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Instructors: Prof. Dr. Fenna Blomsma
Event type:
Lecture
Displayed in timetable as:
Systems Thinking
Hours per week:
3
Credits:
6,0
Language of instruction:
English
Min. | Max. participants:
- | -
Comments/contents:
In moving towards a more sustainable and inclusive world the aim is to increase the positive impact of business, and to minimise or negate any negative effects. An important framework for action in this regard is the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Aligning business practice with these goals means that many aspects of business will have to be re-examined, thus involving some form of systems change. But what do we mean when we say ‘systems change’ or ‘systems innovation’?
For example, an organisation may want to identify and manage key environmental impacts, such as the use of hazardous chemicals or the emission of greenhouse gasses. Clear ways of analysing this problem are available: product design and production processes can be examined. When improvement areas are found, best practices such as those described in the ISO14001 standard allow for the implementation of environmental management systems that support identifying and addressing them. In this case, ‘systems change’ involves the implementation of new processes within, and sometimes external to, a company.
Alternatively, perhaps, a company faces a problem in its supply chain, such as water scarcity. This causes both operational problems - crop yields are down and water is becoming increasingly expensive, as well as reputational damage - as the product was positioned as environmentally friendly the integrity of your brand is at stake. The change that is required, however, is not self-evident as the root cause can have multiple sources. This is because many factors such as climate change, but also farming practices and regional dynamics could play a role. ‘Systems change,’ in this context, involves finding the (set of) intervention(s) with the most impact, and working with stakeholders involved to implement it (them).
‘Systems change,’ in contrast, can also be a more emergent practice. For example, when cause-and-effect cannot be established in advance, it may be better to devise targeted experiments that allow one to learn safely and, if need be, fail cheaply and start over. This may be the case when part(s) of the system adapt or respond in new ways as a response to interventions, negating or amplifying the change in unexpected ways.
As Covid-19 and various other crises have shown recently, even in chaotic situations it is important to react effectively and to engage with the ‘system’ appropriately to stabilise the situation and to avoid worse.
In short: when it comes to systems change, there is no one-size-fits all. Instead, it is key to recognise the level of complexity of the system you are dealing with, as (over) simplified approaches are likely to fail. To devise strategies that are truly effective in achieving the desired change, means to think, analyse, and respond in a way suitable for the type of system you are dealing with.
Therefore, this course will cover how to distinguish between different contexts of systems change, and how approaches for acting within them can be devised. Course content is based on a Systems Change module developed for the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Learning objectives:
This course will help you to make sense of different system types and the associated approaches to thinking, analysing and acting required from both leaders and their organisations in steering them towards more sustainable outcomes. Specifically, after this module, you will be able to:
- Explain the difference between a reductionist and a systems approach to change;
- Describe different system types and the associated set of suitable approaches to thinking, analysing and acting for both leaders and other change agents, and their organisations;
- Presented with a case or situation:
- Analyse the case based on the system type characteristics;
- Identify a suitable approach to systems change;
- Formulate a plan of action for the next steps based on the chosen approach or method;
- Evaluate which approaches to combine in a pluralistic approach;
- Reflect critically on the provided systems change approaches.
This course focuses on those theories for systems change or systems innovation that have bearing on organisations and/or its environment, and that acknowledge both tangible and intangible aspects - as opposed to, for example, theories of change that purely focus on the role of technology or policy. Both systems science and complexity science, as well as related domains such as design thinking and transitions science, are drawn from to give an overview of a range of approaches that have bearing on organisations and sustainability. Cases that fit with the 17 SDGs are used to illustrate the applicability of the theory.
Didactic concept:
This lecture will be delivered combining asynchronous lectures, live Q&A sessions and exercises - all facilitated online.
That is: the asynchronous lectures form the backbone of this course. In addition to this, at set intervals, there will be live Q&A sessions where the students can ask questions and receive guidance on the exercises. A series of exercises are furthermore meant to support students engaging with the course materials in a manner that supports preparation for the exam.
Literature:
A written syllabus accompanies this course. This syllabus gives an overview of the main topics discussed in this lecture. In addition to this, selected documents provide background to the lectures, deepening students’ insights. These documents are considered an integral part of the course material.
Additional examination information:
Take Home Exam:
Time to process the exam: 120 min
Time frame in which the exam can be completed:
1st exam date: 11.03.2021, 5.30 pm - 8.00 pm
2nd exam date: 25.03.2021, 8.30 am - 11.00 am
The examiner of your course will provide information about the hand out of examination tasks / assignments and their submission during the course of this semester, at the earliest after the STiNE Changes and Corrections Period.
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