Growing Wings on the Way: Systems Thinking for Messy Situations
By Rosalind Armson
Book notes
“No prescriptions or recipes can tell you what to do in a messy situation because each messy situation is unique.” p.1
“complex, uncertain and interconnected issues” p.1
“I have learned that feeling overwhelmed is a normal response to a messy situation. It need not frighten me off.” p.5
“In a mess … Learning my way through is the only way to make progress without making it worse.” p.17
Improvements, not solutions
“New opportunities for improvement [/change] appear. As a messy situation improves, it also changes” p.17
Chapter 16
“The purpose of inquiry is always to understand more about how elements of the situation are connected and how they influence each other; building different perspectives and viewpoints into a more holistic picture. Making sense of all of these, using various understandascopes, is at least as important as collecting facts.” P.272
“People … are more effective in creating change if they acquire an interest in that change.” p.275 - get people to contribute
SFS
We are exploring ways of finding out what to do (not telling people what)
We use systems thinking/approaches to approach this “complex, uncertain and interconnected issues” p.1
“I don’t have to solve every bit of the puzzle created by the messy situation. I just have to set it on a path to continuing improvement.” p.6
We want to help set/enable the community on a path to continuing improvement/change
Enthusiasm is an early form of feedback before we are able to articulate why we feel anxious/uncertain. Check in about enthusiasm and underlying feelings.
“exercising choice creates commitment to the outcome of an event “ p.275 - eg asking people which directory they’d like first / setting up weekly live sessions for feedback/input. - participatory projects
School of system change
courses will unlock new avenues/pathways for approaching/improving your complex problem
Do you feel completely stuck? Does your problem seem completely stuck?
More resources at triarchypress.net/Growing-Wings
Looking to renew your energy/enthusiasm for change?
Feeling frustrated with problem-solving strategies you have tried so far?
Quote about learning by Leonardo da Vinci p.272
Planted [5 Jan 2023 at 00:45]
Last tended [9 Jan 2023 at 13:55]