Systems Thinking Iceberg

Systems Thinking Iceberg (Karla Pearson, Dennis Meadows, 1990s) – a four-level framework used to analyze complex systems by visualizing them as an iceberg – i.e., emphasizing that much of the structure will not be immediately available to perception (i.e., lies beneath the surface). The levels are: Events (at the tip of the iceberg, visible occurrences that prompt one to react); Patterns/Trends (just below the water’s surface, predictable happenings that provide context for Events and enable one to anticipate); System Structures (well below the water’s surface, the underlying relationships, rules, or processes that drive Patterns and should figure into design); Mental Models (at the base of the iceberg, beliefs, values, or assumptions that shape the System Structure and that one must work to transform to significantly affect the system).