The when of systemic thinking

Abstract

The when question of systemic thinking attempts to determine the appropriate time for interacting with our mess in an effort to increase our understanding about it. Recalling the TAO of systemic thinking, we must think before we act on (and observe) our mess. The understanding gained from our thinking informs when (and if) we decide to intervene in our mess. In order to discern the appropriate time for action, we explore two criteria of our messes, its maturity and its stability. These two criteria will first be explored by investigating life cycles and their relevance to the maturity of our mess. We will then explore the phenomena of evolution, both as it pertains to biological systems and to purposeful systems. Then, we will discuss entropy as it relates to evolution. Finally, we develop a framework to address the when as it applies to any efforts at intervention in our mess