Evaluating Systems Thinking .

Project instructions:

Evaluating Systems Thinking

Think of the last time you visited a zoo. You visit the zoo to enjoy the wealth of variety of animals in their natural habitat. Next time you visit a zoo, notice that similar types of animals are presented together whereas ones that may be natural enemies are separated. In order for the entire zoo experience to work systematically and to be sustainable, the zoo leaders need to ensure all animals are available for the visitors to view, enjoy, and learn. The zoo leaders need to come together to share expertise of their individual areas to develop a holistic view of their system that takes into account all the relationships among the animals at the zoo. All parts of the zoo working together collaboratively, with effective communication and change management, allows for a total zoo experience that meets the organizational mission and vision. The zoo has successfully implemented systems thinking. Systems thinking can potentially create an organization in which all internal and external stakeholders, regardless of job or position, work together collaboratively. These stakeholders collectively use decision making and strategic planning to meet the needs of the customers while maintaining the objectives of the organizational mission and vision.

To prepare, consider the organization that you chose for your SSP as a system.

By Day 4 of Week 4, post a 2?3 paragraph evaluation of the potential impact of systems thinking on the organization. Briefly describe the organization as a system. Evaluate the potential impact of systems thinking by identifying potential benefits and potential drawbacks of applying systems thinking to the organization. Justify your response.

Extend the conversation by identifying implications for practice or research, as well as for your own research agenda, where appropriate. Be sure to integrate one or two new related, and engaging, questions that will extend the discussion about your post in constructive ways. Try to think of a question(s) that will engage your peers in critical analysis and thinking about your organization, which may provide insight for your use as you continue preparing your sections of the major Weeks 4 and 7 Sustainable Solutions Paper (SSP) due in this course.

5. answer the question in the form of an essay, don’t just write down individual answers. That means the final product has to be a short essay.