Systems Thinking: An Analysis of Key Factors and Relationships

Today's work environment presents engineers with complex challenges that demand holistic approaches. Systems thinking provides ways to think about a problem and its solutions using “whole system” perspectives. There have been multiple studies that identify the key elements that comprise systems thinking. These studies have resulted in the identification of sets of individual systems thinking traits, elements, and characteristics. In this paper, the authors further explore and analyze individual systems thinking elements as well as the relationships between the various elements. The authors will present and discuss a model that illustrates the relationships between the elements related to individual systems thinking.