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Brian G. Dowling

The Change Handbook - 1 views

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    This book is about effective change. It describes methods for changing "whole systems,"that is, change based on two powerful foundation assumptions: high involvement and a systemic approach to improvement. High involvement means engaging the people in changing their own system.It is systemic because there is a conscious choice to include the people,functions,and ideas that can affect or be affected by the work.Whole system change methods help you initiate high-leverage, sustainable improvements in organizations or communities. "High-leverage" is emphasized because in any improvement effort,we want the highest possible value for the effort invested. We believe that involving people in a systematic way is a key to high leverage and that the methods in this book can provide this leverage for you.You'll need to determine the one(s) best suited to moving your organization or community to the culture you want.We wrote this book to support your efforts. 
Brian G. Dowling

Academy for Systemic Change - 0 views

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    Our Philosophy & Guiding Principles Social systems work as they do because of how we work - how we think and interact. Our habitual ways of thinking and acting typically lead to change efforts shaped by mechanical problem solving and unproductive competition, often among otherwise well-intentioned interveners. In effect, we try to control complex processes that cannot be controlled, and in so doing miss the real opportunities for deeper and more long-lasting change. By contrast, natural systems demonstrate harmony, balance, integration, and ongoing evolution. The new knowledge we see emerging in the world shapes organic processes of change that result in social systems that are more resilient, sustainable, and adaptive. These "integral" learning and change processes knit "inner" and "outer" change, and are both deeply personal and inherently collective.
Brian G. Dowling

About the School of System Change | Forum for the Future - 0 views

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    The School has been initiated and nurtured by Forum for the Future, with the support of multiple partners. We have the ambition to serve the emerging field of systems change, as a vehicle for connecting and amplifying spheres of learning and practice, and as a case study of an initiative grown explicitly as a system change endeavour. To do this we have used a methodological framework developed by Anna Birney, Director of the School and author of Cultivating System Change: A Practitioner's Companion (2014). This framework suggests key capabilities for bringing about system change for a sustainable future can be divided into five core areas (read more here on our blog) which underpin our curriculum and our everyday practice.
Brian G. Dowling

What we do - Systems Change Alliance - 2 views

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    What is Systems Change? Systems change is the emergence of a new pattern of organization or systems structure. (Birney, 2015) It is both a process and an outcome. We are facing unprecedented economic, social, and environmental crises, and current reforms offer ineffective solutions. Naomi Klein has called for a movement of change that "connects the dots" to address the root causes of all current crises facing people and planet.
Brian G. Dowling

Systems Innovation - The world of complex systems - 0 views

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    Systems Innovation is an online platform for systems thinking and systems innovation - our mission is to make complexity and systems thinking accessible to all through education and enable systems level change through collaboration.
Brian G. Dowling

The Dawn of System Leadership - 0 views

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    Systemic change needs more than data and information; it needs real intelligence and wisdom. Jay Forrester, the founder of the system dynamics method that has shaped our approach to systems thinking, pointed out that complex non-linear systems exhibit "counterintuitive behavior." He illustrated this by citing the large number of government interventions that go awry through aiming at short-term improvement in measurable problem symptoms but ultimately worsening the underlying problems-like increased urban policing that leads to short-term reductions in crime rates but does nothing to alter the sources of embedded poverty and worsens long-term incarceration rates.
Brian G. Dowling

At The Intersection Of Adaptive Leadership, Design And Systems Thinking | DCulberhouse - 2 views

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    We live in a world relentlessly pushed forward by the velocity, volatility, uncertainty, disruption, and disequilibrium of constant change.  As the pace of change accelerates, so does the shelf-life of our strategies, processes, frameworks, and systems.  The rapidity of change now requires an expanding and continuously evolving breadth and depth to our repertoire of problem-solving strategies and leadership skill-sets.  Yet, even in the face of this rapidity of change and the disequilibrium it creates, too often, we find ourselves as individuals and organizations siloed in and dedicated to only one way of doing and working.  
Brian G. Dowling

Why systems thinking changes everything for activists and reformers | People, Spaces, D... - 0 views

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    "We activists need to become better "reflectivists", taking the time to understand the system before (and while) engaging with it. We need to better understand the stop-start rhythm of change exhibited by complex systems and adapt our efforts accordingly. And we need to become less arrogant, more willing to learn from accidents, from failures, and from other people. Finally, we have to make friends with ambiguity and uncertainty, while maintaining the energy and determination so essential to changing the world."
Brian G. Dowling

Why Social Ventures Need Systems Thinking - 0 views

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    Systems thinking. An individual or organization must first be able to put forward a new solution or set of solutions to a pressing social challenge. This sounds obvious, but we're suggesting that organizational theories of change, business plans, and other foundational materials need to reflect systems thinking. The most important tool in the new systems entrepreneur's suite is the ability to embed the solution into the larger system being targeted.
Brian G. Dowling

