SYSTEMS THINKING MADE SIMPLE
We are excited to announce the release of our new book, Systems Thinking Made Simple: New Hope for Solving Wicked Problems (Odyssean, ISBN 0996349308, $29.95, Amazon). The book represents the culmination of decades of research and teaching systems thinking to a diverse array of audiences and applications—from business to education and from personal development to policy analysis. Systems Thinking Made Simple provides an introduction to the field that is both comprehensive and approachable. We explain the four rules that both underlie systems thinking of all kinds and human cognition itself. These are distinction-making, and recognizing part-whole systems, relationships, and perspectives. The book does far more than explain the complex field of systems thinking, it teaches everyone how to think and perform better in all their endeavors.
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Reviews of Systems Thinking Made Simple...
"We have had 100 years of systems research giving rise to literally hundreds of different methodologies; many, many different systems ideas. I have to ask how we can make sense of this. When I saw DSRP, I realized that it broke systems thinking down to the bare essentials: a set of thinking skills. It also occurred to me that all the various methodologies that are used in the systems field tend to prioritize one of these skills over the others, so it provides a framework for organizing the field.”
— Gerald Midgley, PhD, Professor of Systems Thinking in the Centre for Systems Studies at the University of Hull, and past President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences
"A terrific read that lays out complex and often counterintuitive concepts in a simple and intuitive way. Everyone, from Cadet to Commander-in-Chief, would benefit from reading this book and applying these ideas."
— Gregory L. Boylan - PhD, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
"I hope this book will impress upon faculty, students, and community members the importance of systems thinking in the field of public affairs; not only the interdisciplinary applications of systems thinking in the field, but how lack of systems thinking (in both academia and practice) has contributed to some of the most serious political, economic, and social problems our world is facing."
— Tom O’Toole - Executive Director, Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA), Cornell University
"Applying the science of systems thinking to our business models and practices has transformed everything we do. In particular, applying this revolutionary approach to defining our company’s Vision and Mission statements keeps our whole company focused on those two critical things (V&M) by using and understanding Culture and Learning. I would highly recommend this work to any company regardless of size or maturity.”
— Evan Ellis - President and COO, Xactly Corp.
"The Cabreras aim high: Their goal is to revitalize the explicit pedagogy of thinking skills by emphasizing the dynamic interplay between information and thought, and by encouraging people to recognize and explicate the distinctions, systems, relationships, and perspectives that inherently characterize any concept. The approach, which is deeply informed by a complex systems perspective, is the culmination of over a decade of work.”
— Ginger Richardson - Santa Fe Institute (SFI)
"A must-read for those in workforce development and higher education, Systems Thinking Made Simple teaches us how to be better, more systemic thinkers in a way that applies equally well to classroom and boardroom. The Cabreras show us how to fill the pipeline from higher education to the workplace with systems thinkers. If you’re not developing your student body or workforce into system thinkers then you’re not getting the most out of your human talent."
— Scott Campbell - PhD, Vice President for Higher Education, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)
"In my career, nothing has been more revolutionary than DSRP. It has changed how I understand and teach my content. Not only am I a better thinker, but I can teach my students to become better thinkers. DSRP has provided me the structure to think about my content and anything I am learning in a meaningful and systematic way. It has helped further my professional career, too. I wrote my master's using DSRP and found it to be highly effective in conveying my research and findings."
— Marianna O'Brien - 8th Grade Physical Science Teacher, 2013 Siemens STEM Institute Fellow, CA
"The ideas in Systems Thinking Made Simple will transform your school district. They have transformed ours. Developing every child into a systems thinker is an ethical imperative. Developing adaptive systems leaders and shared consciousness across the district is a necessity in today’s complex educational environment. DSRP and VMCL are indispensable models that we have implemented across 17 school districts."
— Cori Cotner - Director of Educational Planning, BLAST IU17
We're on a mission to change the world
Born at Cornell University, Cabrera Research Lab drives basic research, innovation, and public understanding in systems thinking. Our Mission-Vision is to Engage, Educate, and Empower 7 Billion Systems Thinkers to solve everyday and wicked problems.