this is my tma of last year hope it could be helpful

a) Influence Diagram

:Purpose of influence diagram

An influence diagram focuses on the idea of interconnectedness as a way
.of structuring complexity
It represents the main structural features of a situation and the important
relationships that exist among them. It presents an overview of areas of
activity or organizational and other groupings and their main
interrelationships. It is used either to explore those interrelationships,
perhaps leading to a regrouping and redefinition of the system and its
components, or to express a broad view of how things are in the territory
you are considering. Influence diagrams can be developed from a systems
map by adding arrows and can be used as the starting point for a multiple
.cause diagram by clearer definition of the type of influence
Usually, influence diagram is used in the understanding phase of the SUDA
process, when you want to acquire more knowledge about certain
.situation

:The different components are

;blobs of varying sizes •
;assorted arrows •
;words labeling blobs and possibly also labeling arrows •
;key for arrows •
Title •

As in systems maps, blob lines represent component boundaries. .1

Inclusion of blobs and a system boundary is optional but highly
.recommended
An arrow joining component aaa to component bbb or ccc shows that .2
.aaa can or does influence bbb or ccc
A double-headed arrow should never be used to denote a two-way .3
influence unless the influence is identical. Two separate arrows are
.preferable
Words (e.g. aaa, bbb, ccc, ddd, etc.) label components and system. .4
They may also label arrows, if the nature of the influence is not obvious
from the context. Alternatively, different influence can be represented by
.dotted or bold) lines as long as a key is given
.Arrows do not show material flows .5
.An influence diagram, like a systems map, is a snapshot .6
.Arrows denote capacity to influence, not a sequence in time .7
.A title defining the system of interest is essential .8

b) Diagrams are used as a way of simplifying the features or essentials of

a situation. Diagrams are a characteristic feature of systems approaches
to understanding complex situations. They allow the relationships between
components of the situation to be seen at the same time as the
.components themselves
:System thinkers use the following diagrams for understanding
♣ Rich picture
.♣ Spray diagram

:Rich picture -1

The situation I chose, is how different ways in which communication

.happens between people
.It shows the different types of communication through different cartoons

:Purpose of rich picture

.Rich pictures allow you to see the whole situation at once
Rich pictures are drawn at the pre-analysis stage, before you know clearly,
which parts of the situation should best be regarded as process and which
.as structure
Rich pictures (situation summaries) are used to depict complicated
situations. They are an attempt to encapsulate the real situation through a
no- holds-barred, cartoon representation of all the ideas covered already
layout, connections, relationships, influences, cause-and-effect, and so on.
As well as these objective notions, rich pictures should depict subjective
elements such as character and characteristics, points of view and
.prejudices, spirit and human nature
:Components of rich picture
;pictorial symbols •
;keywords •
;cartoons •
;sketches •
 ;symbols •
Title •
:Key features
To help interpret a situation, choose symbols, scenes or images that .1
represent the situation. Use as many colors as necessary and draw the
symbols on a large piece of paper. Try not to get too carried away with the
.fun and challenge to your ingenuity in finding pictorial symbols
Put in whatever connections you see between your pictorial symbols: .2
avoid producing merely an unconnected set. Places where connections are
.lacking may later prove significant
Avoid too much writing, either as commentary or as ‘word bubbles’ .3
coming from people’s mouths (but a brief summary can help explain the
.(diagram to other people
Do not include systems boundaries or specific references to systems in .4
.(any way (see below

:Spray diagram-2

:Role of spray diagram

Spray diagrams are mainly used for representing the structure of an
argument, to encapsulate the relationships between the ideas of others or
for note taking. They are a simple fast technique for getting ideas down
without being concerned by details of structure. They can show
connections in trains of thought (compare this with cognitive maps) and
can indicate groupings between ideas or thoughts. They are less useful
.when there are lots of loops or cross connections to consider
:Elements used
;central circle or blob for main topic •
;(blobs for sub-topics (optional •
;words on the lines or at the ends of lines •
;branching sets of lines •
title •

:Key features
.Put the keyword or phrase in a circle .1
Related ideas expressed in one or a few words are attached to lines .2
radiating from this circle (a single-layer spray) or from secondary circles
.(creating fans (multiple-layer sprays
Words may be written along the lines or at the ends of lines (e.g. aaa, .3
.(.bbb, ccc, etc
.The lines do not show directional links .4
.Similar ideas on the radiating fans can be linked by loops .5
Different colors can be used to group or highlight particular fans or .6
.clusters of ideas
 :The following diagrams are used for connectivity
♣ System map
♣ Influence diagram
♣ Causal loop
.♣ Multiple cause diagrams

