Master the 5 Questions to Deepen Your Understanding of Systems Thinking and Artificial Intelligence (AI) To Enable Better Health Outcomes

Blip-Zip Executive Summary

The health ecosystem is broken! Fragmentation, siloed operations, and lack of coordination leave communities vulnerable and individuals less healthy. Health leaders are frustrated. Master systems thinking by committing to exploring how systems thinking and artificial intelligence  (AI) can transform health leadership, fostering collaboration and a culture of health for better outcomes. While you’re at it, check out the questions, learning activities, references, and resources below!

Blip-Zip Takeaways

• Traditional leadership development program lag. Complexity demands a new approach–systems thinking
• See the bigger picture. Understand how health ecosystem systems work or do not work, especially in a system demanding collaboration and integration
• Shape a culture of health. Prioritize prevention and community well-being through systems thinking-based leadership.
• Lead the shift towards a culture of health with systems thinking and AI at the helm throughout the health ecosystem

Key Words and Themes (#hashtags)

 #healthecosystem, #systemsthinking, #strategicleadership, #futureofhealth, #strategichealthleadership, #SHELDR, #healthleadership, #complexhealth, #healthequity, #collaboration, #cultureofhealth

A Call to Action for Health Ecosystem Leaders

Are you a junior, mid-career professional, or senior health leader in healthcare, public health, or social services yearning to make a transformative impact but frustrated by the status quo and your professional development to date? Do you witness a system struggling to fix the gaps and meet communities’ needs despite dedicated efforts and abundant resources? If you answered yes, then this call to action is for you.

The chaos and complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic ripped back the curtain, exposing an entire health ecosystem—a state of dynamic conditions into which people are born, grow, live, work, seek help, and age represented by organizations, entities, processes, managers, and stakeholders–teetering on the brink. As reported by the Commonwealth Funds 2023 Score Care on Stat Level and the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, the abysmal level of performance reminded everyone of how expensive, complex, and poor-performing the US Health system was then, especially now.  

For decades, and especially during the pandemic, trust and confidence in the health ecosystem system–preventive and primary care healthcare, public health, long-term care, mental health, and social services–and leadership eroded.

Fragmented care, siloed operations within and between community health organizations, minimal coordination of care across community boundaries, and a lack of strategic foresight left communities vulnerable. This pervades the system to date. This stark reality demands instant shock therapy to upend long-held policies, processes, and habits. Business as usual won’t suffice.

We need leaders at all levels—preventive and primary care, healthcare, social care, public health, mental health, and long-term care—equipped not just with technical expertise but with the ability to navigate complexity and orchestrate change.

Enter The Transformative Power Of Systems Thinking As A Competency.

While introduced decades ago and embraced by organizations such as the Public Health Foundation and the American Nurses Association, application in health leadership programs is slowly gaining traction. For example, the American Medical Association recently suggested that systems thinking should be part of medical education curricula and continuing education programs. Eighteen worldwide organizations in the International Hospital Federal have added systems thinking to their domains of competencies.

Why the sudden surge in interest? The US domestic and international health system performance at any level is an embarrassment. The pandemic exposed the fragility of the system or resistance to change, how inattention to the social drivers or determinants of health (SDOH) or non-medical factors contribute to poor health outcomes, an already over-stressed healthcare systems with a lack of surge capacity, and poor collaboration and coordination of care processes across community health networks. 

Today’s health system transformation and payment reforms are promoting the establishment of accountable, integrated, community-based health systems at the city, county, and state levels. Many leaders, including health insurers and employers, are beginning to realize the impact and opportunity to address the SDOH and strengthen health systems at the national and international levels. 

Systems thinking competencies provide the missing piece in the leadership development puzzle: the ability to see beyond individual components and grasp the intricate web of interactions that shape health outcomes. 

Imagine A Future And Culture Of Health

Imagine a future and culture of health such as the concepts espoused by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation (RWJF) or the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) One Health initiative where healthcare, public health, and human or social services function as a next wave as a unified better health ecosystem, seamlessly reshaping the delivery care and services across networks to produce better health, improved experience of care, reduced cost per capita, and workforce well-being for individuals, families, and communities. Leaders such as the emerging Public Health 3.0’s Community Health Strategist anticipate emerging threats and generate ideas to develop solutions that ensure community resilience proactively.

Health and community leaders must articulate a transformative or systemic vision akin to the Rippel Foundation’s Re-Think Health Initiative–real-world tools, frameworks, and expertise that help individuals, organizations, and communities consider how to make transformative, lasting change and shift investments in meaningful ways that support thriving populations. 

Leadership’s vision, critical and systems thinking, and data analysis skills empower evidence-based decision-making and action that leads to sustainable solutions. That’s the promise of systems thinking. That’s a promise we need to make to ourselves and those we serve!

Commit to Learning About Systems Thinking

This publication series, Systems Thinking for Health and Human Services Professionals, is not just another leadership manual. It’s an essential competency within the Strategic Health Leadership (SHELDR) family. Over time, the ideas will evolve into a comprehensive resource guide and series of articles designed to equip you and your teams of leaders and managers with the knowledge, tools, and practical applications of systems thinking within the health ecosystem. Here’s what awaits you in future articles:

• Foundational Concepts: Explain core principles of systems thinking, exploring concepts like feedback loops, non-linearity, and mental models.
• Practical Tools and Applications: Learn about a robust toolbox of systems thinking techniques, including causal loop diagrams, stock and flow models, and system archetypes. Future publications will translate theory into practice and showcase how tools can be applied.
• Case Studies and Examples: Gain valuable insights from real-world case studies of successful systems thinking implementation in healthcare settings.
• Strategic Health Leadership Development: Discover how systems thinking empowers you to become a more effective leader, fostering collaboration, innovation, and strategic problem-solving within your organization.

