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Systems for sustainability workshop
The document discusses sustainability from a systems and complexity perspective, highlighting the limitations of reductionism and the importance of understanding interdependent components within systems. It explores different approaches such as 'hard' and 'soft' systems methodologies to address complex and 'wicked' problems. The text emphasizes the need for innovative, collaborative strategies in tackling societal challenges towards sustainability and the role of education in fostering problem-solving skills.
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Systems for sustainability workshop
- 1. Sustainability: a systems/complexity approach Dr. Andrea Berardi Lecturer in Environmental Information Systems Communication and Systems Department The Open University
- 2. Unibanco Tecnológico –comerical W/Brasil, 2000.
- 4. Ivan Illich (1973)‚Tools for Conviviality‛ ‚Elite professional groups . . . have come to exert a 'radical monopoly' on such basic human activities as health, agriculture, home-building, and learning, <. The result of much economic development is very often not human flourishing but 'modernized poverty,' dependency, and an out-of-control system in which the humans become worn-down mechanical parts. ‚
- 8. Albert Einstein: “Wecan't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created
- 10. The dominant worldview: reductionism • Things can be understood by reducing them to their constituent components – by studying “the parts”, you will understand “the whole”.
- 12. Reductionist implications: • detachingemotion from rationality; • detaching humanity from nature; • citizens unable to see the ‚bigger picture‛; • citizens unable to see the ‚greater purpose‛; • ‚learned helplessness‛.
- 17. “India: Pollution FineSought Against Coca-Cola”
- 18. What is a‚System‛? A system emerges from< ‚interdependent components which regularly interact and form a unified whole‛. Um sistema consiste em< ‚componentes interdependentes que interagem regularmente e formam um todo unificado‛.
- 19. Systems have ‘emergentproperties’ • ‚the whole is greater than the sum of its parts‛.
- 20. System structure, processesand purpose
- 21. What connects/flows acrosssystem components? • Energy; • Matter; • Information.
- 22. What is thedifference between energy, matter and information? • Energy and matter are ‚causal inputs‛ to systems – they directly affect system processes. • Information is instead a ‚sensory input‛ and is used to predict the occurrence of causal inputs or other sensory inputs (sometimes at a later time or another place).
- 23. System structure: ‘individualistic’ architecture
- 25. System structure: ‚egalitarian‛ networks
- 27. System structure: ‚hierarchical networks‛
- 29. Think of asimple system, and<. •<..map its structure; •<.. describe its processes; •<.. identify its purpose/emergent properties.
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- 31. Simple systems "Reductionism produced a "machine view" of the world, a view captured in the work of Sir Isaac Newton. Metaphorically the world was likened to a sealed clock, a closed system, perpetually running on fundamental laws like "to • Predictable; everything action there is an equal and opposite reaction." • Mechanical; Hutchins, Systemic Thinking, 1995
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- 37. Gaia Theory – JamesLovelock
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- 39. Plan Act Action Learning Cycle Evaluate Observe
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- 42. Chaotic, irregular, unpredictable behaviour Butterfly effect: a small perturbation can result in significant impacts.
- 43. ‘Problems’ are Systems •‘Tame’ and ‘Wicked’ problems (Rittel & Webber, 1973); • ‘Difficulties’ and ‘Messes’ (Ackoff, 1974). • ‘Simple’, ‘Complicated’ and ‘Complex’ problems (Glouberman & Zimmerman, 2002)
- 44. Tackling ‘wicked problems’ Roberts(2000 )identifies the following strategies to cope with wicked problems: • Authoritative; • Competitive; • Collaborative.
- 45. ‚The Power ofNetworks‛ - Manuel Lima
- 46. Who should leadon transforming society towards sustainability? Enterprise Governments by developing green by establishing strong technologies and regulation. mobilising consumers No one! Communities Enterprise is only out to by creating local self- make money, governments sustaining lifestyles. are corrupt, and communities no longer exist.
- 47. Michael Thompson –Cultural Theory Individualism Hierarchy Fatalism Egalitarianism
- 48. Robert Costanza –Future Scenarios Star Trek Big Government Mad Max Ecotopia
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- 50. Creative Destruction --Joseph Schumpeter
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- 52. Characteristics of systemsduring different phases of the adaptive cycle • Renewal phase: new organisational forms; innovation; creativity. • Growth phase: increasing organisational complexity; diversification. • Conservation phase: organisational complexity stable; optimisation; specialisation; efficiency; resistance. • Release phase: breakdown of organisational complexity; survival.
- 53. ‘Hard’ systems approach •Expert led, quantitative, rational. • Great for predicting the state of simple/complicated systems; • Positivist epistemology;
- 56. ‘Soft’ systems approach •Ideal for working through highly complex problems where there is uncertainty and conflict. • Better for understanding the less tangible elements of problem situations – things like human motivation and interaction. • Constructivist epistemology. • Qualitative. • Participatory.
- 57. March (1994) arguesthat we have: – problems of memory; – problems of attention; – problems of comprehension; – problems of communication;
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- 60. How many canyou remember?
- 61. Problems of memory (experience)
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- 66. What do yousee?
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- 77. Iain McGilchrist – „TheDivided Brain'
- 78. Theory of MultipleIntelligences
- 81. Are you analyticalor intuitive? If 1 = 5, 2 = 25, 3 = 325, 4 = 4325, 5 = ?