:System map-1

:Role of a system map

A systems map is essentially a snapshot. It shows components of the
system and environment at a point in time. Unless some components are
grouped into sub-systems and/or there are significant overlaps, a map
conveys no more information than a list of components. However, it
.carries much more impact, and is easier to grasp
The main uses of systems maps are to help you to decide how you are
going to structure a situation and to communicate to others just what
:system you have chosen to study. In particular, systems maps are used to
;clarify thoughts at an early stage of analysis •
;decide upon structural elements for a more detailed diagram •
;experiment with trial boundaries •
;(’decide upon the level of your system of interest (‘focusing •
Communicate to others the basic structure of the system you are •
.describing

:Elements used
;blobs of varying sizes •
;words •
title •

:Key features

The blob lines in the figure above represent boundaries of system .1

.components
Words (e.g. aaa, bbb, ccc, ddd, etc.) are used to name each system or .2
.component
Blobs (5 and 6) outside the main system boundary (1) represent .3
.components of the environment
Blobs (2, 3 and 4) inside the system boundary represent components of .4
the system. Components (e.g. 3) can be shown as grouped into sub-
systems (2). Undifferentiated components may themselves be sub-
.systems
Blobs may overlap only if some components (which need not be .5
 depicted) are seen as common to both in the early stages of identifying a
.system of interest
.A title defining the system of interest is essential .6

:Multiple cause diagram -2

:Role of a multiple cause diagram

This type of diagram is used to explore why a given event happened or
why a certain class of events tends to occur. It is not intended to predict
behaviour, but may be used to develop a list of factors to bear in mind
when considering comparable circumstances in the future. It is also useful
for finding out why something went wrong or keeps recurring, e.g. through
a causal loop, so that steps can be taken to prevent its recurrence. It can
.be derived from an influence diagram or developed anew
:Elements
;(system boundary (optional •
;phrases •
;(arrows (which may occasionally be labelled •
.title •

:Key features
.Inclusion of a system boundary is optional but recommended .1
The phrases (aaa, bbb, ccc, ddd, etc.) relate to a state or an event e.g. .2
‘flat battery’ or ‘battery goes flat’. But, as the diagram is developed, it is
preferable to describe these factors in terms of a variable (something that
.’has a value that can go up or down) e.g. ‘amount of charge in battery
Arrows indicate the causal connections between the phrases, and are .3
read as phrase at tail of arrow causes phrase at head of arrow, e.g.
.’‘leaving lights on’ causes ‘flat battery

In a more developed diagram, with variables rather than states, the .4

arrow is better read as ‘affects’ e.g. ‘length of time lights are left on’
.’affects ‘amount of charge in battery
In general, arrows are not labeled. However, it is acceptable to do so if .5
you wish to add information about the type of causal connection e.g.
‘length of time lights are left on’ reduces ‘amount of charge in battery’ (to
emphasize that an increase on one leads to a decrease in the other). Or
‘leaving lights on’ contributes to ‘flat battery’ (to emphasize that this is
.(unlikely to be the only cause
 The chain of causal connections may be entirely sequential, or it may .6
.include loops
.A title defining the system of interest is essential .7

:These diagrams are used for further analysis and model building
♣ Sign graph
♣ Input-output diagrams
♣ Control model

:Sign graph -1

:Role
This type of diagram was first used in the biological sciences in the early
part of the Twentieth Century. They are used to represent and investigate
the relationships between variables in a given situation and in particular,
to identify positive and negative feedback loops driving the system’s
behaviour. Hence, it is good for thinking about the likely effects of
changes and, in particular, of interventions in systems. A sign graph is
often drawn to establish the structure of planned quantitative models.
.They can be developed directly from a multiple cause diagram

