It means recognising that many problems and solutions involve more than simple cause-and-effect interactions.

Instead, understanding and action requires

• attending to multiple interacting cause-and-effect relationships, where feedback and leverage points come into play;
• appreciating that all the interacting cause-and effect relationships cannot be investigated, so that boundaries must be set, as well as that systems exist within systems; and
• recognising that the perspectives of those involved in investigating the system influence how the problem is understood.

Systems range from simple to complex adaptive systems. 

Subtopic

Complex systems