The Systems Thinking Starters Kit
Over 80+ of my favourite systems thinking resources — for the complete beginner, absolute expert, and everything in between.
Welcome to The Systems Thinking Starters Kit — my all-time favourite systems thinking resources, including:
1 essential book, article, video and tool to help you get started ⭐
18 resources to dive deeper 🔎
60+ bonus resources recommended by my network 🎁
How it all started
What started as a passion, became an obsession and now is my profession. When I read “Thinking in Systems” by Donella Meadows in 2017, the first ‘systemic’ seeds were planted. I’m very fortunate to have had the opportunity to dive deep into the ‘systemic’ field during both my studies, read almost every ‘systemic’ book there is, take numerous ‘systemic’ courses, immerse myself in many ‘sytemic’ communities and work full-time on ‘systemic’ interventions. I’ve been building this systems thinking starters kit ever since.
From Systems Thinking to Systems Practice
"Remember that building a tool kit is more than just putting arrows in your quiver. It is about learning, over time, through disciplined practice, how to become an archer."
—Peter Senge
Systems ‘thinking’ was for me a great starting point. Yet, over time I slowly shifted from the cognitive to the embodied — moving from systems thinking to systems feeling, sensing and practice. From solely ‘seeing the system out there’ from the balcony, to dancing on the dancefloor, ‘seeing system and self’. I hope this starters kit helps you get started with systems thinking as well, so you can build your own toolkit — and put it to practice.
One Toolkit, Four Formats
Everyone learns and thinks in different ways. That’s why I created four different formats for the Systems Thinking Starters Kit. The first is the one you’re reading right now, here on Substack. The second is a systems map on Kumu. The third is a database on Airtable. The fourth is a template on Notion.
Let’s dive right in! 🤿