The thinking in systems thinking: Eight critical skills

I have been writing and re-writing this guide (Introduction to Systems Thinking with STELLA, 1985–2000) for 15 years. I always begin by reeling off a litany of serious challenges facing humanity. And, you know what? The list has remained pretty much the same! There’s homelessness and hunger, drug addiction and income distribution inequities, environmental threats and the scourge of AIDS. We’ve made precious little progress in addressing any of these issues over the last couple of decades! Indeed, you could make a strong case that, if anything, most (if not all) have gotten worse! And, some new challenges have arisen.

So what’s the problem? Why do we continue to make so little progress in addressing our many, very pressing social concerns?