The Cabrera Lab Podcast #91: From Deming to Donella: Rating the Top Systems Thinking Quotes
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Oct 29, 2025 Dive into a lively critique of famous systems thinking quotes by legends like Deming and Meadows. The hosts humorously rate each quote on validity, reliability, and usefulness, revealing surprising truths and myths. From Deming's insightful principle that systems reflect their results to a skeptical take on Senge's metaphors, listeners will find entertaining insights on which ideas hold weight. Plus, learn how to navigate popular claims with a keen eye for empirical evidence—an essential guide for any systems thinker!
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Systems Can Exist Without Purpose
- Donella Meadows defines a system as interconnected elements organized to achieve something, but Derek calls that definition imprecise.
- Systems can merely exist without an explicit purpose, so definitions that require purposeful achievement mislead.
Interdependence Is Real But Not Always Causal
- The Buddha's idea that nothing exists entirely alone captures interdependence but overstates universal causation.
- Derek notes interaction is real, but not every relation is causal, so the statement is mostly true but not precise.
Judge Systems By Their Outcomes
- Deming's 'every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets' is rated a 10 by Derek as a systems postulate.
- He emphasizes looking at outcomes (what the system does) rather than stated intentions.