The Limits of Big Picture Thinking
Knowing when *not* to teach systems thinking is a systems skill in itself.
Systems thinking has become a kind of universal prescription - a way to make sense of complexity, to see how everything interacts and interconnects. And it certainly does. But in practice, I’ve found that not everyone needs, wants, or even benefits from that perspective.
Some people’s value lies in depth, not breadth. When I consider such depth, I always think of a surgeon working at pace within the complexity and unpredictability of human biology. Their world is just a square inch wide - miniature in the context of the entire system, but a complete, complex system within their scope. And it needs to be; that laser focus is the difference between life and death. Pull them out into the abstract, and you risk distraction and irritability, not new insight.
Does it matter, though? Do we really want surgeons thinking about everything from hospital logistics to climate action strategy? Or do we need them to do exactly what they do - provide a point of absolute mastery within the wider system?
Systems thinking is exciting to those who practice it as a profession - connecting unexpected dots, streamlining solutions, identifying points of intervention. It’s highly necessary, too. But bringing it up with busy people who are already steeped in another system we don’t see can be a careless intervention. It takes careful observation, listening and self-awareness to know when to pull back and find another angle before causing harm.
I once found myself chatting excitedly to a researcher about how her work connected to multiple policy agendas. I could see the topics light up in my mind’s eye - ping, ping, PING - so much so, that I almost missed her face drop.
Her focus was on a single topic within the wider system, on mastering the connections within her own micro-system that would ensure her contribution was robust. Forcing a whole systems-level lens at the wrong time risked diluting that mastery and damaging our relationship. While outward connections were still necessary - to demonstrate relevance and real-world application to her stakeholders - her reaction reminded me to tread much more carefully. It wasn’t about my enthusiasm; it was about hers.
On the other hand, a colleague working to secure funding for a project to better implement policy benefited hugely from understanding how her topic connected to others. Feeling stuck, the fresh perspective amplified her potential - a broader network, access to more resources - but only because we approached it as a way to strengthen and anchor her existing work, not create more. We gave her time to see and understand the connections, and to start building them with the same level of care.
Systems thinking is vital to ensure we work well together toward comprehensive solutions, but it can overwhelm those already embedded in a micro-system of their own, where sharp focus is their strength. It can dampen their confidence, or drain their energy.
Not because they lack ability - quite the opposite; so many people’s minds are a constant source of amazement to me - but because applying their intellect effectively depends on their hard-won clarity, and to fracture that can shake what forged their hard-won skill - and so, potentially, their sense of identity. And (quite frankly) who on earth am I to do that?
With experience, I’ve changed my approach. I no longer start with the bigger picture in; I start with the people, and work from the inside out.
Carefully, I help focused experts gain a sense of the bigger picture they operate within - who supports them, what hinders them, where they can better connect their work to that of others - and carefully watch their responses to know when to continue and when to stop.
Think of the surgeon, the GP and the nurse: each aware of their role in the system, anchored in their own craft, and knowing where they end and others begin. Knowing who can extend their connection to the bigger picture, and let them get back to doing what they do best. That reveals a strategy that works in the real world.
Systems thinking advocates aren’t the only ones who understand complexity. There are multiple complex systems already long in play within the wider one.
If you’re a systems thinking professional, your job isn’t to make everyone see the bigger picture. It’s for you to see the bigger picture and navigate the interactions within it - which includes protecting the people who hold their piece steady, who will (and should) focus only on their own square inch of canvas.