ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces practitioners to the concepts of systems, system elements, systems thinking and engagement as a system. It describes the system of engagement with a system diagram and introduces practitioners to the two causal loop diagrams, the engagement loop and the disengagement loop. The purpose of a system can be measured by its behavior. Purposes are deduced from behavior, not from rhetoric or stated goals. To achieve systems thinking, it is usually best to describe practitioners' system in graphic format. The key benefits of systems thinking include the ability to see interactions, to see the dynamics and ultimately to see the patterns that exist. Systems thinking require the use of not only reductionist-analytical thinking but also synthetic-analytical thinking focused on overall system goals and objectives. The chapter explains how engagement is a system and requires systems thinking to properly analyze and improve.
