Navigating the pitfalls of systems thinking in service design

Key Insights

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  Mega maps and giga maps often flatten complex systems, creating overwhelming cognitive load and a false sense of total system capture.

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  Embodiment and emotions are systemic capacities that help understand and navigate systems beyond cognitive maps.

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  Small-scale actions and patterns reflect and can influence larger systemic changes, as shown by Adrian Marie Brown and Ing Duan’s work.

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  The obsession with 'the system level' or macro changes risks overlooking powerful small-scale systemic work.

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  Focusing on one next big transformation erases plurality, creativity, and the capacity for ongoing adaptation.

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  The concept of the 'uncommons' supports holding multiple ways of knowing and ongoing negotiation within systems.

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  Traditional project-based models constrain systemic work by limiting follow-up on ripple effects beyond project boundaries.

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  Design research programs offer a programmatic, emergent alternative to linear project management frameworks.

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  Reflecting critically on the internal systems within ourselves and teams is essential to avoid blind spots, like ignoring intersectional power issues.

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  Service design risks perpetuating professional dominance instead of stewarding and supporting existing diverse systemic shaping by many actors.

Notable Quotes