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Compliance with governmental regulations is a predominant driver in industrial hygiene and OH&S. Industrial hygienist's and OH&S professional's orientation and ways of thinking are (have been) influenced by this, and can generally be characterized as linear thinkers. The application of system‐based approaches (e.g. OHSMS) has opened up a new cognitive arena as it nudges, if not requires thinking from a different perspective – a systems perspective.

Systems thinking is a central distinction – a critical skill to develop – in creating a learning organization. It is the “fifth discipline” referred to in the landmark book The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge. While he identifies an ensemble of five disciplines – systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, building shared values, and team leaning – where each provide a vital dimension in learning organizations, it is systems thinking that “fuses them into a coherent body of theory and practice” (2). Systems thinking can be defined as:

“… a way of seeing and talking about reality that helps us better understand and work with systems to influence the quality of our lives. In this sense, systems thinking can be seen as a perspective. It also involves a unique vocabulary for describing systemic behavior, and so can be thought of as a language as well. And, because it offers a range of techniques and devices for visually capturing and communicating about systems, it is a set of tools” (3).

Key systems thinking concepts include the following: causal loops, understanding system behavior over time, and deconstructing complex systems within common system archetypes (4).

MS such as ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 promote systems thinking, and hence organizational learning; as these are developed and implemented, and through their ongoing maintenance and continual improvement, their users begin to have an increased ability to see interconnections between their immediate focus (OH&S) and other organizational functions, supply chains, and beyond.

An iceberg model has commonly been used in the systems dynamics and systems thinking disciplines; this is depicted in Figure 1. This model frames systems' cause–effect relationships within several levels that are progressively more difficult to see and/or define, with events being above the waterline, and then with a progression of levels below the waterline that are less obvious. Daniel Kim refers to these levels as “levels of perspective” (7).

These levels – events, patterns, structure, mental models, and vision – can be described as follows:

 Events. This level is above the water line and points to what is observed day in and day out and are often trailing indicators. An example here is an accident.

 Patterns. Under “events” is a level that points to what is observed with an eye toward understanding what is causing the accidents. Patterns and trends begin to emerge when accident data are collected and analyzed, say through root‐cause analysis.

 Systems/Structures. Under “patterns” are the programs and systems that affect the patterns; causal connections are made. ISO MS provide a way to strengthen this level; when missing, accident prevention programs are put in place. Many believe that this level holds the key to lasting, high‐leverage change (6).

 Mental Models. Under “systems/structures” are deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures or images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action; they determine not only how we make sense of the world, but how we take action (6).

 Vision. Under “mental models” are pictures of the future that are a guiding force that determines the mental models, and goals to pursue.

FIGURE 1 Systems thinking iceberg.

Source: From (5). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Public Domain.

Gaining an understanding about the iceberg and how the levels interact is an important step in improving decision‐making skills, as each level offers a distinctive mode of action, with each successive level (moving toward the iceberg's bottom) providing increased leverage. Being able to distinguish in real time which level (perspective) is in play, increases the ability to select the most effective intervention. This awareness is valuable when developing and implementing an OHSMS.