Systems thinking

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The Hidden Connections: Integrating the biological, cognitive, and social dimensions of life into a science of sustainability
by Fritjof Capra

For most of history, scientific investigation was based on linear thinking. But the 1980s brought a revolutionary change. With the advent of improved computer power, scientists could apply complexity theory — nonlinear thinking — to scientific processes far more easily than ever before.

Capra applies the principles of complexity theory to an analysis of the broad sphere of all human interactions.

The Fifth Discipline
by Peter M. Senge

A director at MIT’s Sloan School, Senge proposes the "systems thinking" method to help a corporation to become a "learning organization," one that integrates at all personnel levels indifferently related company functions (sales, product design, etc.) to "expand the ability to produce." He describes requisite disciplines, of which systems-thinking is the fifth. Others include "personal mastery" of one’s capacities and "team learning" through group discussion of individual objectives and problems. Employees and managers are also encouraged to examine together their often negative perceptions or "mental models" of company people and procedures. www.fieldbook.com

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization
by Peter M. Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Rick Ross, Bryan Smith.

Senge and his four co-authors cover: reinventing relationships, being loyal to the truth, building a shared vision, organizations as communities, designing an organization’s governing ideas.