Arguing the OE, Episode 8: PMESII-PT versus Systems Thinking -- A Classroom Experiment

This video is an edited recording of a session I held with my CGSOC 12-02 Scholars Seminar on the "Local Dynamics of War." The purpose of this session was to conduct a sort of experiment. As the students listened to a five-minute National Public Radio news story about Syria's civil war, two paired groups of students performed PMESII-PT analysis while two students, working individually, performed systems analysis by (i) capturing the interactions between stakeholders and (ii) capturing the contextual factors that give shape to the interactions. Without a doubt, the students demonstrate that the systems approach is superior to PMESII-PT categorization as a way to begin to understand your area of operation, your joint operational area, or your region of concern.

[@angelawoods6762]

Enjoyed the videos- thank you for posting them. While I think that systems analysis is critical for evaluating the operational environment, PMESII-PT is a good tool for reminding us that there may be other factors at work that are not immediately apparent in the situation presented at hand. Instead of thinking about these as competing methods (with a dooming tension between them), we would be wise to think of these both as complimentary tools (maybe even a step 1, step 2...) so that a truly comprehensive picture can be obtained. A relationship matrix can also be helpful in understanding stakeholder motivations.

[@csrowe722]

Informative video. I have not watched the others, yet. I would continue the argument that doctrine promotes systems thinking, but inadequately. If you have not taken a class like this or studied "systems thinking" independently, you are ill-prepared to tackle this problem. The inherent issue with any methodology is falling into a "bin filling" or analysis mode. The synthesis remains lacking unless a complete understanding is achieved.

[@kelechiabanobi9071]

What is the framework you use for the systems analysis?