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The Concept of Systems Thinking in Community Leadership: A Preliminary Insight

Authors:
Ahmad Aizuddin Md. Rami, Asmawi Ibrahim, Ahmed Ahmed Olaitan

Addresses:
Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. Faculty of Applied Social Science, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.

Abstract:

This study examines the implementation of systems thinking in community leadership through a thorough scoping review. The study seeks to assess the integration of systems-thinking ideas into leadership practices to improve decision-making, cooperation, and community outcomes. The Scopus and Google Scholar databases were used to systematically identify scholarly literature. Key search terms were “systems thinking,” “thinking skills,” “community leadership,” and “leadership.” The initial search yielded 19 pertinent studies that examined the convergence of systems thinking and community leadership. After applying inclusion criteria based on relevance and evidence, only nine papers were identified as offering significant empirical or theoretical support for the application of systems thinking in leadership contexts. The results show that community leaders can effectively use systems thinking in their work by focusing on a few key areas: continuous learning, dynamic and holistic thinking, understanding and changing mental models, recognising patterns in complex systems, and using system logic to solve problems and plan for the future. These elements, together, make community leadership more flexible, stronger, and forward-thinking. The study underscores the essential function of systems thinking as a transformative paradigm for tackling complex community issues and realising sustainable community development objectives.

Keywords: Systemic Thinking; Community Leadership; Thinking Skills; Organisational Development; Dynamic Thinking; Continuous Learning; Collective Adaptation; Reductionist Thinking.

Received on: 15/11/2024, Revised on: 12/02/2025, Accepted on: 08/04/2025, Published on: 14/09/2025

DOI: 10.69888/FTSSSL.2025.000497

FMDB Transactions on Sustainable Social Sciences Letters , 2025 Vol. 3 No. 3, Pages: 130-137

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