Refreshing research ideas: Insights from new book on systems thinking methods for sport studies

Kati Lehtonen
Jamk University of Applied Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland

There is a growing interest in systems thinking among both sports researchers and practitioners in the field. For years, systems thinking has been already applied for example in health research to understand the wicked problems such as obesity and the structural, societal, and individual factors related to it. Many phenomena related to sports also are inherently complex, requiring new frameworks, theories, and methodologies from sports research. The perspective of systems thinking, which aims to understand wholes instead of details and interpret the intertwined nature of phenomena, therefore offers many opportunities for the actors in sports.

The book Systems Thinking Methods in Sport: Practical Guidance and Case Study Applications by Scott McLean and colleagues is the first work in which the methodology used in systems thinking and applied to sports research is aggregated, and therefore the book can justifiably be called a pioneering work. The authors have diverse expertise on the subject, as they have extensively applied systems thinking in single studies over the years. The book can be seen as comprehensively “packing” the authors’ contributions related to the topic.

The book consists of four sections, classified as follows: 1) Introductory chapters to complexity and systems thinking concepts (Chapters 1–2), 2) Systems analysis and design methods (3–8), 3) Systemic risk and accident analysis methods (9–12), and 4) Many model applications (13).

The consistent structure of the chapters makes reading clear and also helps compare the differences between methods.

The first section, which introduces the topic, is important for the book, especially if systems thinking is unfamiliar to the reader both in general and as a research approach. The introduction section covers the basics and benefits of systems thinking in examining various phenomena in sports. Table 1 (pages 6–8), which describes the basic features of complex systems, is a good and informative summary of a rather broad topic.

The table also includes examples of the complex nature of sports, and this practical example-based style of the book remains throughout the work. It can also be considered the book’s greatest strength, not only from a readability perspective but also because the examples help concretely understand the basic principles of systems thinking.

The actual methods and related practical examples are described from Chapter 3 onwards. The individual chapters have a similar structure: first, the method to be presented is described, such as the Causal Loop Diagram (p. 102), followed by its application to sports and step-by-step implementation. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are also highlighted.

The chapters end with a case study example, a list of recommended further reading, and a bibliography. The consistent structure of the chapters makes reading clear and also helps compare the differences between methods. Additionally, readers can choose chapters according to their interest without needing to proceed chronologically through the book.

The book also contains many figures and tables that help both the “impatient” reader to move from one topic to another and to summarize analytical frameworks into understandable forms. Similarly, summaries of different stages of analyses have been provided, and these process descriptions help the reader understand the practical applicability of the methods.

In assessing the advantages and disadvantages of different methods, the authors demonstrate their analytical approach to systems thinking; not all methodologies used in systems thinking necessarily provide deep information about the subject being studied. Analyses may remain more descriptive, which the authors honestly acknowledge.

The book does not have a conclusion chapter, which could be considered unnecessary due to the overall structure and the aim to offer methodological examples. However, the authors’ experiences and expertise in systems thinking and the methods used could have advantageously given rise to a summary of the theme or a reflection on the future of systems thinking in sports research. This would have offered a forward-looking perspective since the need for expertise on the topic is likely to grow. Additionally, it could have considered which methods or phenomena not covered in the book might be relevant specifically from the perspective of sports research.

It is also clear that the book cannot exhaustively cover all nuances of the presented methods. This is the case, for example, with network analysis (Chapter 7). As a method, it is at the core of systems thinking but also forms an independent toolbox with its history and roots. The book clearly presents the basic principles of network analysis. Despite this, readers could have been guided to the original sources on network analysis in the section Recommended reading, such as Social Network Analysis, edited by John Scott and Peter J. Carrington.

In summary, the book by McLean and colleagues provides valuable methodological insights into the field of sports research and fulfills the authors’ promises to provide not just theoretical insights but also practical guidance of systems thinking. The book is published at a time when the utilization of systems thinking has expanded across various scientific communities, and the management of complex phenomena requires fresh perspectives from researchers.

From this perspective, the book supports the work of sports academics and the professional development of scientific communities pedagogically. The motivation and willingness to experiment by academics and practitioners will affect how systems thinking is received and whether its potential is recognized more broadly in the fields of sport.

Copyright © Kati Lehtonen 2025