Readable atlas · Release 0.35
Six systems things which are not the same thing
Theory, practice, leadership, change, convening and weaving
A short route through six terms which are routinely collapsed into one agreeable blur.
Follow this journey interactively
Begin with explanation
Systems theory names a family of explanatory traditions. It does not arrive as one doctrine and does not choose a purpose or intervention for you.
Move into situated action
Practice is the work of choosing boundaries, methods and participation in context, then learning from what the intervention does to the situation and to the practitioner.
Ask what sort of authority is being exercised
The phrase may mean better coordination, better systems thinking by leaders, changed authority, facilitative development or support for new possibilities. Those are not interchangeable.
Make the desired change and its legitimacy explicit
Systems are already changing. A systems-change claim needs to say which patterns matter, who can act, who judges improvement and who bears the effects.
Build learning across boundaries
Systems convening comes from social learning. It creates new conversations across a landscape and works with legitimacy, identity, agency and power.
Strengthen the relational infrastructure
Systems weaving connects people, groups and resources so networks become more capable. It overlaps with convening but is not identical to it.
Taylor, B. P. (2026). Six systems things which are not the same thing. The Necessary Tangle, release 0.35. https://transduction.systems/journeys/journey_six_systems_things/