"...systems thinking is based on the fundamental shift of perception from
the world as a machine to the world as a living system."

Fritjof Capra

In the last ten years there has been increasing interest in applying the principles of systems design to educational environments.

Systems thinking is a way of understanding reality that emphasizes the dynamic relationship and interconnection between a system's parts, rather than focusing on the parts themselves. It is very much aligned to the indigenous way of looking at the world where decisions were taken mindfully and with an appreciation of the need to maintain the ongoing health and well-being of whole communities. It also acknowledges the vital need to ensure the sustainability of the planet itself.

Science tells us that there are natural forms and forces inherent in nature that optimize energetic flow and hence growth. These natural laws reveal that relationship, meaning and connectivity are essential elements to ensure the well-being of any syste. They show that no one element of the system is any more important than the other and that it is only by maximising the potential of each element that any system fully flows

Based on the field of study known as system dynamics, systems thinking is offering very practical and powerful solutions to many of the organisational dilemmas challenging schools today.

Senge (1990) defines systems thinking as the "fifth discipline." The fifth discipline integrates four other disciplines - shared vision, personal mastery, mental models and team learning.		Conversation with Dr. Peter M. Senge MIT Center For Organizational Learning May 15, 1996 Claus Otto Scharmer		Presencing: Learning From the Future As It Emerges On the Tacit Dimension of Leading Revolutionary Change C. Otto Scharmer