Home
About the course
Course instructor
FAQs
Take the course
For teachers

Home
All Courses
Stock and flows
Thinking Complexity

Thinking Complexity

Curriculum

4 Sections
36 Lessons
30 Hours

Expand all sectionsCollapse all sections

Chapter 1 - Introducing complexity
Hello everybody! Welcome to the first chapter of our “thinking complexity” class. In this chapter we will be looking at what we mean by complexity, why we sometimes have so much trouble dealing with it and how a systems perspective can help us better comprehend complex situations. As we go we will speak a little latin, discover the butterfly effect and meet a French philosopher and an English scientist. Let's get to it :)
14
Chapter 2 - Thinking in systems
Welcome to chapter 2. In this chapter you will learn more about feedback: a key concept in systems and complexity theory. We will see that many natural, social and business phenomena are driven by reinforcing and balancing feedback. We wrap-up the chapter with a case study on obesity. Unit 8 explains how you can use free online software to tell and share the systemic story of a complex situation. Throughout the chapter we will talk about fashions, swarms and stampedes, we will play checkers and boil a frog. Sounds interesting? Let's get started :)
17
Chapter 3 - Mapping the dynamics of complexity
Welcome to chapter 3. In this chapter we will study accumulations and non-linear relationships in complex systems. We explore how they contribute to both the speed of change over time and the unexpected and often frustrating behaviors we observe in complex situations such as thresholds and tipping points. Bonus unit: Unit 4 explains how you can use free online software to simulate the behavior of a complex situation. This unit is optional. At the end of the chapter we look at the complex problem of climate change. Let's get started!
15
Chapter 4 - Living with complexity
Welcome to chapter 4 There is a common adage that “History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes”, and this is also true of systemic structures. Did you know that the structure that underlies a school yard fight is similar to that behind a commercial price war or an armed conflict between two nations? We will see that there are a small number of systemic stories that can be found at work in a number of different situations in the real world. They will help us quickly understand a complex situation and find leverage points. We will also learn why management thought needs to evolve and move into the systems age. Along the way we will visit Rome, the South China Sea, Greece and Wall Street. Let's get to it!
14

Summary – chapter 4

Congratulations!

You have finished the fourth and final chapter. In this chapter we saw that there are a small number of generic structures, called archetypes present in many situations in the world around us. Knowledge of archetypes facilitates the resolution of complex problems, accelerates our understanding of how the system works and helps find possible leverage points.

We saw that we can use the iceberg diagram to find leverage in a complex situation. There are five levels: reactive, adaptive, creative, reflexive and generative. The mechanical advantage of leverage increases as we move to lower levels of the iceberg.

Society is in the process of shifting from a Machine Age to a Systems Age. The problems we are faced with today require new tools and approaches to deal with them.

4.7 A 16 minute wicked case study: the 2008 financial crisis

Modal title

Main Content