:Elements
;phrases •
;arrows labeled with either a plus or minus sign •
title •

:Key features
The phrases (e.g. aaa, bbb, ccc, ddd, etc.) shown refer to variables (so .1
phrases like ‘number of’ ‘cost of’ ‘speed of’ ‘level of’ are often found in
.(these diagrams
The phrases should not themselves refer to variations (so do not use .2
.(‘more/less’ or ‘increase/decrease’ in the phrases
Use a minus sign by an arrow where a change in the variable at the tail .3
of the arrow produces an opposite change in the variable at the head. So,
in the figure above, an increase in ccc will lead to an decrease in ddd, and
.(a decrease in ccc will lead to an increase in ddd (see guideline 2
Use a plus sign by an arrow where a change in the variable at the tail .4
produces a similar change in the variable at the head. So, in the figure
above, an increase in aaa will lead to an increase in ccc and a decrease in
.(aaa will lead to a decrease in ccc (see guideline 2
.A system boundary can be used but is usually not included .5
.A title defining the system of interest is essential .6

:Control model-2
 :Role of control model
It is useful as a way of investigating a purpose and the means in place to
.achieve it
It allows you to decide whether the elements are in place to the
.achievement of the purpose and whether they are the right elements
It allows you also to explore what is needed if a system is to fulfil its
.purpose
Control-model diagrams are a way of diagnosing systems that appears not
to be working ot working well, and they can also be used to design ways of
making sure a system you are thinking of using will work as well as you
.hope it will work
:Key feature of a control model
The system being controlled is shown as a classic input/output diagram, •
with (bold) arrows going in showing the inputs and arrows coming out
.showing the outputs
The process that transforms the inputs into the outputs is represented •
.as a box
The feedback path linking the control stream elements is also •
.represented by arrows
The sensor is positioned on the output arrow and is represented by a •
.small blob
.The comparator is represented as an open circle with a cross in it •
The goal must be stated, with an arrow leading from the goal to the •
.comparator
The actuator is represented as a small box and is usually positioned on •
.(the appropriate input arrow (or arrows
The background knowledge, or model, can be represented by a little •
.cloud symbol, with an arrow going to the actuator

c) System thinking is very helpful in dealing with messy situations, wicked

problems or frustrating puzzles where the overall complexity involved
.appears overwhelming
?What is complexity
Complexity has many different facets based on both rational and
emotional factors. It concerns the existence of different uncertain factors
.and interactions, and a multitude of possible decisions and events
It arises from the different perspectives within which situations might be
interpreted and from the degree of emotional involvement of the people
.involved
.We have two types or aspects of complexity: hard and soft complexity

⋅ The first aspect is one which generates difficult computational problems

.”is referred to as “Hard Complexity
 With hard complexity, the range of possibilities for a possible course of
action is enormous and complicated. However, the problem itself is
defined and bounded. Hard complexities could be associated with
.difficulties where the problem is usually well defined and bounded

:Examples
An engineer choosing between different possible designs for a bridge -
An insurance underwriter trying to decide rates for motor insurance -
Calculating March budget -

The other aspect of complexity is referred to as “Soft complexity” it⋅

involves ambiguous events and facts, in order to raise the emotional
.involvement of the people involved
Soft complexities could include both Messes and Difficulties

:Examples
A historian trying to account for particular social changes -
A planner deciding how big a bridge is needed and where it should be -
.located
Considering divorce issue -

Here is a table showing some major differences between soft and hard
:complexity
Hard complexity Soft complexity
Problems displaying ‘hard complexity’ can be defined clearly are well-
bounded, lend themselves to quantification, and have optimal solutions.
Establishing cause and effect, with respect to management actions and
.their consequences, is not a problem
Problems displaying ‘soft complexity’ have competing definitions, are not
well-bounded, defy quantification, and generate dispute over appropriate
solutions. Establishing cause and effect, with respect to management
.actions and their consequences, is problematic
The effective management of hard complexity, in pursuit of uncontested
and mainly quantifiable goals, relies on a systematic combination of
.evidence, reasoning, and calculation
The effective management of soft complexity, in pursuit of contested and
mainly qualitative goals, relies on a subtle combination of emotional,
.social, and political issues as well as on evidence

