Every day, there are 'ominous' updates on the gravity of wicked problems such as climate change, growing inequalities, wars, lack of fair and sustainable access to food, healthcare etc. that require complex, cross-sector solutions to be tackled. Established institutions and strategies to address these social and environmental issues seem to be 'too little, too late'. For this reason, in the past ten years, a growing number of people have called for a re-think of the socio-economic systems we live in, as the only way to ensure the well-being of people and the planet.
This online, interactive day school (split over two half-days) aims to introduce the fundamentals of systems thinking and some of the tools and insights to adopt this approach in a way that can help to generate the systemic change we need.
During the programme, we will explore together what systems thinking, systems leadership and systems change mean and how they are enacted, through both theoretical definitions and practical examples. We will also reflect on the strengths and limitations of systemic approaches and understand how they can be enacted at different scales.
During the first day, we will unpick the concepts of systems thinking, systems leadership and systems change and understand how different individuals and organisations are using them to make their organisations more sustainable or to drive positive social and/or environmental impact. If there is time, some key tools to adopt systems thinking will be introduced (e.g. mind maps, iceberg model, feedback loops and systems maps).
During the second day, we will do a practical exercise on how to use systems thinking to develop a new social enterprise/initiative with social impact. The course will end with an inspirational note through the testimony of a social entrepreneur who adopted a systemic approach to develop their social enterprise and the social and environmental impact it generates.
Please note: this event will close to enrolments at 23:59 GMT (UTC) on 5 November 2024.