Systems theory is described by Heylighen and Joslyn (1992) as a "transdisciplinary study of the abstract organization of phenomena," arguing that things can be understood as systems. These systems are comprised of interrelated, moving parts. To understand the system, one must understand those parts, which is where the transdisciplinary aspect comes in. The different parts that constitute a system might have been broken out in our study as many different disciplines, but they are still linked within the context of the system, and therefore such individual disciplines should not simply be understood out of context, but as being within the system. Systems theory is often studied in business, because an organization is a number of different systems working together to win market share and profit. In environmental science, the world is understood as a system, where the different elements affect each other. That is a critical component of systems theory, the prescriptive component that argues if you want to change the system, you have to change a component of the system. Any change to a part of the system will cause the system to respond, and evolve, and therefore the entire system will change with every change to an individual...

The lesson in this is that systems are constantly changing, but that to bring about an outcome from the system will require understanding how the different components of the system are related -- since no change will be made in isolation it is critical to understand how each element of the system will affect the others.
A force field analysis is a decision-making tool. Basically, the concept of the force field analysis is that things are acted upon by two types of forces: the forces for change and the forces against change. As a decision-making tool, the force field analysis can help in that it allows the decision-maker to understand the different forces that affect the decision. This examination can lead one to make a certain decision. The decision-maker might also see how a force for change can be used to neutralize a force against change, thereby changing the decision-making ecosystem. These are the two basic decisions that come out of the force field analysis: go/no-go, and what to change about the forces in order to increase the odds that the decision will be successful (MindTools.com, 2015).

The best way to understand force field analysis might be to provide an illustration. The…