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Systems Thinking

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Modeling and Simulation in the Systems Engineering Life Cycle

Part of the book series: Simulation Foundations, Methods and Applications ((SFMA))

Abstract

The discipline of systems thinking refers to a family of methods, processes, and tools that promote greater situational awareness and decision making within large or complex systems. Traditional systems theories attempt to either optimize the performance of a system via reductionism and analysis (break into parts and measure each discretely) or statistical analysis (measurement of broader system performance via trends and prediction). Complex systems defy such techniques due to either their complexity or difficulty of prediction. System thinking focuses on a broader view of performance based on understanding of the influences in a system and the behavioral patterns that result. This chapter introduces the concepts of systems thinking as applied to systems engineering.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Tom McDermott

Authors
  1. Tom McDermott
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tom McDermott .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Margaret L. Loper

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag London

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McDermott, T. (2015). Systems Thinking. In: Loper, M. (eds) Modeling and Simulation in the Systems Engineering Life Cycle. Simulation Foundations, Methods and Applications. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5634-5_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5634-5_22

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-5633-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-5634-5

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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