Nalini Pillay
🔄 "Passionate about systems thinking & system dynamics. I empower others with the tools to navigate complexity, drive sustainable change, and make better decisions. Unlocking insights, solving challenges, and transforming systems—one model at a time." #SystemsThinking #SystemDynamics #Complexity #Sustainability
How did you first encounter systems thinking, and what made it "click" for you?
Formally: during a strategy review session for our company, a guest speaker introduced us to the Iceberg Model. The analogy of the Iceberg to explain underlying patterns and root cause identification through a systemic view made sense and thereafter I continued with a deep dive into this area.
Informally: I think I have always been able to identify more influences than those immediately evident when confronted with an issue or problem – perhaps its the overthinking side of me that always had me looking at an exhaustive set of perspectives for problems or situations.
What is a misconception about systems thinking that you wish more people understood?
Systems thinking is an inherent ability of every person and not exclusive to a limited few. Some people believe they cannot be systems thinkers and its not true. They just need practise to improve the skill set.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new to systems thinking, what would it be?
Challenge yourself to look at problems and situations differently to the normative approach. Keep asking “Why” until you start getting closer to root cause behaviour and deeper understanding of underlying dynamics affecting a system. Don’t accept everything just because it is presented or written by “an expert” in the field – keep asking questions.
Can you share a moment when systems thinking changed how you approached a real-world problem?
We were faced with the challenge of maintenance dynamics of energy availability in our company several years ago. A brainstorming session was held where the output was a causal loop diagram that identified all the reinforcing and balancing loops in the system. It was then that I realized that real-world problems required as much qualitative engagements as it did quantitative engineering approaches.
What is one book, tool, or resource that significantly shaped your journey in systems?
I would say that my journey was shaped by the people around me and not necessarily a book or tool.
