Introducing health care professionals to systems thinking through an integrated curriculum for leading in health systems

In this editorial, we discuss how Oshry’s (2018, 2019, 2020) Organic Systems Framework (OSF), a theory of whole human systems, was used to design a curriculum that introduces systems thinking to health care professionals. Our aim was to develop an integrated curriculum that focuses on leadership and management as practices (Mintzberg, 2013) that take place in systems (Oshry, 2018). We believe that nurse leaders and educators are well placed to design, develop and deliver such a curriculum as nurses are ubiquitous and embedded at all levels in health systems, providing them with multiple vantage points and opportunities to effect change. Nurses are accustomed to being part of and leading interdisciplinary teams (Teeling et al., 2020) and have a deep understanding and appreciation of other health care professionals’ roles. This contextual awareness and recognition of their colleagues’ contributions contributes to the “sociopolitical knowing” (White, 1995, p. 83) that has long been regarded as a fundamental pattern of knowing in nursing. Oshry’s (2018, 2019, 2020) human systems framework has the potential to strengthen and extend this pattern of knowing for all health care professionals.