ABSTRACT
Reviewed by William H. Money, George Washington University (wmoney@ gwu.edu)
John Boardman and Brian Sauser’s book follows a long history of systems writings seeking to explain, define, and provide examples of what systems are and what systems thinking is. The book contains six chapters that present the problems of systems, introduce the system concept, and illustrate with vivid examples the benefits of considering the whole of a system and the risks of ignoring the whole. The authors then describe their selected concepts that enable readers to visualize the systems according to distinct components in nine chapters. Finally, the book develops a methodology and technique of completing systems diagrams or maps that are titled “systemigrams.” These depictions help the casual reader or beginning student of systems understand the systems perspective and enhance systems thinking. The key contribution of this book is its consistent message: one must conceptualize an entire system and address all of its concerns or succumb to the dangerous tendency to focus on piecemeal problem solving.
