What is a system, as Daniel Kim would define it?
A) All the different animals on a farm
B) Items stored in a pantry
C) Offices in a financial services company
D) A restaurant serving customers - Answers D) A restaurant serving customers
Which statement describes systems thinking?
A) It is a way of disconnecting each part of a situation to examine it individually
B) It is a disciplined approach which understands situations both by examining its parts and the
unified whole
C) It is a philosophy based on the flow of one event to another
D) It is a step-by-step set of instructions - Answers B) It is a disciplined approach which understands
situations both by examining its parts and the unified whole
What does David Peter Stroh mean by clarity as relates to a system?
A) The ability to see a situation in black and white terms.
B) The ability to see a situation accurately and completely.
C) The ability to see a situation's flaws, like the flaws in a diamond.
D) The ability to see a situation in all its facets, like a diamond. - Answers B) The ability to see a
situation accurately and completely.
What describes a system and a systemic problem within it?
A) A fleet of trucks that have sustained hail damage
B) A country engaging in a democratic election
C) A group of construction workers building a bridge
D) A car with a dead battery - Answers D) A car with a dead battery
Which two responses describes a system and a systemic problem within it?
A) A smartphone designer's new phone case not accommodating the size of the phone's camera.
B) The highways around a growing city becoming congested because of additional residents.
C) Remodelers painting a home's exterior.
D) Commuters being held up on the highway due to a three-car crash
E) Rain falling on a children's playground, keeping them from playing - Answers A) A smartphone
designer's new phone case not accommodating the size of the phone's camera.
B) The highways around a growing city becoming congested because of additional residents.
What describes the concept of a system's boundaries?
A) A graph showing the data related to a system
B) A statement of what a system does not include
C) A statement of what a system includes
D) Anything included in, and not excluded from, the analysis of the system - Answers D) Anything
included in, and not excluded from, the analysis of the system
What explains the meaning of pattern as that term relates to a system?
A) The hierarchy of people in an organization
B) Recurring events or behaviors
C) Processes and procedures invented on the spot to address a particular problem
D) Particularly important events or behaviors - Answers B) Recurring events or behaviors
What explains the meaning of interconnections as that term relates to a system?
A) Only personal relationships among people in an organization
B) Relationships among events, issues, operations, or people
C) Only established processes and procedures
D) Only the hierarchy of people in an organization - Answers B) Relationships among events, issues,
operations, or people
A Midwest company that sells plants to home gardeners across the country needs to get its annual
printed catalog out in February. In November, the editor meets with the heads of the bush-and-tree,
flower, and vegetable departments. The editor tells the company that within a month they need a list
of products to be included in the catalog so they can assign copywriters and photographers. On
January 3, the editor finds that only the flower department has turned in the required information.
This means that the catalog will be late, possibly so late that avid gardeners will already have ordered
from competitors. Which aspect is a part of structure in this scenario?