Network Center for Community Change - 0 views

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    Our Theory of Change The Network is about: Building community demand for results, by mobilizing residents and stakeholders around an equity agenda creating opportunity for families and transforming neighborhoods. The Network is about higher aspirations, and about providing both the expectation of a better future as well as the connections and collective power to pursue it. Creating new connections to systems and organizations by creating new avenues and approaches for interacting with systems that otherwise pose barriers. Transforming the environment to sustain the change, creating family-centered, equitable, results-focused systems that work for all families. Holding ourselves and others accountable for what we say we are doing in community.
Brian G. Dowling

New Community Paradigms / Gardens of Democracy - 3 views

    • Brian G. Dowling
       
      Metaphors matter, foundationally, in creating communities. Democratic governance is not best done through the machine of government but through a garden of governance by a community.
    • Brian G. Dowling
       
      Changing the relationship of citizens to government as called for by Code for America means changing the relationship of members of civil society to community and of community to government. Community needs to take over a greater role in governance from governance. Code for America provides some of the tools but not the craftsmanship.
    • Brian G. Dowling
       
      Code for America is networked across the USA but grounded in local communities. It is, however, too often leveraged through city councils and city management which is great for cities more in the fashion of Innovatatown than Parochialville. In some cases, it will need to be implemented from outside of city hall.
    • Brian G. Dowling
       
      A need to redefine the notion of self-interest. Human nature stays the same, what changes is human understanding from fatalistic to mechanistic to hopefully organic.
    • Brian G. Dowling
       
      The world is complex and networked not simple and add-on, systems are non-linear and non-equilibrium. Systems should not be described as efficient or inefficient but effective or ineffective. We are interdependent, cooperation drives prosperity and we are emotional approximators. Our systems are impacted positively or negatively by contagion.
    • Brian G. Dowling
       
      Viewing the world in a new way redefines your approach to politics. The mechanistic model of citizenship "atomizes" individuals according to Eric Liu. Under a Gardens of Democracy model, individuals are networked and citizenship can be redefined accordingly making true self-interest mutual interest as understood by Tocqueville http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/ch2_08.htm
    • Brian G. Dowling
       
      Understanding the new reality. You are not stuck in traffic. You are traffic. We need to be more than simple spectators to the political process. In my view, it means being more than simple participants in the existing system but redefining that system. We need to be more than customers and consumers of a system of community management and become co-creators of the system.
    • Brian G. Dowling
       
      We also use mechanistic metaphors in defining our economy, including "efficient markets". The economy is an ecosystem. Economies prosper best from the middle out not from the top down.
    • Brian G. Dowling
       
      Big government versus small government misses the point. According to Eric Liu government should be big on the what and small on the how. Government should strive to set great goals, does invest resources making them available at scale but the innovation to achieve those goals should come from the bottom up in networked ways.
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    Code for America hosted Nick Hanauer and Eric Liu for a discussion of their recent book, "Gardens of the Democracy." In it, they challenge Americans to approach the world not as a machinery that needs to be perfected but as a garden that needs constant attention, discretion, and periodic weeding. The book argues that since society and technology have fundamentally changed, so must our notions of citizenship and democracy: turning "the machine" into a garden. 
Brian G. Dowling

Appreciative Inquiry | Corporation for Positive Change - 0 views

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    Corporation for Positive Change is a global network of master consultants, linked by a shared commitment to the principles and practices of Appreciative Inquiry and Positive Change. We are skilled designers and facilitators of high engagement, strength-based, large-scale change. We help with the human side of organizing, strategic change, and culture transformation in businesses, non-profits and NGO's, health care, education, government and religious organizations. We are team builders, helping with leadership, professional, and project teams to achieve their goals by clarifying their purpose and principles, strengthening stakeholder relations, and aligning strengths around performance outcomes.
Brian G. Dowling

Solving Wicked Problems: Using Systems Thinking in Design | Design on GOOD - 0 views

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    "In 1973, social scientists Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber defined wicked problems as those incomprehensibly complex and messy issues we have trouble defining, let alone attempting to solve. Climate change has proven one of the most wicked, as have healthcare, corruption, and the prison system. Such problems are inherently systemic, with unavoidable social complications that require flexibility and patience."
Brian G. Dowling

Mental Modeler - Fuzzy Logic Cognitive Mapping - 0 views

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    Based in Fuzzy-logic Cognitive Mapping (FCM), users can easily develop semi-quantitative models of environmental issues, social concerns or social-ecological systems in Mental Modeler by:  Defining the important components of a system  Defining the relationships between these components  Running "what if" scenarios to determine how the system might react under a range of possible changes.
Brian G. Dowling

How to talk about food in En-ROADS - Climate Interactive - 0 views

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    "En-ROADS is great for workshops and role-playing games to enable people to explore climate solutions from changes in our energy choices to adoption of new technologies in carbon removal. Our food system plays a significant part in strategies to address climate change, because it drives energy use through moving and producing food, and can be both a source of greenhouse gas emissions and removals. This post will help you talk about the food system with audiences when you are using En-ROADS. "
Brian G. Dowling

