WORK SYSTEMS AFFILIATES BLOG

Is a Causal Loop Diagram Just Twisted Linear Logic?

  

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When helping our clients move from linear to systemic thinking, we introduce them to causal loop diagrams which show the interaction of variables within a system. The first step is to have them construct a two-variable causal loop diagram. This usually comes from a linear representation of a problem, for example, weight gain:

As food consumption goes up, weight goes up. To solve this common linear problem, many of us attack "food consumption" with the latest miracle method for reducing food consumption. We lose 60 pounds in 60 days - success!...until we gain 60 pounds in 30 days when we are off the diet.

So let's take this linear representation of the problem and turn it into the beginnings of a non-linear one.

Hmmm...so now you have to think about how your weight influences your food consumption. "Are you just giving me the double-talk?" you ask. Aren't we just turning logic back upon itself to confuse the issue? Yes and no.

We are trained from a very early age to analyze and see just one or two possible causes and pick the cause that we think is most creating the problem. Think about math and science - there is usually one, and only one, variable to solve for. One right answer. No need for discovery, just find the right answer and move along.

There is nothing wrong with this until you come across a recurring problem that can't seem to be permanently solved, such as weight gain. In those types of problems, you never really "fix" it permanently, but you do work within your system to influence the fluctuations.

So back to our example. When you ask the question "How does gaining (or losing) weight impact my food consumption?" you have to dig a little deeper to find answers that are not so obvious.

• As I gain weight, I don't feel good about how I look.
• Because I feel bad, I soothe myself with comfort food.
• As I gain weight, it's more difficult to exercise.

Now, the diagram looks something like this:

What I've done in this posting is to walk you through each linear relationship that exists at each connection point (we call them leverage points). Because we can all understand these, we understand the next level of thinking when we combine them.

Where we are limited as humans is that research has demonstrated that we only process between 3-7 concepts at one time. So, once we start to build out the causal loops, we soon exceed that number, which is why it's more natural to focus only on the direct relationship. By expanding and linking linear relationships, we can form the systemic nature of the problem we face, one interaction at a time.

So why isn't this considered a more complicated way of representing things in a linear fashion?

Three reasons:

1. You can see from our quick example that there are three influence loops acting upon our weight. They don't necessarily act at the same pace or with the same force, making it unpredictable.
2. Because systemic problems involve humans, the strongest contributing factor for one individual my be different for another. Thus, the same causal loop diagram produces different results for different people.
3. These types of decisions or problems are never-ending. You will always have to manage your weight, and the factors that impact that today could change in the future as you age.

So, in summary, the next time you are trying to solve a recurring problem, take these 3 steps to expand your thinking:

1. Look at the "effect" and ask "How does the 'effect' influence the 'cause'?
2. Look at each of the factors and ask "What influences this factor?"
3. Observe the large set of factors and the inter-relationships and see if there is a key factor that wasn't discovered in the first two questions but completes the logic of the loop.

This will give you plenty to begin thinking systemically about a problem that once appeared as a linear one. More importantly, you can begin to have conversations with others by walking them through your systemic logic as I have done here, one interaction at a time. You may or may not want to show them a completed causal loop diagram, as they are not the most intuitive to grasp if you haven't walked through each smaller relationship.

So, what do you think? Is the systems thinking tool known as a causal loop diagram just linear logic twisted back upon itself, or do you think it represents a new way for you to think systemically about a problem? We welcome your comments!