The Future of and Culture of Health Demands a New Breed of Leader

Traditional, linear approaches simply fall short. We need leaders at all levels who can think holistically, analyze patterns, and leverage technology to our advantage. In addition, artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense potential in the health ecosystem. AI offers unprecedented opportunities to improve health outcomes, reduce costs, and impact population health. However, it is also imperative to proceed cautiously to assess the risks, ethics, and potential unintended consequences of rushing into AI project implementation.

By combining systems thinking with models for analyzing vast datasets, AI can identify trends, predict outbreaks, and optimize resource allocation—sustainable solutions or improve the quality of life for all.

However, AI will be most effective with strategic-minded health leadership (SHELDR). Systems thinking equips leaders to ask the right questions, design sustainable solutions models, interpret AI insights, translate them into actionable strategies, and navigate the ethical considerations inherent in AI-driven health.

Call to Action and My Promise

Let’s Build a Community of Practice. This publication invites you to join a vibrant community of practice. We can share experiences, learn from each other, and push the boundaries of systems thinking in the health ecosystem. The call to action extends beyond individual leaders. We invite educators to integrate systems thinking principles into health leadership curricula, fostering a future generation of leaders equipped to navigate complexity.

The synergy between systems thinking and AI will unite health and human services sectors delivery and produce better health, resilience, and health outcomes. This is why future articles will include both, emphasizing creating more strategic-minded leaders.

This article and future articles and publications are your invitation to join a growing community of practice: Strategic Health Leaders (SHELDR). We are health and human services professionals, educators, and leaders united by a common purpose—to transform the health system and improve the lives of those and the communities we serve. By embracing systems thinking and AI, we can move beyond the limitations of the past and co-create a future and culture of health and well-being for all.

Are you ready to answer the call? My challenge is for you to dive into this series of articles. Embrace the power of systems thinking to leverage the SD. Join the movement. Let’s turn the tide towards a healthier, more resilient future. Start by exploring the following deep-dive questions, professional development activities, and resources to solidify your systems thinking expertise and hone your SHELDR skills.

Read More

• December 2024
• November 2024
• October 2024
• September 2024
• August 2024
• July 2024
• June 2024
• May 2024
• April 2024
• March 2024
• February 2024
• January 2024
• August 2023

Deep Dive Discussion Questions

Deepen your understanding (or lack of knowledge) and application of systems thinking with these thought-provoking questions:

• Personal Reflection: How can you cultivate a “systems mindset” within your leadership approach?
• Reflect on your leadership style. How can you cultivate a more “systems-oriented” mindset in your daily work?
• Imagine your ideal health ecosystem. How would collaboration across sectors, enabled by systems thinking, lead to a more integrated and effective system?
• Consider a current health challenge in your community. How could you apply systems thinking tools, like causal loop diagrams, to identify root causes and potential solutions?
• Data-Driven Decision Making: How can data analysis and insights be leveraged to inform effective interventions and policies within a complex system?

Professional Development and Learning Activities

Equip yourself with practical tools and strategies to implement systems thinking through these engaging activities:

• Scenario Planning: Choose a potential future health threat, chronic disease impacting employer profits, or preventable patient safety error and conduct a scenario planning exercise to explore trends, risks, and mitigation strategies.
• Systems Mapping: Select a specific health issue in your organization or community and map out the system’s key actors, relationships, and feedback loops.
• Case Study Analysis: Analyze a successful public health intervention and identify the systems thinking principles contributing to its effectiveness.

References and Resources

This curated list of resources provides further insights and practical guidance on systems thinking and its application in healthcare leadership:

• Department of Health And Human Services (DHHS) – Overview: HHS Strategic Plan FY 2022–2026 (https://www.hhs.gov/about/strategic-plan/2022-2026/overview/index.html)
• World Health Organization (WHO) – Systems Thinking for Health System Strengthening (https://ahpsr.who.int/what-we-do/thematic-areas-of-focus/systems-thinking)
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) – The IHI Framework for Improvement (https://www.ihi.org/)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Social Determinants of Health (https://www.cdc.gov/about/sdoh/index.html)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/about/social-ecologicalmodel.html)
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) – A Culture of Health (https://www.rwjf.org/en/building-a-culture-of-health.html)
• Rippel Foundation – Vital Conditions for Health and Well Being (https://rippel.org/vital-conditions/)
• The Public Health Foundation (PHF) – Public Health Leadership (https://www.phf.org/)
• Donella Meadows, Thinking in Systems (2008) (https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/thinking-in-systems/)
• Peter M. Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (2006) (https://www.amazon.com/Fifth-Discipline-Practice-Learning-Organization-ebook/dp/B000SEIFKK)
• Systems Thinking For Social Change: A Practical Guide to Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results
• The Systems Thinker: Essential Thinking Skills For Solving Problems, Managing Chaos, and Creating Lasting Solutions in a Complex World (The Systems Thinker Series)
• National Academy of Medicine – Artificial Intelligence in Health Care: The Hope, the Hype, the Promise, the Peril: A Special Publication from the National Academy of Medicine (https://nam.edu/artificial-intelligence-special-publication/)
• Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Resource Center (https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/)
• National Academy of Medicine – Emerging Stronger from COVID-19: Priorities for Health System Transformation! (https://nam.edu/programs/value-science-driven-health-care/emerging-stronger-after-covid-19-priorities-for-health-system-transformation/)
• National Academy of Medicine – Care Systems COVID-19 Impact Assessment: Lessons Learned and Compelling Needs (https://nam.edu/care-systems-covid-19-impact-assessment-lessons-learned-and-compelling-needs/)