Systems Thinking Practice MSc

The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to systems thinking which will be the foundation for the overall Systems Thinking Practice course. It will introduce the concept of systems and systems thinking. It is a general introduction which covers all aspects of social and organisational situations. It includes education, health, defence or policing, the introduction and management of major programmes and projects, and managing in conditions of uncertainty.

This is the foundation module and, in addition to including the face-to-face elements of the induction module, it introduces the basic concepts of systems, thinking, and how we think about systems and systems laws and principles. It introduces concepts of complexity and aspects of complex systems in their nature of being structurally coupled with the systems environment. It introduces how we think and a selection of methods and techniques for thinking about a situation, about context and about perspectives, as well as ways of synthesising perspectives. Finally it introduces scenario thinking and scenario planning.

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

Examine core systems concepts and systems laws that underpin and inform the practical methodologies and methods.
Distinguish essential attributes of systems.
Appraise systems laws, concepts and systems thinking approaches applied directly in real world situations, or in support of systems methodologies.

This module introduces a selection of methods currently used by a range of systems practitioners, utilising appropriate case studies as opportunities to practice application in real world contexts.

Progressing from the Fundamentals module, this module introduces a set of key systems thinking methodologies and methods. A day will be spent on each of the methods where they will be introduced with a case study and practiced on a student-owned problem in groups in order to provide practical guidance in their real-world application.

• Soft Systems Methodology,
• Viable Systems Model,
• System Dynamics,
• Critical Systems Heuristics.

 

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

• Compare and contrast at least three modelling approaches, including at least two of the widely-used systems methodologies or approaches,
• Evaluate each systems approach with regard to their applicability, benefits and limits,
• Apply a range of systems methods to a variety of systems, real world situations and scenarios, producing conceptual models to provide insights into current or future challenges,
• Use models to develop and test options or to explore the range of possible interventions relevant to the situation of interest.

The twofold aim of this module is to explore and analyse the factors that either enhance or comprise social group interactions and communication. Then take a strategic design approach to apply Systems Thinking (methodologies and methods) interventions for communication and collaboration in complex organisational situations.

This module focuses on the setting up and successful exploitation of workshops, studies and other interventions relevant to the systems thinking practitioner’s role It explores how culture, schemas, beliefs, and attitudes influence human interactions, teamwork, and collaboration. It examines cognitive biases and reasoning and the impact this has both on the practitioner, and the people the practitioner is working with. It introduces and practices modes of dialogue and collaborative techniques including: Dialogue Project, World café and Appreciative Inquiry. Each student will design and run a short mock workshop attended by their peers on the course.

Due to the often challenging nature of problems and topics encountered by systems thinking practitioners, this model extends beyond facilitation techniques. Therefore, this module includes:

Strategic planning,
Heuristics, biases and modes of communication (Cooperation vs collaboration),
The self-other dichotomy and the art of listening,
Flow theory and matching capabilities with challenges,
Factors that influence thinking,
Theories of human interaction,
Methodologies and methods for bringing people together.

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

Compare and contrast a range of methods or methodologies for: intervention planning, information gathering, engagement and change implementation,
Determine ethics as applied to systems interventions generally, as well as specific to depth and breadth of ‘sector’, relevant to where situations occur,
Demonstrate the ability to work effectively as part of multi-disciplinary groups with divergent or conflicting world views,
Design, plan and manage groups to define and achieve desired outcomes, utilising appropriate methods and techniques including effective dialogue and the development of a shared understanding of the problem situation or decision-making.

Organisational agility and resilience are increasingly important for organisations to succeed in today’s turbulent business environment. The key enablers for this are a good understanding of the organisational context, its stakeholders and nature of the organisational structure. Surrounding this is good systems leadership, requisite organisation for management, communication and collaboration across a range of capabilities and levels of work. The aim is to assess and manage the impact of people and systems leadership on an organisation’s agility and resilience.

