You can find the full set of Complexity Concept Cards here: https://bit.ly/SiCards

Synthesis means the combination of components or elements to form a connected whole. Synthetic thinking looks at the way the elements of a system are combined to form the functioning entirety. As opposed to analysis which breaks things down, this is a mode of thinking that reasons upwards to see what emerges when we put elements together. Synthetic thinking helps us to better understand emergent processes and the purpose of a system within its context.

The first step in the process is to identify the system that our object of interest is a part of. Next, we try to gain a broad outline of how this whole system functions. Lastly, we try to understand how the parts are interconnected and arranged to function as an entirety. By completing this process we can identify the complexity of relations within which our entity is embedded, its place and function within the whole.