For Social Change
Systems Thinking for Social Change
Bringing about social change requires working with problems located in complex systems. Working to ‘solve’ these messy problems and creating new futures requires us to understand the system in which the issue is located. Systems thinking is a way of understanding and communicating about complex systems through the use of a variety of tools. This approach is different from the commonly applied problem-solving approach that looks at linear cause-effect relationships among variables, and focuses more on analysis of the parts rather than looking at the whole.
Systems thinking provides you with the tools to work in complex social systems, and to drive sustainable long-term impact. It can be applied in various contexts - while designing interventions, while diagnosing and designing structures and processes in organisations, and while working with communities in participatory ways.
In the 3-day workshop, you will:
Become familiar with the tools and methods of systems thinking that can be applied to understand the dynamics of messy real world problems;
Experience basic shifts from linear to non-linear thinking; from thinking in parts to thinking holistically;
Be able to apply foundational systems tools in complex situations.
Who should attend
If you are a mid to senior level leader or manager in the social sector, keen to take the above learnings back to your work, become a systems thinker and resolve complex social challenges - then this workshop is for you.
Fees: Non-residential programme
Rs 17,500/- + GST per participant
Rs 16,000/- + GST per participant for 2 or more participants
Limited need based financial assistance available.
Date: 3-5 October 2019
Location: Noida (Venue: ISDM Campus)
Faculty
Mihir Mathur - Founder Director, DESTA Research LLP; Visiting Faculty at TISS Hyderabad, ISDM, School for International Training Jaipur and Ashoka University
Mihir is an interdisciplinary researcher working on sustainability and climate change issues with an aim to develop systemic solutions. His expertise is in Systems Thinking, System Dynamics Modeling, Group Model Building, Climate Change Adaptation and Natural Resource Management. Mihir began his career in banking and stock markets, and moved into the world of sustainability research in 2009. He worked in the Climate Change Adaptation Programme of Watershed Organisation Trust, Pune before moving to TERI, New Delhi. Mihir did his B.Com from MS University, Vadodara and Post-Graduation in Finance from SCMLD.
Kabir Sharma, Founder-Director, DESTA Research LLP
Kabir worked briefly at the Atomic Energy Commission in France on mathematical modelling of nuclear systems before realizing the importance of working on sustainable development, energy and environmental concerns, especially in India, and switching careers. He then worked with the Centre for Policy Research, American India Foundation, TERI and ATREE on diverse sustainable development projects. His work has involved extensive field work in rural India as well as policy research through energy and environment-economy modelling. Kabir studied physics at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi for his Bachelor’s degree and completed a dual Masters in Nuclear Physics and Engineering from the Universities of Paris and Delhi in 2013.
Dr. Aruna Pandey, Senior Research Fellow and Faculty - ISDM
Aruna has deep experience in Natural Resource Governance, Institutions and Sustainable Livelihoods. In her 11 years of experiencing social change with communities, Aruna has worked with institutions like BRLF, TISS (Mumbai), SOAS - University of London, IIM - Ahmedabad, ISAP (New Delhi), and many others on various research, education/ training and IB assignments. She received the Young Analyst Award by EU and DPG (Delhi), the prestigious M. K. Tata Prize, the NTPC gold medal for her dissertation at TISS and the Felix Scholarship Trust award for her Ph.D at SOAS. Aruna has an M.A. from TISS Mumbai and a PhD from SOAS London.