This module covers the aspects of leadership required to enable an effective systems practice environment. It includes methods for understanding the organisational context, stakeholder identification and management, and aspects of organisational culture and structure. It covers the 6 principles of systems leadership behaviour, Social, technical, and commercial domains of work, levels of work complexity, the work of leadership with regard to creating a culture, task formulation and assignment and teams and teamwork. It introduces the required elements that lead to successful change and the requirements for an organisational health check.

Students develop a concept map for systems leadership as it relates to systems thinking and organisational structure and behaviour. Finally, scenario thinking is introduced whereby students develop a range of possible futures for a case study against which to establish principles for organisational agility and resilience.

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

• Assess the impact of management functions and structure on organisational agility and resilience,
• Evaluate the concept of the learning organisation with respect to systems leadership challenges and development of strategy against possible futures,
• Distinguish the different kinds of organisational barriers to systems leadership,
• Appraise stakeholder engagement approaches as part of an appreciative systems approach,
• Assess the application of methods for understanding organisational context and stakeholder engagement to a representative case study.

This module provides students with the opportunity to practice the application of systems methods introduced in the earlier modules of the course, whilst being guided in the planning, preparation and execution of systems workshops. The aim of this module is for students to plan and undertake a small systems intervention in their workplace to address a real-world problem of their own choosing, including problem structuring to reach a resolution or way(s) forward. The academic team will be available for mentoring via videoconferencing.

This module prepares the student for their first work-based intervention, building upon the previous modules covered on the course. Within the residential at the start of the module, the student will plan a small workplace intervention and present it to the academic team and their peers for formative feedback. The students will benefit significantly from the rage of disciplines and business foci of the academic team and their peers, leading to insights into the application of methods for a wide range of issues and challenges.

Following the residential, the student will then undertake the planned short intervention in the workplace, soliciting and reflecting on feedback from workplace colleagues. The initial application of systems methods in the workplace when working in an individual capacity can be daunting. Therefore, support from staff will be available by videoconferencing.

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

The aim of this module is for students to develop and demonstrate the application of knowledge and skills they have acquired in the taught modules in the context of a continually changing organisational environment and practical problem context. It is focused on a work-based problem-solving context where they will support a problem owner to resolve a substantial organisational issue. It provides the opportunity for apprentices to complete their collection of evidence needed, both for their portfolio and their project report.

Within the classroom, the student will select, plan and design a significant work-based intervention to support a specific organisational need with a work-based sponsor, and present it to their peers. In addition, each student will provide a short critique of each other’s proposed plan. The student may incorporate learning from the Research Methods module, as a defensible justification of methods selected and approach to be taken is required, and this will contribute directly to the first assignment. The students will benefit significantly from the range of disciplines and business foci of their peers, leading to an insight of the application of methods into a wide range of issues and challenges.

The student will then undertake this major intervention in the workplace to achieve the benefits intended and will solicit and reflect on feedback from their sponsor and workplace colleagues. Due to the scale of the intervention, 1-to-1 mentoring will be provided by tutors.

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

• Evaluate the utility and application of a range of systems thinking methods and approaches across a range of organisational contexts and interventions,
• Explain the benefits, principles and skills of systems approaches to stakeholders and participants in an intervention in order to guide them through a systems intervention,
• Appraise personal performance and development, identifying and exploiting opportunities for continual structured learning,
• Interpret and explain systems models and representations in comprehensible language for stakeholders; can adapt communication method to audience,
• Demonstrates appropriate behaviours whilst developing and leading systems-based interventions within their own organisation.

• Dr Natalie Clewley

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the intentional design process for planning and designing systems thinking interventions. This includes problem exploration and selection of various methodologies, specifically with regard to the varying perspectives of engineering, science and social science, such that the most appropriate systems approach can be developed for a particular problem context.

This module introduces the students to a structured methodological approach to designing quality systems interventions to improve real-world problem situations.  The approach comprises problem exploration, intervention strategy (development of work packages) and assessment and evaluation methods.

