Jordan Ellis - The Systems Thinking

The Cynefin Framework: Navigating Complexity with Systems Thinking

Jordan Ellis July 19, 2026

The Cynefin framework by Dave Snowden maps problems into five domains — clear, complicated, complex, chaotic, and confused — each requiring a fundamentally different management and decision-making approach.

Systems Thinkers

Jay Forrester and the Origins of System Dynamics

Jordan Ellis July 17, 2026

Jay Forrester invented system dynamics at MIT, giving the world a rigorous mathematical method for simulating the feedback loops that drive complex social and industrial systems.

Systems Thinking

Emergence in Complex Systems: When the Whole Is More Than Its Parts

Jordan Ellis July 16, 2026

Emergence is when systems produce properties that none of their parts possess individually. Understanding emergence is fundamental to systems thinking, complexity science, and designing for unpredictable outcomes.

Systems Thinking Applications

Systems Thinking in Supply Chain Management: Building Resilient Networks

Jordan Ellis July 14, 2026

Systems thinking reveals why supply chains amplify disruptions, how feedback loops drive bullwhip effects, and what it takes to design truly resilient supply networks.

Systems Thinkers

Fritjof Capra and the Systems View of Life

Jordan Ellis July 13, 2026

Fritjof Capra unified physics, biology, and social science into a single systems framework. His web-of-life model changed how we see living systems, health, and ecological sustainability.

Systems Thinking Applications

Systems Thinking in Education: Teaching Students to See the Whole Picture

Jordan Ellis July 11, 2026

Systems thinking in education gives students the tools to understand complex problems, see patterns of behavior, and design solutions that work at a systemic level. Learn how to bring it into classrooms and school design.

Cybernetics

Dissipative Structures: How Systems Stay Alive Far from Equilibrium

Jordan Ellis July 10, 2026

Ilya Prigogine's dissipative structures theory explains how open systems maintain complex order by importing energy and exporting entropy. Learn what this means for organizations and change.

Systems Thinking Applications

Systems Thinking in Healthcare: Solving Problems the Medical System Cannot

Jordan Ellis July 8, 2026

Healthcare problems rarely have simple causes. Systems thinking reveals the feedback structures behind medical errors, patient outcomes, and burnout — and shows where real change is possible.

Systems Thinking

Causal Loop Diagrams: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mapping System Behavior

Jordan Ellis July 7, 2026

Causal loop diagrams are the core visual tool of systems thinking. Learn how to draw, read, and use them to map feedback structures and understand complex system behavior.

Systems Applications

The Cynefin Framework: A Practical Guide for Complex Decision-Making

Jordan Ellis July 5, 2026

The Cynefin Framework helps leaders identify what kind of situation they face before deciding how to respond. Learn the five domains and how to apply them.

Systems Thinking

Meadows’ 12 Leverage Points: Where to Intervene in a System

Jordan Ellis July 4, 2026

Donella Meadows identified 12 specific places in a system where a small shift can produce big change. Learn what they are and how to use them.