I agree Donna. Mindfulness plays such an integral role in effective leadership of a system as well as multiple systems. It is essential to apply an open mind when dealing with systems management. Opening one’s mind allows you to consider whether there may be other methods for completing a task, and if they are more applicable than one’s current mindset about a situation. A facilitator within a system leadership role must be able recognize the variety of components in a system, how they interact with their own perspectives and goals, and how they may interact with other potential components not previously recognized. Lao Tzu’s description of yin and yang, through balance, is key in providing effective flow and discussion in groups attempting to manipulate and understand a complex system.

Great points Kailyn. It has been fascinating to see the change in the professional business world in regards to business organization and system management. Being from Silicon Valley in Northern California, I have had the opportunity to witness first-hand amazing technological advances due to shifts in organizational structures. Companies your figure mentions (Google, Facebook, and Apple) have developed alternative structures to the classical, hierarchal structure used in business for decades. The polycentric approach Ostrom mentions is utilized in these paradigm-shifting organizations. Applying these systems thinking methods to situations like handling forest fires with the U.S. Fire Learning Network (FLN). Through dispersing resources and organizations to cover a broader scope, a group’s cause is more achievable with the variety of skills and coverage available.

Through applying the grantmaking principles mentioned in The Grantmaking Resource Guide, we can address the wicked problems of climate change, as you mentioned, to develop improved understandings of a system. Being a successful grantmaker involves: seeking to comprehend the complex nature of evolving systems; not believing an action will necessarily yield a specific outcome; the knowledge to not expect stabilization of system patterns; dynamic learning approaches; and power dynamic relationships. In an example of the second principle I mentioned, not believing an action will necessarily yield a specific outcome, the food industry attempted to reduce trans fats in foods to improve health, but forest ecosystem devastation was the unanticipated outcome. With trans fat reduction in foods, the industry needed to find a method for maintaining the oily consistency of foods, while providing a healthier option. However, the food industry searched for a commodity without addressing environmental protection concerns beforehand.

I agree with your idea Donna, that the Paris hotel shower leverage point examples, applied in Easterbrook’s article, parallel our current situation with climate change and unrealistic expectations. Easterbrook’s example of altering the length of delays involves: shifting the hot water tank to be closer to the shower, or waiting longer periods of time prior to changing the water temperature. Most people impatiently expect immediate results after altering their method to approaching a situation. However, with climate change, we will not see improvements in our environmental situation for a great deal of time, even if we create positive changes. Enacting changes such as: drastically decreasing our factory farm system (excess methane production); switching to alternative energy; and utilizing perennial grains to sequester carbon, may assist in reducing GHGs. However, we will first experience the negative environmental choices of years past before we witness any optimism of our planet’s situation.

Hollnagel’s Resilience Grid is an implementation system, which can be applied to improve resilience in areas to prepare and deal with natural disasters as well as other disturbances in a community or an area. To examine this construct, I will take your idea of assisting marginal communities and apply it to communities in pastoral India. For example: our increasing changing climate brings great bouts of rainstorms in areas prone to such seasons, especially monsoon season in India. Monsoon season brings torrential downpours, which often flood farmers’ fields and destroy crops. To use the Resilience Grid to prepare for monsoons, farmers must know what to expect from these storms; what to do when the unexpected occurs; notice irregular changes as a sign of increased storms; and learn from experiences to construct larger ditches and other areas for excess rains to drain into, so crops are not as negatively impacted.

To your point from Lovin’s book, A Finer Future Is Possible, through the exploitation of natural resources as well as other people, we add to the harm toward our ecological systems. By mistreating workers and utilizing resources sprayed with toxins and pesticides, noted in Confino’s article, we supplement the social degradation that is leading to increased depression and suicide rates. We need to begin to analyze this planet and our social networks through a harmonic lens, respecting each other as sentient beings and the planet as a symbiotic ecosystem, which is a valuable resource not to be exploited. Through increasing worker’s financial benefits, safety, and ease with which to work, we can escalate society’s quality of life. Ecological improvement measures include: taking the necessary steps to reduce food waste, which sits in landfills and creates methane, and to utilize alternative energy through solar and wind.