:Diagram showing the differences between soft and hard complexity

 :d) Systematic and systemic thinking
At times when we get stuck, when our ways of thinking about the issue
totally let us down, when everything we try seems to make the situation
worse, when every attempt to reduce conflict seems to increase
.misunderstandings
That is when we need a “fresh approach”, or a new way of looking at the
whole thing, a new set of ideas to bring to the situation, and it is at such
.times that the systems approach can provide rewarding results
Systemic on the other hand, means affecting entire body or organism, and
.in this context, systemic thinking deals with the behavior of the wholes
The systemic approach involves using systems thinking to construct an
epistemological device as part of inquiry process through which we can
generate fresh and insightful explanations and which trigger new ways of
.taking purposeful action in the world
The systemic route opens up the possibility of 2nd order change, change
.’that changes the ‘whole system
Systematic means having a plan or method. In this context it deals with
orderly methodical thinking, it is more reductionist, since it reduces the
overall activity to a set of discrete parts that only recognize the
.importance of the previous and next steps
The systematic route is conservative & likely to result in first order
.change: doing the same thing more effectively or optimally
This is a table that shows some of the differences between systemic
:thinking and action and systematic thinking and action
Systemic thinking Systematic thinking
Properties of the whole differ, they are said to emerge from their parts.
.The whole can be understood by considering just the parts
Individuals hold partial perspectives of the whole Perspective is not
important
Systems are characterized by feedback Analysis is linear
Concentrate on basic principles of organization Concentrated on basic
building blocks
Contextual Analytical
Concerned with process Concerned with entities and properties
 Systemic action Systematic action
The espoused role and action of the decision-maker is very much part of
interacting ecology of systems. The espoused role of the decision-maker is
.that of participant-observer
Ethics are perceived as being multi-leveled as are the level of systems
themselves Ethics and values are not addressed as a central theme
Perception and action are based on experience of the world Perceptions
and action are based on a belief in a ‘real world
there is an attempt to stand back and explore the traditions of‘
understanding in which the practitioner is immersed Traditions of
understanding may not be questioned although the method of analysis
may be evaluated

:Example of a systematic thinking

The understanding of life is based on an understanding of DNA and how -
this is incorporated in genes. This example conceptualizes life as
understandable in terms of basic building blocks, which can be understood
.by studying the properties of the blocks
:Example of a systemic thinking
There is no point in having a meeting to discuss this because the -
antagonisms within the department will dominate the situation and there
are few people interested in changing that. In this example, we are looking
.at the whole: cause and effects

:e) Purposeful and purposive behavior

.It is possible to ascribe a purpose to what others or we do
Particular actions will differ from observer to observer because of their
different perspectives, which arise from their traditions of understanding A
.systems practitioner must adopt different stakeholders ‘perspectives
Even if we do not ascribe purposes to our own actions, another observer
may infer our purposes by observing our actions and their outcomes, so
.that in their eyes we implicitly have a purpose to our actions
Ascribing purpose is an important process in taking a systems approach to
.managing complexity
Purpose is always attributed to a system by someone. Within systems
.practice, the attribution of purpose can be creative learning process
The purpose of a system is not what it does (systematic) but what we
might learn from attributing purpose to a situation (systemic). Systemic=
.exploring, inquiring of a situation
:Purposeful and purposive distinction
Systems that can be seen to have an imposed purpose that they seek to•
.achieve are called purposive systems
Systems that can be seen to articulate their own purposes as well as•
.seek them are called purposeful systems
Purposeful behavior is the one that is willed with some sense of voluntary•
.action
Purposive: What? thinking to improve prison as a system to protect•
 society from criminal. How? Improving locals It is a narrowly defined
.objective
Purposeful: What? thinking to improve a prison for training criminals,•
rehabilitating them and protecting society. How? Improving locals,
…creating activities, technical learning
One of the key features attributed to purposeful systems is that the people
in them can pursue the same purpose (sometimes called What), in
different environments by pursuing different behaviors (sometimes called
(How
We use the term purpose and not goal because the latter is seen as a
.narrowly defined objective
Example: If I describe the purpose of the action of the government
minister as pursuing financial advantage, I would be attributing purpose to
him and describing purposive behavior. If I were to talk with him I might
find out this was not the case at all. He might have been acting in a
.purposeful manner, which was not evident to me
:Example of purposefulness behavior
A group of friends who drink together regularly at the local pub are -
enthusiastic about football and decide rather than just watching and
talking about it they will form their own team. This they do. (it is a willed
.(action
:Example of a purposive behavior
A manager sees that there are ******ers that are not satisfied with the -
after-sales support, as a result, he imposes on us to change our ways of
(operating even though we think differently. (It is an imposed action

:QUESTION2
(a
.♣ Sensing phase: Rich picture
♣ Understanding: System map
♣ Decision-making: Sign Graph
♣ Action: Control model

