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“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. … If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” 1 Corinthians 12:12, 26 (ESV)

Systems thinking involves understanding how different parts of a system interact and influence one another within a complete entity. It emphasizes relationships and interdependencies, not just individual components. As we look to what might be happening currently and in the future, we must take a big picture view and answer the question: How does the issue we are processing affect the whole of the organization and its various parts?

An organization is a system of people and processes that should harmoniously work together to engage staff, please customers and satisfy investors. This intertwined system is complex; therefore, a small change in an obscure business unit can have profound consequences throughout an organization. Issues can arise from competing interests (such as making profits, achieving strategic objectives, meeting deadlines, cutting costs by laying off staff, etc.) or changes that occur with customers, supply chains, technology, competition and staff. Evaluating how to tackle significant issues requires systems thinking. But know this: making a good decision and moving forward is better than endlessly searching for the perfect decision.

Evaluating the system of an organization necessitates the skill of asking thoughtful, open-minded questions and actively listening. This must be done throughout an organization to keep harmony within the systems. Change is constant, as we have highlighted above. If an organization does not change, it will die.

We start by asking two simple questions (see additional questions on page two):

·       What is the issue that needs to be addressed?

·       How might this decision affect other parts of our system?

The answer to these questions and the subsequent questions generated must reflect the values and beliefs of the organization and the staff. As an example, if integrity and trust are a requirement, there will not (or should not be) short cuts taken to find a quick fix that leads to a profit. Eventually, whatever decision is made, the public will know the truth. The Boeing 737 Max crisis is a great example of a company continually failing to address the real issue with the design and regulatory approval process. There were two plane crashes in which there were 346 fatalities, and they continued to hide the truth. It cost Boeing billions of dollars in sales and profits, and a loss of trust, which it is still trying to recover.(1)

A servant leader, in contrast to other types of leaders, should excel at systems thinking because they are leading an organization based on trust, empowerment and engagement. People within the organization know that the leader thinks long-term and not short-term, which dictates not taking shortcuts but developing a proper path forward. Hopefully, this can be done in an efficient manner, but it may take some time. It is critical to develop a feedback loop to make midcourse corrections. Going back to the 737 Max, there were staff who knew the problems and warned management, but leaders in the organization were too focused on selling planes and making money; therefore, they made many poor decisions.

Shared Experiences:

·       Can someone share their experience with systems thinking/big picture thinking? What were the issues? What were the results?

·       If you are a junior member of an organization, when, if ever, have you seen your company make a decision that had unintended consequences?

Bottom line: A servant leader examines the big picture of the organization to make sure wise decisions are made for the betterment of the entire organization, whether it is composed of a few or thousands. Paul shared the very same thing when he discussed there is one body with many members.

Dig Deeper

Want to learn more?

·       Video: Introduction to Systems Thinking published by Kris Wile. Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline, senior lecturer at MIT and founder of the Society for Organizational Learning shares his perspectives on leadership and systems thinking with IBM.

·       Book: The Fifth Discipline – The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization (second edition) by Peter M. Senge. This is an excellent book.

·       Article: The Best-Managed Companies Do It All—but Do Some Things Especially Well by Rick Wartzman and Kelly Tang published in the Wall Street Journal March 13, 2025. An analysis of The Wall Street Journal’s Management Top 250 reveals that those with the best investment returns follow a clear pattern. This is an excellent article.

·       Article: Set Aside Time To Think About The Things You Really Need To by Victor Lipman published by Forbes.com

·       Article: What’s systems thinking? The secret to a future-minded organization by Madeline Miles, published August 30, 2022 at BetterUp.com

·       (1)Article: Why Boeing’s Problems with the 737 MAX Began More Than 25 Years Ago by Bill George writing for the Harvard Business Review January 24, 2024.

Note: This lesson just scratches the service of systems thinking. We encourage you to take a deeper dive into this subject using some of the resources cited above.

Common phrases people should use as they process the issues within a system:

·       “Let’s give it a try.”

·       “I’m open to suggestions.”

·       “How can we make this work?”

·       “Let’s consider other options.”

·       “I had not thought of it that way.”

·       “What can we learn from this?”

·       “Let’s see how it goes and adjust if needed.”

·       “Let’s keep improving.”

Partial list of great systems thinking questions:

·       What is the purpose of this system?

·       Who are all the stakeholders involved?

·       How do the different parts of this system influence each other?

·       What relationships or dependencies exist between components?

·       What historical decisions have shaped the current situation?

·       What might be the deeper causes of the current issue?

·       Are we addressing symptoms or the root problem?

·       What assumptions are we making?

·       Where could a small change create a big impact?

·       What parts of the system are most sensitive to change?

·       What unintended consequences might occur if we intervene?

·       Are we being ethical?

·       Are we building trust?

·       What boundaries are we placing on this system (geographical, organizational, time-based)?

·       Are there hidden factors we might be overlooking?

·       Who or what is being excluded from our analysis?

·       How might others see this situation differently?

·       What voices are missing from the conversation?

·       What biases might we have?

·       How does the system respond to change or stress?

·       Where is the system most vulnerable?

·       How can we build flexibility into the system?

·       What have we learned from past efforts?

·       How will we monitor and learn from future outcomes?

·       How can we improve the system over time?