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MIS and Systems Thinking

The following activity allows students to understand systems thinking, which provides an end$-$to$-$end view of how operations work together to create a product or service. Business students who understand systems thinking are valuable resources because they can implement solutions that consider the entire process, not just a single component.

You probably recall the old story of three blind men attempting to describe an elephant. The first man, feeling the elephant$$s girth, said the elephant seemed very much like a wall. The second, feeling the elephant$$s trunk, declared the elephant was like a snake. The third man felt the elephant$$s tusks and said the elephant was like a tree or a cane. Companies that operate departmentally are seeing only one part of the elephant, a critical mistake that hinders successful operation. Successful companies operate cross$-$functionally, integrating the operations of all departments. Systems are the primary enabler of cross$-$functional operations.

Which of the following most accurately describes systems thinking?

Multiple Choice

a way of monitoring the entire system by viewing multiple inputs being processed or transformed to produce outputs while continuously gathering feedback on each part

a way of monitoring individual components, including an input, the process, and an output, while continuously gathering feedback on the entire system

a way of monitoring the entire system by viewing multiple inputs being processed or transformed to produce outputs while continuously gathering feedback on the entire system

a way of monitoring singular parts of a system by viewing a single input that is processed or transformed to produce an entire system that is continuously monitored to gather feedback on each individual part

a way of monitoring the success and innovation of select steps in a process