Thinking And Acting Systemically

This volume argues that districts are important as a lever for change given the limited success of school-by-school efforts. Policies that focus on skill development, recognize and support performance, create opportunities for collaboration, build leader capacity, and create networks of knowledge sharing hold great potential for improving districts but it will require a paradigm shift in the way we view our public school system and those who work within it - away from blame and toward complext systems change.

This is a ‘Whole Earth Catalog’ for the 21st century: an impressive and wide-ranging analysis of what’s wrong with our societies, organizations, ideologies, worldviews and cultures – and how to put them right. The book covers the finance system, agriculture, design, ecology, economy, sustainability, organizations and society at large.

This expanded second edition of the 2014 textbook features dedicated sections on action and observation, so that the reader can combine the use of the developed theoretical basis with practical guidelines for deployment. It also includes a focus on selection and use of a dedicated modeling paradigm – fuzzy cognitive mapping – to facilitate use of the proposed multi-methodology. The end goal of the text is a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to structuring and assessing complex problems, including a dedicated discussion of thinking, acting, and observing complex problems. The multi-methodology developed is scientifically grounded in systems theory and its accompanying principles, while the process emphasizes the nonlinear nature of all complex problem-solving endeavors. The authors’ clear and consistent chapter structure facilitates the book’s use in the classroom.

The Hidden Power of Systems Thinking: Governance in a Climate Emergency is a persuasive, lively book that shows how systems thinking can be harnessed to effect profound, complex change. In the age of the Anthropocene, the need for new ways of thinking and acting has become urgent. But patterns of obstacles are apparent in any action, be they corporate interests, lobbyists, or outdated political and government systems. Ison and Straw show how and why failure in governance is at the heart of the collective incapacity to tackle the climate and biodiversity emergencies. They go beyond analysis of the problem and demonstrate how incorporating systems thinking into governance at every level would enable us to break free of historical shackles. They propose 26 principles for systemic governance. This book will be inspiring reading for students applying their systemic methods, specialists in change management or public administration, activists for ‘whole system change’ and decision makers wanting to effect challenging transformations. It is for anyone with the ambition to create a sustainable and fair world.

The problems related to the process of industrialisation such as biodiversity depletion, climate change and a worsening of health and living conditions, especially but not only in developing countries, intensify. Therefore, there is an increasing need to search for integrated solutions to make development more sustainable. The United Nations has acknowledged the problem and approved the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. On 1st January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda officially came into force. These goals cover the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. The Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals comprehensively addresses the SDGs in an integrated way. It encompasses 17 volumes, each devoted to one of the 17 SDGs. This volume addresses SDG 4, namely "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all" and contains the description of a range of terms, to allow a better understanding and foster knowledge. Concretely, the defined targets are: Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes Ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education Ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university Substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations Ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy Ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all Substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing states and African countries, for enrollment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries Substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states Editorial Board Olivia A.M. Freeman, Johannes M. Luetz, Petra Molthan-Hill, Theam Foo Ng, Umesh Chandra Pandey, Rudi Pretorius, Valeria Ruiz Vargas, Pinar Gökçin Özuyar

Whether you’re an academic or a practitioner, a sociologist, a manager, or an engineer, one can benefit from learning to think systemically. Problems (and messes) are everywhere and they’re getting more complicated every day. How we think about these problems determines whether or not we’ll be successful in understanding and addressing them. This book presents a novel way to think about problems (and messes) necessary to attack these always-present concerns. The approach draws from disciplines as diverse as mathematics, biology and psychology to provide a holistic method for dealing with problems that can be applied to any discipline. This book develops the systemic thinking paradigm, and introduces practical guidelines for the deployment of a systemic thinking approach.

To succeed, an organization must cultivate management systems that effectively align their work and behaviors with principles and direction. These systems should be simple, comprehensible, actionable, and standardized. Establishing alignment in every value stream of an organization will ultimately create value for their customers and produce the desired results. This alignment stems from an understanding of why an organization exists, where it is going, and how it will get there. Enterprise Alignment and Results guides readers to their goal of enterprise-wide alignment by providing a deeper look at the Shingo Model. This book builds upon the previous books in the Shingo Model Series by continuing to define ideal behaviors and the systems that drive them and increasing understanding of fundamental beliefs and how to use behavioral benchmarks. As readers examine the principles of "Create Constancy of Purpose," "Think Systemically," and "Create Value for the Customer," they will gain a deeper knowledge of the relationship between behaviors, systems, and principles. This knowledge will foster an understanding of how to create alignment within their organizations, thereby increasing the consistency of delivering ideal results.