Leadership
SYSTEMS THINKING
Scientific and technological progress is often achieved by drilling down into smaller issues (think materials, diseases, or purchasing decisions). Those working in sustainability will tell you that focusing on an individual challenge in isolation is often ineffective or, worse still, counterproductive. It may yield great insights and progress of sorts, but it ignores the important connections that exist between many of the issues we face. Complex challenges such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, plastic waste, and rising demand for energy, food, and water are all interconnected. They are also influenced by a wide range of other issues such as inequality, corruption, modern slavery, growing mental and physical health problems, societal polarisation and mistrust, and the emergence of transformative technologies such as AI. Zooming in on any one of these challenges can help us to understand it in greater depth. But that is not enough. To address these issues effectively, we also need to zoom out to acknowledge the bigger picture and integrate it into our decision-making. This leads us to an important realisation: the need for systems thinking. As much as this can be a source of despair – when we feel too small to do anything – it also grounds our thinking in the importance of driving global change. After all, many of the issues we face are not constrained by human-made borders; they represent planetary problems. Zooming out can also mean looking at longer timeframes, both past and future. We need to recognise that the benign climatic conditions of the last
12,000 years – which enabled humans to settle, develop agriculture, build societies, and prosper – cannot be taken for granted. This broader view encourages us to question if a few generations should rapidly burn through a limited stock of fossil fuel resources that took millions of years of natural processes to develop (even before we consider the climatic implications of doing so). Systems thinkers also realise that people’s actions, decisions, and behaviours are shaped by a variety of drivers. Some of these are invisible, but they hold powerful sway nonetheless. Most of us recognise the importance of factors such as price, brand, and the availability of raw materials in informing and constraining our decisions especially in business. Equally important are the structures that give us access to timely and relevant information, the rules and regulations we have to comply with, and the societal and organisational hierarchies that encourage us to compare ourselves to others and aspire to more. Least obvious, but perhaps most influential, are the cultural factors. These include organisational goals, individual beliefs, and social norms. Partly inherited, partly acquired through socialisation, culture invisibly shapes our worldview, affecting how we live, consume, and engage with the natural world. While there are obviously a wide variety of cultures, these overlap and create the tapestry of behaviours we observe in our societies and economies. Understanding – and ideally mapping – these systemic factors is key if we want to develop new insights and approaches to engage companies and consumers.
TO THE CORE
1. Simple solutions to large sustainability challenges rarely exist. When scientists drill down into smaller issues, they often find their solution causes other unexpected problems. 2. To address these challenges, we often need to zoom out to see the bigger picture across sectors, national borders, and longer time periods. This is systems thinking.
3. This can help us to recognise the invisible factors – such as
regulations and culture – that play a powerful role in shaping people’s actions, decisions, and behaviours. 4. Often the biggest shifts offer the greatest benefits, but they are hard to achieve. We usually have to begin with small, experimental steps and adjust our approach accordingly.
H ow can we become more sustainable consumers? How can manufacturers shift their business towards a circular model to reduce waste? And how can we develop more affordable housing while also restoring biodiversity, preparing for increased flood risks, and embracing greater water stewardship? These questions scarcely scratch the surface of the complex reality that underpins many of today’s urgent and vexing sustainability challenges. Anyone seeking answers to these questions will find that simple solutions rarely exist. New technologies and policies often reveal new concerns or consequences that had not been anticipated when looking at a problem through a narrow lens. But why?
by Frederik Dahlmann How can businesses see the big picture on sustainability? From symptoms to systems
Warwick Business School | wbs.ac.uk
wbs.ac.uk | Warwick Business School
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