COVID-19, Climate Change, and Equity - Climate Interactive - 0 views

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    "Below you can find our resources which explore intersections of the COVID-19 crisis, climate change, equity, and beyond. Dr. Elizabeth Sawin, Co-Director and Co-Founder of Climate Interactive, reflects on how systems thinking approaches are necessary during this time. Her ideas highlight the need for applying a multisolving lens - emphasizing that as we find solutions to address one crisis, we can remediate and prevent other issues. "
Brian G. Dowling

The Transition Design Framework - Transition Design Seminar CMU - 0 views

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    The Transition Design Framework provides a logic for bringing together the transdisciplinary knowledge, skillsets and practices relevant to understanding, seeding and catalyzing systems level change. It is comprised of four key mutually reinforcing and co-evolving areas of practices, knowledge and skill sets relevant to understanding, seeding and catalyzing systems-level change:
Brian G. Dowling

Bringing clarity and joy to people changing systems - 0 views

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    Systems change on a huge scale is needed at this point in history. Many of our institutions, industries, organizations and professions were built in a very different context. A context where for example we believed that we could have constant economic growth, without fear of running out of natural resources. The concept of white supremacy was accepted. Women had clearly defined roles and were not seen as capable as men in the workplace.
Brian G. Dowling

Systems Changes - 0 views

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    Systems Changes is a collaborative open research program, initiated from Toronto, Canada. A call for participation was launched in January 2019 at the monthly Systems Thinking Ontario meeting. The web site was will evolve as contributions and knowledge are added.
Brian G. Dowling

FORA.tv - Justin Baird: Battle of Big Thinking - 0 views

    • Brian G. Dowling
       
      Issues or problems to be solved versus governance and democracy.  The later interferes with the former. Argues that the power of individual people is uncovered.  Democracy is not seen as perfect just better than all the other ways. In a true democracy all funding would come from the people as a whole.  Democracy has we know it is inadequate.  It is slow, biased, inaccurate and expensive. Talks about pushing democracy to the original ideological principles but which one's Greek, English, American and whose version?  Is Leaving politicians in office even if we collectively want to change the system right now OK? Can we pick and choose policies instead of being forced into all or nothing?  Can we hold more elections (while at the same time pointing out increasing costs) Points out problem with technical issues (chads) which supposedly go away.  No fail-ability and instantaneous results based it seems on the same infrastructure that brings about social opinion online.  Landmark events Obama's election. Given the right catalyst democracy thrives through the power of the individual.  Individuals of like minds come together to create change.  A collective consciousness that bubbles up from each individual in the group.  This consciousness governs the way the group behaves. Complex Adaptive Theory how simple elements self organize into super organisms. Civilization or at least what is deemed to be civilization by two researchers without the use of reason. 
    • Brian G. Dowling
       
      Tries to make a case of similarity between the evolution of termites as a super organism and humans as a super organism seeking equivalence between ant colonies and human nations that only obstacle being language.  Really actually the same thing.   The super organism is more competent than the individual parts.  Argues for transformation by humans into a super global organism.  This global organism created is competing with nations. Held by ideas rather than genetics of insects. Cites Darwin both philosophically and photographically.  We are supposedly going to a better place because of technological evolution than we are now. Radical Inclusion supposed maturity in technology allow for problems to be brought up that are effecting this super organism and improve its self regulation.  Radical Inclusion is a vehicle for shifting the consciousness of this super organism we are a part of. Breaks down barriers of geography, language and politics. 
    • Brian G. Dowling
       
       Ideas can spread but does not mean they are good ideas. Top rated content. Claiming that  changes in Egypt were due to wanting to connect online rather than a local wish to change the government. Fast Unbiased Accurate and Inexpensive. Voting is available from anywhere to where though to whom. Stops bias supposedly supposedly more accountable but somebody is in control of the accounting.  Allows global votes so everyone can vote on the Secretary General of the UN rather than the nations. Brings up technical issues such as authentication or access to the internet. Come back is to compare this endeavor with putting a man on the moon. Done we are told with less computing power than with a regular cell phone. Then just implementation issues. Finishes up with From the very beginning we have loved one another and lived in the company of one another and through giving up much we have live strong to become the greatest power on earth. Love and ingenuity allowed the weakest of us to collectively triumph through it all villages become cities become states become super organism. Still waiting for it to mature though. Radical Inclusive Democracy is a step catalyst seems like genetic engineering. Online UN voting platform for COP15.  At that point focus was bringing accountability to advocacy. COP15 was a cop out is beside the point. Does Radical Inclusion permit responses to crisises against humanity will it allow harnessing the power of individuals of global change at speed. And do what is right for us all. 
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    Google version of the digital revolution. Far from being a bad thing, he argues that the potential for creativity, the ability to connect and communicate and the ability to have ones voice heard is driving fundamental societal change. So, is the digital revolution leading us to a more democratic, more environmentally and socially conscious future? And better business models?
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