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This research set out to clarify the construct of systems thinking and to define it as a conceptual framework apart from systems science, systems theory, systems methods, and other perceived synonyms. Greater clarity in the systems thinking construct will assist any one of the many current implementation efforts in which systems thinking is being applied in both scientific disciplines and practical fields. One case of this is the application of systems thinking in public health. The challenges associated with this effort are generalizeable to any of the other fields in which systems thinking is being applied. The ambiguities of the systems thinking construct are central to the challenges people face in understanding and implementing systems thinking. This exploratory empirical research used structured conceptualization methodology, which mixes qualitative methods with multivariate statistical methods, to investigate the challenges of implementing systems thinking in an applied context. The analysis shows that: (1) the literature reveals that significant ambiguities exist about what constitutes systems thinking and that practitioners are adopting thes