We tend to confront complex, dynamic realities with a language designed for simple, static problems: normal verbal language extracts simple, linear cause-effort chains.
And because we see the world in simple obvious terms, we come to also believe in simple, obvious solutions. This leads to a find and fix mentality that results in an endless stream of short-term fixes.
Each individual carries his or her own, predominantly linear mental models. Each person’s mental model focuses on different parts of the system. Each emphasizes different cause-effect chains. This makes it virtually impossible for a shared picture of the system as a whole to emerge in normal conversation. Teams need to share a new language for describing complexity.
Systems thinking is a language for describing complexity. The benefit of a language for complexity, such as being fluent in the language of systems archetypes — it makes it easier to discuss complex issues objectively and dispassionately.
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