System thinking is described as a way of seeing; an approach towards problem-solving that considers problems in the context of the wider system and places an emphasis on the interdependencies across systems components, instead of focusing on individual components on their own. It is applied widely in different industries and holds significant value for strengthening health systems.
To explore this topic in more detail, the Alliance has produced a special podcast series, Seeing the full picture, which launches today. It was developed with the George Institute for Global Health and is co-hosted by Dr Devaki Nambiar and Professor Stephen Jan.
In describing the series, Devaki said:
"About a decade and a half ago, as some of the literature on systems thinking and health policy and systems research was coming out, my interest was piqued. But I wasn’t sure if I was part of that tribe. So, I became very interested in trying to explore this a little bit more.
"And this podcast is, I suppose in a way, Stephen’s and my journey through trying to understand this a little bit for ourselves and with people who’ve done more thinking in this space."
In the series, the co-hosts reflect on key issues and major developments in systems thinking for health systems strengthening, and interview key thought leaders in the field. There are five episodes in the series:
- Episode 1 – Alliance foundations in systems thinking: Why then, what now?
- Episode 2 – Background to systems thinking
- Episode 3 – The science -and art - of systems thinking in health
- Episode 4 – Low and middle-income country experiences in systems thinking
- Episode 5 – Systems thinking: political and policy challenges
Each episode is approximately 45 minutes, to enable in-depth conversations around key topics.
We hope this series will inspire you to consider the relevance of these approaches in your work, and that listeners will go on to be part of a new generation of practitioners and researchers advocating for the importance of systems thinking in strengthening health systems globally.
