“Systems thinking reveals the complexity, interrelationships, and many of the interdependencies that exist in our surroundings. But it does not lead to action except through the agency and discipline of design, an art of action. Design is more than the set of methods and techniques to which it is often reduced in the approaches of systems thinking. Design and the thinking upon which it depends is a a cultural and humanistics art, a discipline of transforming surroundings into environments for human experience. Perhaps ironically, these environments, themselves, are the products that may be considered to be systems and systems within systems … designers often attempt to create systems on the scale of social, economic and political systems. Richard Buchanan 2019. Systems Thinking and Design Thinking: The Search of Principles in the World we are Making. The Journal of Design, Economics and Innovation Vol 5 Number 2, Summer 2019 (pdf) .

“What is the difference between design thinking and systems thinking? Design thinking is meant to innovate new solutions based on “bottom-up” human-centered approach. Systems thinking is meant to manage change and integration based on “top-down” big picture view. Systems thinking approach complements with design thinking, instead of replacing it altogether.” Jeffrey Tjendra, 2018

“In systems thinking, design is a core concept that is characterized as “a creative act which attempts to estimate how alternative sets of behavior patterns would serve specified sets of goals.” In the Systems community, Design became the preferred approach to problem solving and planning for a variety of reasons: the belief in the synthetic mode of thought; the belief that the future is subject to creation (design being the creative process); the belief that you need to dissolve problems (and not solve) through redesign of the system; etc. Van Gigh (1978) and Warfield (1983) argue that “design” is to the systems approach as “continuous improvement” is to the scientific approach. They point out that design is a process, which requires the ability to question prior or existing assumptions regarding the ultimate state to be achieved. We think this raises a question as to who the designer is and whether he or she is a specific breed with superior cognitive capabilities.” Pourdehnad, John; Wexler, Erica R.; and Wilson, Dennis V., “Systems & Design Thinking: A Conceptual Framework for Their Intergration” (2011). Organizational Dynamics Working Papers. 10 (pdf).