hurry to find just the right initiative for some part of your course, the matrix will help you find it.

Linda Booth Sweeney and Dennis Meadows both have many years of experience working with adults. This book reflects their insights. Every game works well and provokes a deep variety of new insights about paradigms, system boundaries, causal loop diagrams, reference modes, and leverage points. Each of the 30 exercises here was tested and refined many times until it became a reliable source of learning. Some of the games are adapted from classics of the outdoor education field. Others are completely new. But all of them complement readings and lectures to help participants understand intuitively the principles of systems thinking.