“Silo-thinking,” the archaic technique applied before employing systems thinking to wicked problems. Many organizations definitely use the silo or tunnel method to approaching issues. Developing a systems map is a solution to the silo approach, which can be used to more capably understand the layout of the supply chain of a business sector. Established multinational corporations are beginning to realize the need to utilize these strategies more effectively while adding more environmentally-conscious products and changing the quality of their food products as well, to compete with the growing influence of Amazon and Whole Foods. Amazon is an example of an organization utilizing a proper systems approach to tackle a wicked problem. Acquiring Whole Foods allowed Amazon to manipulate one of the most influential, “high quality” groceries, and in doing so, was better able to connect with consumers who exclusively purchase organic goods from Whole Foods.

I agree Donna. Ostrom’s principle only covers a small section of the actual issue with overfishing and encroaching onto other country’s fishing territories. The Chinese fleets drastically overshadow those of the artisan, family boats that many fishermen use in Senegal. Since all parties are struggling to find fish to provide for their livelihood, a survival of the fittest situation is at play here. By overfishing in multiple regions, the fish populations are decreasing at an increased rate overall. Potential solutions to this issue would be to find alternative sources for fish and to decrease fishing rates. So, an imitation fish could be developed that tasted, looked, and smelled the same, while also retaining a similar level of omega-3 fatty acids to benefit heart health.

I agree with your idea that the domains of climate change disasters and social turmoil are linked. Although there is an increase in the number of people who are involved with actions to mitigate climate change, there is still an imbalance in people’s values and treatment of others and the planet. This world is a continuous system involving social interactions, both negative and positive. A carelessness in how we treat others is also reciprocated in how we treat the planet, hence the increased issues with natural disasters. Through developing infrastructure, mentioned in “A Framework for urban climate resilience”, our cities need to be improved to withstand these natural disasters. Likewise, our social networks need to be enhanced to better understand why these shootings keep happening, how to change this issue, and how to improve our outlook so moving forward to address these social and natural issues can be confronted appropriately.

If the fishermen and the officials from the Philippines, noted in Reflective Lens, were to apply the systems thinking approach style displayed in the GMO article, the reef community, along with the government, will be able to make progress towards improving their relations, the country and community well-being, and the ecological well-being of the reef as well. The GMO article does an excellent job at mentioning possible systems paradigms that one can apply to confront the environmental activism and GMO experiment. The experimenters should apply this concept, and bring the fishermen and officials together to engage in a brainstorming activity to consider a variety of perspectives of the overfishing and regulation dilemma. It may take some time, but by slowly introducing the two parties together, assimilating one with the other, they will eventually be able to see eye to eye.

We must apply The Resilience Alliance’s indication of our awareness, of our impact on the planet, to develop resilient systems for withstanding natural disasters due to the changing climate. For example: designing houses to withstand multiple hurricanes with extreme wind velocity produces greater resilience for the homes, families, and the community as a whole. In addition, the quantity and intensity of forest fires has also radically skyrocketed. Adding to the drama, there was an 8.1 magnitude earthquake off Mexico’s coastline twelve days ago and a 7.1 magnitude earthquake earlier today near Mexico City. Were the hurricanes a response to all the carbon emissions released by the forest fires, and are these earthquakes a response to the recent hurricanes? This is a message from our planet that we must drastically alter our approach for how we conduct daily life to alleviate harm to our planet and protect ourselves from natural disasters.

I enjoyed your comment about desks sitting on students Andy. Having desks sitting on students would certainly be a flip of a current system. Imagine how bizarre this system would seem. When abrupt changes of systems occur, due to alterations in interconnections, the majority of people are mystified since these changes conflict with our systems world-view. For example: moving from America to India and learning the systems in place there—a new culture, new language, change in the side of the road cars drive on—would certainly be a drastic change in systems. The previous system, your life residing in America, would be completely altered by moving to a distant country, and by involving yourself in different interconnections in this new home. Using the habit of altering perspectives when moving to India, and being accepting of foreign ways, can be extremely beneficial for one’s happiness, understanding, and comfort level of the system explored.