• Exploration stage: utilises multiple tools and techniques to investigate the problem situation: to enhance problem appreciation and facilitate meaningful conversations with problem owners and stakeholders to set expectations and resource negotiations.
• Intervention Strategy: takes a multimethodology approach to designing and developing work packages through a logical breakdown of the work. The methodologies include System Dynamics, The Viable Systems Model, Soft Systems Methodology and Critical Systems Heuristics. This stage will critically consider the transition between work packages, data collection and analysis and the importance of keeping a diary to track decisions.
• Evaluation and Assessment stage: utilises and critically appraises an array of measurement and evaluation approaches to assess the validity, reliability and generalisability of an intervention.

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

• Compare and contrast a range of assessment and evaluation methods for determining outcomes and impact of interventions and for evaluating effectiveness and impact of intervention decisions and processes,
• Examine the role of researcher perspectives’ within interventions research and their relative strengths and weaknesses,
• Appraise, select and apply a range of inquiry techniques to gather quantitative and qualitative information, including inputs, transformations, outputs and outcomes, incorporating hard and soft measures,
• Assess the design of interventions and their outcomes in terms of validity, reliability and generalisability.

The aim of this module is to conduct a self-directed piece of research applying the principles, practices and techniques developed on the course to a real world problem of interest and relevance to the student.

Students work independently but with guidance from a supervisor to apply their knowledge and skills, acquired and developed through the taught phase of the course, to an agreed topic. The thesis provides an opportunity for students to carry out an in-depth specialised study of a topic of personal and/or professional interest. It enables the integration of theoretical and practical aspects of a topic, revealing an understanding of theoretical principles and how they can be applied in the chosen area of research and is written up in the form of an academic paper. Students will be allocated an academic supervisor who will guide them in the suitability of topic chosen and conduct of the research.

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

Demonstrate an ability to acquire, organise, discuss and assess knowledge associated with complex organisational or social issues,
Plan, organise and undertake a piece of research with appropriate supervision,
Apply appropriate methods, tools, techniques and knowledge to a complex problem, demonstrating an ability to gather and critically appraise data, and utilise it within the appropriate academic and practical context,
Prepare a written submission to effectively communicate findings,
Defend their approach to the project through an oral presentation. 

Complexity, what is it, and why does it matter? The aim of this module is to investigate and explore these two interrelated questions. Building on knowledge developed in FST the module will show how complexity and complex adaptive systems (CAS) act in often unpredictable ways that confound conventional thinking and highlight the limitations of knowledge and prediction. The module will introduce methods and techniques to think about CAS and address the vicissitudes of complexity in real-world situations.

The content of this module will gravitate around a real-world complex wicked problem. Firstly, the module will apply modelling techniques to highlight the various aspects of complexity – structure, emergence, interdependencies, reductionism, holism, adaption and behaviour. Secondly, the module will explore methods and techniques for addressing and coping with the various aspects of complexity in organisations.

Modelling complex problems,
System behaviours (emergence, chaos, adaption, structure, systems laws, etc.),
Dissipative structures,
Risk, Black Swans and the problem of induction,
Agent Based Modelling (ABM),
Requisite Variety and managing variety in organisations,
Complex Systems Governance.

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

Systems modelling methods require different systems of notation to capture and record descriptions and behaviours. The aim of this module is to introduce a range of representations for systems and their behaviours, spanning across the ‘harder’, more complicated mathematical systems to the ‘softer’, more complex social systems.

This module provides a foundation to the formal methods and structures used in communicating and representing a range of systems methods to understand complex, social problems. This module will cover some of the 'harder', logical and mathematical methods (e.g. calculus, probability and likelihood, set theory, System Dynamics, Dependency Modelling, Social Network Analysis) and contrast against some of the 'softer', more social Systems Thinking methods covered across the course (e.g. SSM, VSM, rich pictures, concept maps, cognitive maps).

It does not require students to have an advanced level of mathematics. Due to the likely variety of students’ backgrounds, an initial foundation topic and quiz will be undertaken to establish a common baseline.

The following topics will be covered at an introductory level, with guided reading for those who wish to progress beyond the scope of the course:


Purpose and Language,
Ways of Seeing Reality and Related Knowledge,
Representation of Problems,
Grouping and Relationships,
Causality,
Systems Structuring,
Representing Behaviours,
Systems Laws and Archetypes,
Multi-Methods.

