Concise Introduction to Systems Thinking

Our Elgar Concise Introductions are inspiring and considered. They explain the key principles and are expertly written by some of the world’s leading scholars. The aims of the series are two-fold: to pinpoint essential concepts and to offer insights that stimulate critical thinking.

In this Concise Introduction, Kristof Van Assche, Gert Verschraegen and Monica Gruezmacher provide an accessible explanation of the complex genealogy of systems thinking. Covering both social and natural sciences, the authors present the key implications of this perspective for the understanding and transformation of systems and their context.

Key Features:

• Unravels the complex lineage of systems thinking
• Presents key concepts and authors in systems thinking
• Sheds a new light on both interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity
• Analyses the ambitions of systems thinking to transcend disciplinary boundaries and address Grand Challenges
• Traces the evolution of general systems theory and cybernetics from the mid- 20th century to today

The Concise Introduction to Systems Thinking is an essential read for scholars and students of policy and administration, management, environmental science, innovation and sociology, particularly those interested in understanding the complex interactions between social and ecological systems.

Kristof Van Assche, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada, Gert Verschraegen, Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp, Belgium and Monica Gruezmacher, University of Alberta, Canada