Don't hate the player, hate (and fix) the game

There was something about this book that I didn't quite like. I'm not sure if it's because this book is covering a complex topic, or if it's because I just didn't care for the way the information was laid out. I usually like books of this nature to provide a high level overview of the topic followed by details for each component. I didn't really feel like I got that here.

Aside from that, though, this book was great. The topic covers so many aspects of life that I'd expect everyone to take something different away from the book. My take away was that when failures occur, you should look at the system that created that error. That is, you should look at the big picture, see how all of the elements are connected, and identify the root cause of a problem in order to fix it long-term. We shouldn't look for individual people to blame, and we shouldn't even look at individual elements if we want a long-term fix.

While I'm tempted to expand on this, the book does a much better job explaining it all. I highly recommend it.

The audiobook's narration was smooth and consistent. I was able to comfortably listen to it at 2.5x speed and catch every word.

10 people found this helpful

Introduction to System Archetypes

"The Elements of Thinking in Systems" is an accessible introduction to systems thinking. This is to say, this book will challenge linear thinking (a causes b) and help the reader or listener to consider the relationship of other variables as well as unintended consequences.

The book is structured around nine archetypes. This include Fixes that Backfire, Shifting the Burden, Limits to Success, Tragedy of the Commons and so on. Each archetype is defined and examples are provided. For example, "Fixes that Backfire" occurs when in an effort to fix present problems, short-term solutions are implemented which have harmful long-term effects. An example of this might be medication to dull physical pain, rather than addressing the root issue. The author further illustrates the point with a hypothetical company and the well-intended but ultimately disastrous fixes to improve sales numbers.

As a manager in a non-profit organization, I learned some new ways of thinking through challenges that we face. One of the strengths of the book is the broad ranging applications. Rather than focus on business applications, the author includes examples from marriage and family, public administration, and international relations, and others.

The book is an easy listen, and it is narrated well. I listened to it over the course of three days to get an overview of the material. However I would suggest that it is best absorbed when the listener can give full attention and look at the associated diagrams while listening to the book. The book is easy for me to recommend as an introduction, and afterwards you may be interested to go further in your studies and look for additional resources to work through the different archetypes in the situations you face. I had hoped that the author would have included short summaries or offered a process by which to think through or apply the archetypes, but that would have made for a much longer book.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

6 people found this helpful

No diagrams

Promising, but couldn't get far without the non-existent illustrations.
Audible's process for getting a PDF attachment is unnecessary cumbersome on mobile. It's especially disappointing when a book that repeatedly references diagrams provides no diagrams.

5 people found this helpful

Best Ways to Approach and Solve a Problem

Thia audiobook contains useful strategies to identify and solve problems. I found my self, while a listened, applying it easily to my every day life. It helped with questions like; How can I make my side business more successful and cope with growth? How to prepare for a new job interview? And, What is causing me to repeat the same mistakes? The Narrator is a great fit for this type of audiobook. His delivery was perfect for conveying complex information and kept mind focused on what was being said. I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook and think it will help me in my future endeavors.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

4 people found this helpful

reference to alot of illustrations

content is on target but ths book really should not be an audible book. too many references to the illustrations make it very difficult to get much value .

3 people found this helpful

Basic primer for systems thinking

I've read many of the books mentioned as references in this audiobook. Overall, the presentation is excellent. The content is an introduction to the basic concepts of systems thinking. Occasionally it gets a little confusing, but in most of these instances I needed a diagram in front of me to truly understand what the author was talking about. If you are interested in learning about systems thinking, take a listen. If you've already read a bit on the topic, I would suggest finding a more technical text to expand your horizons.

5 people found this helpful

Interesting models to help focus you thinking.

The content of this book is very accessible to a beginner and provides insights into different models and ways of thinking about systems. It's been a couple of weeks since I listened, and I find my mind going back to reference some of the models when approaching problems in my consultancy role. Pros Simple examples used to illustrate the models Wide range of systems described. Online pages of diagrams to support the book Cons Its harder to reference the online diagrams while listening than it would be in a printed version. I found I had to create bookmarks and rewind and re listen to get the most out of them I wonder if the author could add the diagrams URL to the details. so it can be found without trying to scan through the audio of the introduction ( or make the URL it's own mini chapter so it can be located easily)

1 person found this helpful

Don’t discuss this on a date

Okay, so this is a good intro to the subject, and yet it’s not a touchy feely fun way of approaching life. I don’t deny that there are a few pearls of wisdom in these methods, but even the more analytical among us don’t live our day to day lives in accordance with the actions taught in MBA business analysis courses, but rather more in line with "complexity theory". In practice, most people just aren’t going to be able to convince others to speak in the vocabulary of this book, and the skills it teaches will be the occasional “secret sauce” you’ll avail yourself of here and there, mostly instinctual rather than analytically.

Furthermore, as evidenced by a few of the examples given, the methods in this book don’t yield solutions that are free from bias unless you’re aware of your biases. They don’t yield order unless you appreciate the role chaos plays in priming creativity, and how variables fall in line in a slave/master relationship such that one variable tends to pull the others in line - and it's not always the one we'd consider most optimal using the methods in this book.

So in all I think that while this has value, it’s a bit too ivory tower for "rough" project management tasks like construction, but it may work for tech or financial sectors. This isn’t to say it doesn’t sum up the subject well, it does. Rather it’s not likely to be nearly enough without experience, critical thinking, awareness of bias and creativity and this book doesn’t really get into this enough.

I received this book for free in exchange for my non-biased review.

1 person found this helpful

Excellent book

I have read other systems books and this one is up there with the best. His descriptions and case studies are a big help in understanding the different systems
Well worth it as a go to reference and understanding

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