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

The aim of this module is to explore the beneficial contribution of systems thinking in the development of effective and sustainable interventions and policy development. Societal issues represent some of the most complex problems faced by nations today and a linear approach to thinking often misses the unintended consequences of siloed thinking, where complex environmental interactions are not considered. This module introduces a range of techniques with which to motivate stakeholders and shape their thinking leading to improved outcomes.

This module focuses on the beneficial contribution of systems thinking in the development of effective and sustainable interventions and policy development. It includes: a discourse on wicked problems, and how our ways of thinking contribute to the ‘wickedness’; the challenges and drivers of sustainability; aspects of resilience with regard to social and ecological contexts and their contrast to organisational resilience; the drivers of social change; approaches to change in a community and national context; and national policy development and decisions.

Through a case study, students will explore the application of Soft Systems Methodology, causal loop modelling, and Critical Systems Heuristics in the context of social change.

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

Develop the relationship between an organisation and its environment,
Examine the levels of development and learning within an organisation with regard to its environment, including its hierarchy of purpose and decision-making,
Critically assess various systems thinking methodologies and approaches from the perspective of understanding, knowledge and viewpoints, relating them to philosophical concepts such as ontology and epistemology.
Identify the inter-relationships between systems thinking approaches and justify them from a foundational perspective.

The Aim of this module is to introduce additional ways of thinking together with the application of selected methods and tools relevant to organisational management. It is to support the implementation of an appropriate (requisite) variety of processes, procedures, skills, and competences to enable this and to ensure the organisation’s ongoing viability, resilience, and sustainability. These will vary according to the enterprise; its strategy, culture, scale, and governance structure (commercial, Not-for-profit, government, etc.).

This module focuses on the application of systems thinking in the context of organisational development. It incorporates the following topics: Systems thinking as a foundation for developing resilient and sustainable enterprises; Cybernetics and Requisite Variety in the context of organisational development; the relationship between systems thinking and organisational development; theories and practices of Organisational Development; power and politics in organisations; organisational agility and resilience; hierarchies of purpose and span of decision-making related to the organisation’s environment. Methods and approaches practised on a case study include Morgan’s Images of Organization, and Emery and Trist’s Causal texture as well as the application of Soft Systems Methodology and the Viable Systems Model in organisational design and development.

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

Develop the relationship between an organisation and its environment,
Examine the levels of development and learning within an organisation with regard to its environment, including its hierarchy of purpose and decision-making,
Critically assess various systems thinking methodologies and approaches from the perspective of understanding, knowledge and viewpoints, relating them to philosophical concepts such as ontology and epistemology,
Identify the inter-relationships between systems thinking approaches and justify them from a foundational perspective.

• Dr Natalie Clewley

Within the world of Information Technology and Information Systems, efficiencies have been gained through the development and application of Enterprise Architecture. The key to success with enterprise architecture is in being able to align it with the enterprise purpose and key performance criteria, including resilience and sustainability. This module provides methods, tools and practice to ensure information systems can remain congruent with the business strategy goals and needs.

This module focuses on the application of systems thinking in the context of enterprise architecture. It incorporates the following topics:

Systems thinking as a foundation for architecting resilient and sustainable enterprises;
Enterprise architecture and enterprise architecture governance;
The relationship between systems thinking methods and architectural approaches;
The hierarchy of purpose within enterprises and the differing governance models required.

A case study will be used as a basis for the application of Soft Systems Methodology and the Viable Systems Model to enterprise architecture.

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

Evaluate the value of Systems Thinking in Enterprise Architecture approaches,
Distinguish the different kinds of organisational barriers to the alignment of enterprise architectures to the organisation,
Critically assess various systems thinking methodologies and approaches from the perspective of understanding, knowledge and viewpoints, relating them to philosophical concepts such as ontology and epistemology, 
Discuss the inter-relationships between systems thinking approaches and justify them from a foundational perspective.