Open AccessIncorporating Systems Thinking into Local Governments in the United States of America
Author(s) -
Jennifer Capler
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
scholar chatter
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2692-8426
DOI - 10.47036/sc.2.2.22-29.2021
Subject(s) - systems thinking , interpersonal communication , public relations , local government , critical systems thinking , government (linguistics) , diversity (politics) , knowledge management , work (physics) , opinion leadership , political science , sociology , management science , public administration , critical thinking , computer science , engineering , social science , pedagogy , law , mechanical engineering , linguistics , philosophy , artificial intelligence
This is an opinion-based review of other research work on systems thinking paradigms and the possible application to local governments within the United States of America. Systems thinking is a complex interaction of people to generate thoughts, concepts, and ideas for situations involving organizational processes and changes. Using systems thinking can encourage collaboration, participative leadership, and interpersonal relations, increasing organizational effectiveness. Local government organizations may benefit greatly from creating and using systems thinking, incorporating constituent input before making decisions. Taking current organizational theory and design and recognizing a knowledge gap, this specific opinion-based review of using systems thinking emphasizes the importance of maintaining leadership and effective communication, advantages and disadvantages of system thinking paradigms, and ethical considerations. As communities grow and diversity expands, local government organizations should also grow and expand with the changing demands of constituents and economic needs. My theory is that with the incorporation of systems thinking, local government representatives can increase the overall effectiveness of council meetings and decision-making. Keywords: Systems Thinking; Local Government Organizations; Effective Communication; Effective Decision-Making; Participative Leadership