"Give me a lever long enough and I can move the world single-handedly" - the famous words of the Greek philosopher Archimedes.

Systems Thinking is all about finding the key to change. Organisations are continually wondering why success is not at their doorstep, without realising that success is not necessarily achieved by following the paths of other organisations or models followed in other countries.

Systems thinking is an approach for developing models to promote our understanding of events, the patterns of behaviour resulting in specific events, and even more importantly, the underlying structure responsible for the patterns of behavior. If we are truly interested in addressing a particular problem in its entirety, it is only through our understanding of the underlying structure that we will be able to identify the most appropriate leverage points to effect change within the system.

Our intervention on Systems Thinking for Strategic Planning is a long term one. Unlike a system that one sets up for distribution logistics or a marketing promotion program, this intervention is one where the goal and one's own personal growth are inter-twined. It is difficult to separate the two and hence changes are possible as one learns more about oneself and one's team – the assumptions, biases, preferences, patterns of behaviour and so on.

Is Systems Thinking Appropriate?

The following are some of the signs that indicate a systems thinking approach is most likely warranted.

• A previously applied solution (fix) has created problems elsewhere
• Over time there is a tendency to settle for less
• After a fix is applied the problem returns in time
• There is a tendency to allow an established standard to slip
• Growth slows over time
• Partners for growth become adversaries
• There is more than one limit to growth
• Growth leads to decline in another part of the system (or organisation)

Our Systems Thinking for Strategic Planning workshops help leadership teams to develop the ability to think 'systemically' and therefore make more wholistic and sustainable strategies for their organisations.