Systems Thinking

The Logic of Successful Systems Decisions 1 The Logic of Successful Systems Decisions - Part 1: Defining Decision Quality and the Systems Imperative 2 The Logic of Successful Systems Decisions - Part 2: Problem Definition: Solving the Right Challenge 3 The Logic of Successful Systems Decisions - Part 3: Solution Design: Engineering Creativity and Feasibility 4 The Logic of Successful Systems Decisions - Part 4: Decision Making: Quantifying Value, Risk, and Tradeoffs 5 The Logic of Successful Systems Decisions - Part 5: Solution Implementation: Delivering the Promised Value ← Series Home 6 Links Elements of Decision Quality ensuring robust decisions ...

500 Five decision-making insights from Systems Engineering: Value-Focused Thinking, Process + Creativity, Embracing Failure, Useful Models, and Right Problem Definition. Introduction: Unlocking Wisdom from Unexpected Sources We live in a world of overwhelming complexity. Making a good decision, whether for our business, our career, or our personal lives, feels harder than ever. We’re flooded with data, faced with endless options, and haunted by the fear of choosing incorrectly. In the search for clarity, we often turn to business books or productivity blogs. We rarely look inside a 500-page academic textbook on Systems Engineering. ...

Key Takeaways Simple Math, Profound Impact: Organizing by 10s made command, logistics, and coordination dramatically simpler. Tribal Destruction: The system deliberately broke tribal units to build loyalty to the whole over the part. Interoperability: Any warrior could join any unit; any officer could command any formation. Scalability: The same structure worked for 100 warriors or 100,000 with no redesign needed. Distributed Command: Independent operations were possible because structure was universal. Every organization faces the same fundamental challenge: how do you coordinate thousands of people to act as one while allowing local adaptation and initiative? ...

The Statue of Liberty’s iron armature, designed by Gustave Eiffel to withstand New York Harbor’s winds, was discovered in 1982 to be turning to powder. A century of salt air and moisture had triggered a galvanic reaction between the copper and iron, expanding the metal ribs until they literally “pried” the rivets apart. The Lady of Liberty was not just aging; she was being consumed by a relentless electrochemical tax that humans have spent centuries trying to evade. ...