Abstract for: Systems Thinking as a Catalyst for Opportunity Identification in Early Stage Engineering Venture Teams

Early stage engineering venture teams often pursue technically sound solutions without sufficiently understanding the complex sociotechnical systems in which those solutions operate. Traditional entrepreneurship education emphasizes product development and business modeling, yet provides limited structured support for systemic problem exploration, feedback analysis, and leverage point identification. This study examines a systems thinking workshop delivered to early stage engineering venture teams. The intervention introduced causal loop diagramming and iceberg diagrams. Pre and post-opportunity statements, system maps, and participant reflections were analyzed to assess shifts in opportunity framing and systems reasoning. Teams shifted from solution centered framing toward system aware opportunity identification. Post workshop opportunity statements reflected greater stakeholder integration, recognition of reinforcing and balancing feedback dynamics, and clearer identification of leverage points. System maps demonstrated increased structural complexity and improved articulation of causal relationships within venture contexts. Findings suggest that systems thinking functions as a cognitive scaffold for entrepreneurial sensemaking under uncertainty. Integrating system dynamics tools into entrepreneurship education enhances opportunity quality by strengthening systemic awareness rather than merely refining solutions. This work contributes empirical evidence supporting system dynamics pedagogy within innovation and venture development contexts. AI was used in the workshop by participants