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Systems Thinking is a way of thinking about the complex relationships between events and the causes behind them.

A tool used frequently to illustrate systems thinking is the iceberg model.

Icebergs can be deceptive in size, with their underwater portions dwarfing what is visible above the surface. In this analogy, the visible cap above the water represents events, and the larger unseen body represents the complex system elements. Beneath the water lies the recurring patterns of behavior that lead to the events we experience. Diving deeper, we find ourselves among the system's structural elements and ultimately the drivers of it all: our individual and collective mental models.

• events

• patterns of behavior

• structural elements

• mental models

Continue diving and mental models can be broken down even further into assumptions, morals, and beliefs but for the sake of understanding systems thinking, the 4 levels outlined are enough.