System Mapping for Leaders and Systemic Problem Solvers: How to build Casual Maps (Pt.2)
A System Mapper. A System modeller. How many people do you know that can be given such a title? I guess very few if any person at all. The reason is that very few people are willing or is even capable to immerse themselves in intellectual exercises of abstractions.
The reasons for that are several. But one thing is for sure: Those willing to do so, use 10–30 minutes of their time to map complex systems of interest, Systems such as organisations, suppliers, inter organisations networks, health, food, financial systems and many others. Those will be the most required in the future.
Bearing this in mind, given the importance of such practice for system complexity thinkers and leaders. I decided to make a series of short lessons about system mapping and modelling.
Today, I am going to teach you the second most important part of Mapping Systems: How to Add causal relations to the nodes (organisations, people, banks, hospitals, agencies, etc).
The Map: Remembering the first steps.
In this short conversation, I will not introduce the first steps of System mapping, if one has interest can check it here. The idea is to learn and practice how to think and map casual relations.
However, I will remind which one they are :
- Step 1: The Purpose.
- Step 2: The Choices.
- Step 3: A visual overview of the system: all the elements on the board.
- Step 4: Dimensions of the system and the Environment.
- Step 5: Adding Links and relations.
So first, at this point, you decided the purposes, the choices about the system of interest such as geographic area, a particular industry, a business function, the economy of a country.
Second, you brainstormed all factors you or your team see as relevant in generating the dynamics of the system.
You need to be able to define all variables that you or the team can think of. For example: If you are working with an organisation willing to migrate or open a business in a specific city. You should map all variables related to this cities population, level of urbanisation and so on.
Obs: Make sure to add numerical information about the variables if you have it. You should end up in your notebook or Miro boards with something like this:
Step 6: Adding Positive and Negative signs to the relations.
In this stage, we enter deeper waters and start focusing on the relations among variables or elements.
After drawing the relations between elements. You should define causal connections. It means thinking about how changes in one variable affect the variables associated or interrelated with it through the link.
Of course, one needs to remember that complex systems are all about how elements, nodes, variables, things are interrelated. Thus, this is one of the most essential and complicated parts of System mapping.
Types of Causal Relations:
Naturally, variables can only influence each other in two ways: positive or negative.
Example 1:
Example 2:
In this stage of your mapping practice, I ask you to remember two essential considerations:
- 1- Causal relations within a map are dynamic, can change with time.
- 2- The majority of the relations you’re mapping are nonlinear.
These considerations mean that if in a given time, you believe the relations between variables or elements are positive. When the context changes, it might change the relations between these variables as well. This might happen either because of context or because of changes in the feedback loops (next lesson).
If you are new to it, I recommend you start small. Map only a few variables and choose a small scope of a system you are interested in.
Then, ask yourself some of these questions:
- What causes the variable associated with this node to change?
- What does this change result from?
You can also start mapping systems that can be easier for anyone to map, because we make or made part of it, such as the educational system.
Concluding Remarks:
Of course, this part will be easier for those who have basic notions about how to map a system and for those who have an idea about what is a complex system, how it emerges and self-organises.
We can not fool ourselves. If it was a simple thing, everyone would do it. But this is not for everyone. That is only for those who want to stand out and see what others can’t see. Spending time with exercises such as system mapping practices. Such practice is essential for leaders and system thinkers in the century of complexity. With this objective in mind, write down the steps and start mapping. I have started it myself and the payoffs are amazing.
- Step 1: The Purpose.
- Step 2: The Choices.
- Step 3: A visual overview of the system: all the elements on the board.
- Step 4: Dimensions of the system and the Environment.
- Step 5: Adding Links and relations.
- Step 6: Adding Positive and Negative signs to the relations.
References ad Further Readings:
Systems Mapping Guide, 2021. By Systems Innovations Team. CCO-Creative Commons.
A worldwide community of System innovations, change and complexity science: https://www.systemsinnovation.io/.
