Systems Thinking For Social Change: A Practical Guide to Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results

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Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015 - 250 páginas

"David Stroh has produced an elegant and cogent guide to what works. Research with early learners is showing that children are natural systems thinkers. This book will help to resuscitate these intuitive capabilities and strengthen them in the fire of facing our toughest problems."--Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline

Concrete guidance on how to incorporate systems thinking in problem solving, decision making, and strategic planning--for everyone!

Donors, leaders of nonprofits, and public policy makers usually have the best of intentions to serve society and improve social conditions. But often their solutions fall far short of what they want to accomplish and what is truly needed. Moreover, the answers they propose and fund often produce the opposite of what they want over time. We end up with temporary shelters that increase homelessness, drug busts that increase drug-related crime, or food aid that increases starvation.

How do these unintended consequences come about and how can we avoid them? By applying conventional thinking to complex social problems, we often perpetuate the very problems we try so hard to solve, but it is possible to think differently, and get different results.

Systems Thinking for Social Change enables readers to contribute more effectively to society by helping them understand what systems thinking is and why it is so important in their work. It also gives concrete guidance on how to incorporate systems thinking in problem solving, decision making, and strategic planning without becoming a technical expert.

Systems thinking leader David Stroh walks readers through techniques he has used to help people improve their efforts on complex problems like:

  • ending homelessness
  • improving public health
  • strengthening education
  • designing a system for early childhood development
  • protecting child welfare
  • developing rural economies
  • facilitating the reentry of formerly incarcerated people into society
  • resolving identity-based conflicts
  • and more!

The result is a highly readable, effective guide to understanding systems and using that knowledge to get the results you want.

 

Páginas selecionadas

Conteúdo

INTRODUCTION
1
Why Good Intentions Are Not Enough
13
A Catalyst for Social Change
19
Telling Systems Stories
29
Storytelling for Social Change Shaping a Systems Story The Elements of Systems
43
An Overview of the FourStage Change Process
71
Building a Foundation for Change
79
Engage Key Stakeholders Establish Common Ground Build Collaborative Capacity
89
Bridging the Gap
147
Systems Thinking for Strategic Planning
167
Two Systemic Theories of Change Organizing Leverage Points Integrating Success
193
Becoming a Systems Thinker
205
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
214
MultipleArchetype Diagrams
222
NOTES
230
INDEX
238

Making an Explicit Choice
137
Direitos autorais

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Systems Thinking For Social Change: A Practical Guide to Solving Complex ...
David Peter Stroh
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Termos e frases comuns

Accidental Adversaries achieve actions align applied systems thinking Associates Organizational Learning behavior benefits build Calhoun County causal loop diagramming challenges chapter chronic Collaborating for Iowa’s committed complex continuous learning create crime current reality David Peter Stroh develop diagram diverse stakeholders Donella Meadows effective efforts end homelessness engage example feedback Fifth Discipline figure Fixes That Backfire fundamental solution funders funding goals identify impact implement improve incarceration increase initial Innovation Associates Organizational insights investment Iowa’s Kids leaders leverage points Limits to Growth long-term loop Mark Kramer mental models Michael Goodman organizations people’s permanent housing Peter Senge prison programs providers quick fix reduce reinforcing relationships Scharmer shared shelters Shifting the Burden short-term social change strategy structural racism success factors sustainable system dynamics systemic theory systems map theory of change undermine understanding unintended consequences vicious cycles vision

Sobre o autor (2015)

David Peter Stroh is a founding partner of Bridgeway Partners ( www.bridgewaypartners.com ) and a founding director of www.appliedsystemsthinking.com. He was also one of the founders of Innovation Associates, the consulting firm whose pioneering work in the area of organizational learning formed the basis for fellow cofounder Peter Senge's management classic The Fifth Discipline. David is internationally recognized for his work in enabling people to apply systems thinking to achieve breakthroughs around chronic, complex problems and to develop strategies that improve system-wide performance over time.

Informações bibliográficas

TítuloSystems Thinking For Social Change: A Practical Guide to Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results
AutorDavid Peter Stroh
Ediçãoilustrada
EditoraChelsea Green Publishing, 2015
ISBN160358580X, 9781603585804
Num. págs.250 páginas
  
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