Using systems thinking to move the dial on sustainability
First off, let’s understand what we mean by a ‘system’. A system is a series of things which when put together, equal something greater than the sum of its parts. Think of human DNA, for example, or an economy. They are subjective ways of thinking that humans have come up with to make sense of the complexities.
Things we need to consider to cut through and make progress:
Why are we talking about it?
What are the boundaries? After all, systems can go on and on an on!
How does it move/interact?
How can we put this in perspective
Many of you will have heard me say that I don’t think like other PR and communication professionals. I’ve never quite understood why my thinking was so different, but when I started to learn about ‘systems thinking’, this is when it all started to make sense.
Systems thinking is about expanding our thinking beyond just an isolated thing. It looks at relationships between parts, what affects it, the bigger picture, different perspectives, examining how things relate.
For me, this describes perfectly how I go about my work. I look at the bigger picture across organisations and their stakeholders. I learn about stakeholders to see how they think and act, as this will affect the organisation, I also use horizon scanning, SWOT and PESTLE analysis as a tools for scenario planning, identifying risks and opportunities, plus how see how changes will play out in the future.
It’s an analytical way of me being able to advise with as much information as I can, start to look at wider issues to overcome and in the domain of transformation plans, it helps with the whole change programme.
Although I’ve only recently learned the term ‘systems thinking’, it’s something I’ve unknowingly being used for many years. It just makes more sense to others now!
How does this move the dial on sustainability? Well, we all know that in order to be more sustainable, businesses and organisations need to change systems and processes. Systems thinking will absolutely aid this, even accelerate it.