At a workshop a couple of weeks ago, a colleague presented his recent reflections on learning about systems thinking, as a mindmap, rather than in a Powerpoint slide show. He said that he didn't like powerpoint because it was too linear. We zoomed around his mindmap seeing how different themes were connected. We learnt just as much about what he had been doing to promote systems thinking that way as any other. For me it felt less 'reduced', richer and more complex. Seeing this post on Linda Booth Sweeney's blog, therefore, struck a chord. I like Ms Booth Sweeney's argument that it's the author rather than the software who is key. "We agree with you that problem solving requires a focus on interconnections, rather than on parts in isolation."
2 comments:
That slide prompted an interesting discussion on the Guardian datablog (here). Systems thinking encourages multiple perspectives - there are lots of them in the comments!
I agree it's about the worker, not the tools. All the same, it's hard to resist the critique of Powerpoint in this wonderful imagining of the Gettysburg Address as a Powerpoint presentation.
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