Systems thinking is an indispensable tool in comprehending and analyzing real-world phenomena. Observed processes are naturally composed of many interconnected components which ought to be studied jointly rather than individually. Engineering systems thinking is a very valuable skill, which helps to successfully execute multi-disciplinary projects. In high-tech companies that deal with complex and dynamic systems projects, the need for engineers with high systems thinking skills is growing. Engineers with high systems thinking skills are able to understand the big picture and the project in its entirety, both functionally and conceptually, without necessarily knowing all of the small details. Systems thinking enables understanding the entire system beyond its components, and clarifies the importance of the isolated component as part of the system as a whole. Systems thinking helps understand how sub-systems connect to one whole system, and provides solutions for the client's specifications and requirements. In addition, systems thinking enables perceiving the inter-relationships and mutual influence among the system's components and other systems. The current study examined the development of systems thinking among engineers and engineering students. In addition, the personality traits of engineers with high systems thinking skills were examined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality type test. This article also presents the initial results of the development of a new systems thinking study course, taught as a pilot course to industrial and management engineering students. It seems that engineers with certain personality traits can acquire or improve their systems thinking capabilities through a gradual, long-term learning process and by acquiring the necessary tools. Additionally, the study includes recommendations for the continuation of ongoing research on developing systems thinking.
Systems thinking is an evolving field, and there is growing demand to integrate systems thinking into many fields. The goal of the present study was to develop a new tool for identifying systems thinkers. The study was conducted in two stages. The first, a qualitative stage, consisted of interviews, which were followed by a quantitative factor analysis in the second stage. We interviewed industry executives, lecturers at a technological college for practical engineers, and college students in order to identify the needs for systems thinking. We found that interviewees from different disciplines and roles defined some common requirements for systems thinking, but they also specified some different requirements according to their current professional status. The second stage of the study involved 120 participants with varied professional characteristics. The participants attended a five-hour seminar on systems thinking. After learning about systems thinking, participants answered a questionnaire designed to identify systems thinkers. Factor analysis was then used by the researchers to divide the responses to the questionnaire into five factors that represent common characteristic of systems thinking. Analyzing the responses to the questionnaire according to the five factors facilitates identifying the respondents’ knowledge of systems thinking and their ability to use it. Such information is important both for the process of hiring employees and for employee training processes.
The increased need for systems thinking has also created a growing need to detect systems thinkers. Systems thinkers grasp a system as one whole made up of interacting elements. They determine what affects the system by applying their ability to identify and understand the interrelationships between the system’s components and their impact on each other and on the system as a whole. This article investigates the factors influencing a person’s inclination to become a systems thinker. Four different groups had the same systems-thinking learning process. The four groups: working engineering students, full-time engineering students, social workers, and technological college faculty members differ in employment, professional skills, degree of familiarity with their working environment, and position in the organizational hierarchy. The participants completed a questionnaire to assess their systems-thinking capabilities before and after the learning process The questionnaire detected changes in their systems-thinking abilities following this learning and highlighted differences between the groups. The results show that various systems thinking aspects changed in each group following the learning process in a way linked with its different characteristics. Knowing that the diverse characteristics of different groups influence their ability to become systems thinkers enables designing systems thinking training programs adjusted to the characteristics of various groups.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.