Sharif Digital Repository

Systems thinking is considered to be an indispensible competency in dealing with complex issues. Although several studies tried to substantiate this claim in the past from different perspectives, none rigorously focused on how the practitioners' characteristics affect systems thinking practice. In this paper we propose that a person's narcissism hinders his/her ability to practice systems thinking effectively in ego-relevant issues, although he/she might be relatively capable to think systemically in general. Ego-relevant issues are defined as those matters that may cause eventual threat to the person's self-esteem or provide opportunities to self-promote. A systems thinking questionnaire...