A beautifully written fable that makes one reflects on the problems and issues in life. Systems thinking is a method of viewing organizations, relationships and the world in general from a macro perspective that includes structures, patterns and events, rather than just the events themselves. This broad view help one identify the root causes of issues and target solutions for them. Big Fish Eat Small Fish is a simple tale, which brings system thinking to the layperson in a concrete way. This beautifully written tale is set in the scene of an underwater world where different species and sizes of fishes once lived harmoniously with each other. However, this paradise soon turned into a war zone when the population exploded and their staple food soon became scare. The once melodious paradise was soon filled with backbiting and skepticism among the fishes; big fishes blamed the small fishes for eating too much and the small fishes blamed the big fishes for consuming too much.
To savage the situation, Wiz, a wise old fish encourage the fishes to grow their own food and teaches them how. The fishes tried but alas, they are not a united and determined bunch. Inevitably, food ran out and to satisfying their hunger, big fish start eating small fish and small fish start eating shrimps. From this exquisite story, one can identify the common problems that we face in life; shifting responsibilities, assumptions of perceived threat and resting on one laurel and learn how to tackle these problems at the root and avoid what can be avoided. The last section of this book intertwines the archetypes of systems thinking with the storyline and help readers to better understand this set of system thinking tools to help them in thinking deeper and broader about problems and issues.
- Foreword
- Preface
- The Story
- Let's Get Serious!
- About the Authors