:b) The SUDA process

Problem analysis is a primary application of systems thinking. A structured
approach to problem analysis and solution design can be achieved
through a four-phase approach: sensing, understanding, deciding and
.(acting (SUDA
Sensing the full range of factors that contribute to the situation •
Understanding and defining the key processes that operate within the •
systems of interest
Deciding on appropriate courses of action and planning for the •
implementation of action
Acting in a coordinated fashion to achieve defined outcomes •

Sensing phase: The rich picture I have drawn shows the different.1
objectives of the Child Support Agency as well as the variety of methods
 used in order to achieve these objectives and attain the major purpose of
.the organization
:Summary of rich picture
The rich picture I drew, allowed me to have the whole situation spread out
in front of me. It showed me the components, as well as the events and
.facts expressed
It has helped me sense the full factors attributed to the CSA case study. I
could have a general view of the objectives of CSA and how they are
worked upon by staff. The CSA is an agency that was set up to support
:lone parents. It has three main objectives
.Trace absent parents -1
.Make them accept their financial obligations -2
Maintenance assessment -3

Understanding phase: This system map helped me structure a possible .2

way of seeing the CSA organization responsible for the support of lone
parents from a wider view as well as defining a boundary between it and
.the environment
This system map allowed me to structure features of the CSA case study
in a number of different ways. It allowed me to find simple ways of
thinking about the multi-faceted situations by ordering features in
.hierarchies of systems with subsystems embedded in them

:Summary of system map

It shows the different objectives of the CSA organizations as well as the
.different stakeholders with the subsystems of how to achieve them
This system map helped me see the CSA as a system for supporting
.children in poverty, caused by the absence of one of their parents
Also, as system for making sure parents do not escape their
responsibilities. And a system for tracing partners and getting
.maintenance payments from them

Deciding phase: the sign graph helped me sort out how and why .3
variables in this particular situation changed. It helped identify the type of
.relationship between each variable

:Summary of sign graph

It shows what lead to the development of the CSA. It shows the different
.causes and effects
The motivations that led to the set up of the CSA, seemed to be mostly
driven by moral panic about so-called runaway fathers and feckless
mothers, and a desire to reduce welfare bill for supporting single-parents
.families

Acting phase: the control model I drew in this phase helped me to find a .4
way of achieving the evoked goals as well as to assess whether they can
.fail or succeed
 :Summary of control model
This diagram shows the transformation that will take place in order to
achieve goals as well as the different things that could influence it. At the
end we will have an assessment of whether this goal will be attained
.successfully or not

c) From what I learned from this case, I can propose different action that
:could be taken to achieve the objectives of the CSA agency successfully
Setting up a new information system: a new information system that -1
can adapt to any changing and can be more accurate and specific could
help avoid the different problems caused by the lack of relevant
.information
There should be a strict but acceptable regulations for parents to start -2
.accept their responsibilities toward their children
Eventhough, the CSA is a very important agency because its objectives
are for the good of innocent children, it can adopt different strategy to
.have a successful end

:QUESTION 3
(Systems Dynamics (SsD
This technique is based on the study & simulation of the behavior of social
.systems
SsD approach is like building a simulation model to describe the behavior
of any particular system under study, followed by experimentation with
the model in order to derive suitable policy options for modifying the
.behavior of the real system
SsD is a systems philosophy because it embodies a theory about the
nature of complex feedback systems. The feedback structures determine
many of the problems, which have caused considerable public concern in
.recent times
In SsD, Forrester advocated a closed-loop approach in which a feedback –
.loop is established between policy output & information input
The contribution of SsD is exemplified by showing diagram of one-way,–
straight line; thinking is only part of the story. The closed-loop diagram
used in SsD modeling raises awareness of unintended consequences. In
this case, it suggests the laying off workers causes demoralization of
.remaining workers and reduces productivity

(Critical Systems Thinking (CST

CST is regarded as a systems approach to re****** & intervention in
complex situations. It is also regarded as an evolving debate around a set
of 3 themes that are regarded as important by significant number of
:systems practitioners
Critical awareness is a process that involves examining & re-examining•
taken-for-granted assumptions, along with the conditions that give rise to
them
Improvement is defined temporarily & locally, taking issues of power into•
account. It is argued that critical awareness is required to surface different
.viewpoints in any attempts at purposeful action
Methodological pluralism uses a variety of methods that are flexible,•
dynamic & locally decidable. The role of the Systems Practitioner (SP) is to
work with stakeholders & to facilitate their capacity to select & use
relevant methods, taking issues of power into [/font][/left]account.[/left]
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