For example, you’re able to physically see the elements of the system that keeps a tree alive: its roots, branches, and leaves, but things like academic prowess in university is much more abstract. These elements can be anything from visible to physical, but they can also be intangible. This is due to the fact that a system is simply designed as a group of elements which are connected by their relationship to each other and paired with the idea of purpose. Have you ever stopped to really take in the different systems that surround you? If so, you’d quickly notice that they’re just about everywhere – from your body, to your favorite football team, to the company you work for, to the city you live in. Thinking in Systems Key Idea #1: A system is defined as a group of connected elements that share a purpose. why it would be wrong to expect that putting 20 pounds of fertilizer on your field will yield four bushels of wheat just because ten pounds of fertilizer yielded two bushels.In this summary of Thinking in Systems by Donella H. It will explain what systems are, where to find them, and how they work and sustain themselves. This book summary will take you on a journey into the world of these systems. In other words, the organs that make up your body are held together by the relationships they have with each other, all of them serving the purpose of keeping you going.īut what about a soccer team? A company? Are they systems too? Well of course they are! Systems are everywhere – though some are more obvious than others. Your heart pumps your blood through your veins, your kidneys remove waste from your blood, you’re able to breathe because of your lungs, and so on. It’s probably been made clear to you over the years that your body is a system. Meadows been sitting on your reading list? Pick up the key ideas in the book with this quick summary.