- 82. Soft systems approachestry to accommodate human limitations and differences in perspective
- 83. ‘Complexity Thinking’ approach • Self organising: encouraging a system which will spontaneously emerge as the actions of autonomous participants come to be interlinked and co-dependend on each other. • Evolutionary: the system will be able to change its structure and processes as it adapts to maintain its viability within a changing, dynamic context. In other words, the system will be designed to learn from its experiences.
- 84. Complexity thinkers: Kevin Kelly(1995) Out Of Control – The New Biology of Machines: ‚As we shape technology, it shapes us. We are connecting everything to everything, and so our entire culture is migrating to a "network culture" and a new network economics.‛
- 85. Complexity thinkers: Manuel Castell(2001) The Internet Galaxy - Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society: " the Internet is the technological basis for the organizational form of the Information Age: the network."
- 86. Will complex adaptivemachines rule the world?
- 87. Systemic, Systematic andEvolutionary approaches Systematic Systemic Evolutionary Philosophy Mechanistic, Holistic, relational Natural selection, reductionist and and ecological survival of the fittest atomistic Process Authority/Expert led Participatory, Self-organising facilitated, consensual Reasoning Rational, linear, Intuitive, synthesising, Simple rules focused, analytic non-linear Communication Measure, categorise Participatory, beyond Interaction limited to and reason with language, instrumental needs written and metaphorical, visual. mathematical symbols Problem solving Remedial solutions Preventative design Creative and innovative Attitude Objective, Subjective, pragmatic Instrumental, goal perfectionist oriented, risk-taking
- 90. Systems methodologies and techniques • ‘Hard’ Systems: – System Dynamics Modelling; – Qualitative System Dynamics (Systems Archetypes); – Viable Systems Model; • ‘Soft’ Systems: – Soft Systems Methodology; – Critical Systems Heuristics; – Systemic Action Research; – Systemic Grounded Theory and Action. • ‘Complex’ Systems: – Network Analysis; – Agent-Based Modelling
- 91. Common characteristics ofsystems methodologies and techniques • Start with an unstructured exploration; • Multi- and inter-disciplinary; • Blend expertise and participation; • Blend of written, numerical and visual information; • All require the construction of a systems model; • Interventions through identifying points of leverage within the system of interest; • Emphasis on social learning; • Iterative
- 92. T863 Environmental Decision- Making Framework
- 93. Explore the situation •Decide on which rung of the ‚ladder of participation‛ to involve stakeholders (Arnstein, 1969).
- 94. Explore the situation •Unstructured, intuitive, visual exploration often using diagramming techniques such as the ‘rich picture’ and/or ‘spray diagrams’;
- 96. Explore the situation Facilitator(s)and participants need to be explicit about their values, experiences and interests; – What is the nature of your stakeholding? – What role do you play in the situation? – Are you a beneficiary? Victim?
- 97. Formulate systems ofinterest • Establish system boundary, components, structure and processes. • Use diagramming techniques such as systems map; influence diagram; multiple cause diagram; and causal loop diagram.
- 99. Identify feasible anddesirable changes • Creative problem solving entails an innovative ability to make connections between wholly unrelated perspectives or ideas. • Identify points of leverage within the system of interest and at various system scales. • Change system structures and processes. • Introduce new system(s). • Assess feasibility and negotiate desirable options.
- 101. Take action • Theimpact of interventions within complex systems are rarely predictable.
- 102. Iteration • Always collectdata/opinions on the impact of actions, including perspective from stakeholders. • Always start with an unstructured exploration, even if you think you know the system. • Ideally, bring in new perspectives. • Tendency towards rationalisation – remember to keep a balance between right and left brain!
- 103. How would youimplement systemic action learning within your classroom? • Problem-based learning. • Multi-, inter-, trans-disciplinary lessons. • Learning outside of the class in the ‚real world‛ • Practice what you preach: non-hierarchical, egalitarian structures and processes. • Promote relational, visual forms of communication. • Complex systems never produce simple ‚right‛ answers.
- 104. Stafford Beer, 1974,Designing Freedom, pp 60-61 • "Every pupil is a high-variety organism, and the process of education essentially constrains variety. In other words, the pupil is capable of generating many responses to the question: what is six multiplied by seven; the educator will seek to attenuate this potential variety to the single answer: forty-two. But if we take a different kind of example, we may find ourselves saying something significantly different. The pupil is capable of generating many responses to the question: how should a national health service be organised? This time, however, we may hope that the educator will not attenuate potential variety to the singular answer: like this. No, we say; education is a word coming from the Latin: e-ducere, "to lead out". It does not mean "to push in". And yet it remains true that in any case the process of education constrains variety. Anyone who thinks over this little paradox for a few minutes can see that, in the second example, the hope is that we can teach the pupil ways of attenuating his own variety. We want to offer him ways of finding answers, not of enforcing our own."
- 105. Activity • Identify awicked problem in your community which you can work through with your class. • Explain why it's a wicked problem • Propose a systemic framework for how you would tackle the problem • Provide a brief worked example illustrating how you would apply your framework to the problem.
- 106. “Leite materno contaminadopor agrotóxicos em Lucas do Rio Verde”
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