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Books for Adults
Think Bigger. Lead Better.
Linda’s systems thinking books provide
actionable frameworks
for navigating uncertainty, aligning teams,
and designing effective solutions.
The Systems Thinking Playbook
This book has become a favorite of university faculty, corporate consultants and K–12 teachers. It provides short gaming exercises that illustrate the subtleties of systems thinking.
The companion DVD shows the authors introducing and running each of the thirty games. The thirty games are classified by these areas of learning: Systems Thinking, Mental Models,Team Learning, Shared Vision, and Personal Mastery. Each description clearly explains when, how, and why the game is useful.
There are explicit instructions for debriefing each exercise as well as a list of all required materials. A summary matrix has been added for a quick glance at all thirty games. When you are in a hurry to find just the right initiative for some part of your course, the matrix will help you find it.
“We have used the Systems Thinking Playbook for years with our clients.
It provides a framework for us to get them out of their old, top-down thinking
and to think of themselves as a part of a whole organization and the
organization as part of a whole community.”
Marianne Hughes, Executive Director Interaction Institute for Social Change
Discounts available for orders of 5 copies or more, contact Linda.
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The Climate Change Playbook
“How can we learn about tough problems like climate change? The research shows that showing people the research doesn’t work. To learn, people need to interact, experiment, play. The Climate Change Playbook encourages just that through a diverse set of interactive games. Useful with all ages and in groups large and small, these games help us learn critical lessons about difficult topics―and they are a load of fun.”
--John Sterman, professor, MIT Sloan School of Management; author of Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World
When a Butterfly Sneezes
A must-have resource for any parent or educator who wants to help children think about interconnections in our world.
Each chapter focuses on a favorite children's picture book--and reveals the systems principle inherent in the story, general points for discussion, illustrations of key concepts, and questions to spark conversation for both younger and older readers.
“When you think of the word ‘system’, what comes to mind? If we turn to the dictionary, we get something like ‘an assemblage or combination of things or parts forming a complex or unitary whole: a mountain system; a railroad system.’ One of my personal favourite ways of thinking a little more about systems comes from a most brilliant book – ‘When a Butterfly Sneezes – Systems Thinking for Kids, Big and Small’ by Linda Booth Sweeney.”
Carl Bate Capgemini | London Vice President,
UK Chief Technology Office
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Living Stories About Connected Wisdom
Art directed by celebrated graphic designer Milton Glaser and illustrated by French artist Guy Billout, this book gathers twelve stories from different cultures that each reveal a unique example of a "living system." Through them, author Linda Booth Sweeney shows that what we now call systems thinking has been around for a very long time.
A Balinese folktale tells the story of a gecko who cannot sleep because of the sparks from a firefly. He traces the cause of his complaint from one animal to another, and finally to the mosquitoes who he depends on for his survival. Like this gecko, young readers will understand that all life is inter-related, and will be able to grasp the concept of the living system of "interdependence."
Art direction: Milton Glaser. Illustrations: Guy Billout
(Revised edition coming in early 2026!)
TEACHERS GUIDE AVAILABLE >
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WINNER: Best Audio Book
Also available in French, German, Portuguese, Cantonese, Russian, Dutch and Arabic.
Revised edition with forward by Melanie Goodchild coming in early 2026!