“No man is an island, entire of itself.”
John Donne
The vibrant coral reefs of the planet’s oceans are a perfect example of a well-working system. The coral provides shelter for other organisms. These other organisms help to sustain the life in which they live.
When a mushroom grows, beneath the soil lies a network of thin roots. These roots expand to create other funghi. Many from one. One of many.
Systems thinking is the ability to recognize the ways in which others interconnect and can work together. While facilitating workshops at Hampton Middle School, it was important to recognize the strengths of the different volunteers. Some were especially good at projecting their voices and giving directions. Others were able to really connect and relate to the students. In my role, using systems thinking meant recommending different tasks to the volunteers based on the strengths that they showed. This made for workshops that ran more smoothly and that the students really enjoyed.