The October online meeting of Systems Thinking Ontario presented an opportunity for an update on progress made by the Systems Changes Learning Circle by 2022. A slide deck had been prepared an in-person seminar at the Universitat de Barcelona Graduate Programmes in Business, organized by Ryan C. Armstrong, one week earlier. Our regular monthly meeting, centered in Toronto, allowed a more leisurely pace, and a better affordance for capturing the session for playback.
The agenda provided the background history leading to the Systems Changes Learning Circle, and then focused on the practical approach to “doing” on our pilot engagement.
| A. Rethinking Systems Thinking |
| B. Doing: Hub + 4 spokes |
| C. Thinking: Action learning for facilitators |
| D. Making: Systematic methods via multiparadigm inquiry |
| E. Ongoing learning opportunities |
The meeting followed our usual practice of having participants introduce themselves. About 10 minutes in, the presentation on Parts A and B then started. At 47 minutes, we took a pause for questions and comments. At 1h14m, the presentation on Parts C, D, and E resumed. At 1h32m, the presentation was completed, and more questions and comments were taken to the meeting ending at 1h51m.
This recording of the session is available on Youtube , as well as on the Internet Archive .
| Video | H.264 MP4 |
| October 17 (1h51m20s) |
[20221017_ST-ON_Ing_ReifyingSystemsThinkingTowardsChanges.m4v] (HDPlus 1920×900 643kbps 616MB) [on the Internet Archive] |
A standalone audio was also created during the meeting.
| Audio | |
| October 17 (1h51m20s) |
[20221017_ST-ON_Ing_ReifyingSystemsThinkingTowardsChanges.m4a] (103.1MB) |
As a departure from the more mainstream content on systems thinking, there’s a lot of detail in the slides and talk. The major takeaway should be that, under the main ideas of (i) rhythmic shifts, (ii) (con)texture; and (iii) propensity, the practices, theory and methods have been under parallel codevelopment. Now in the 4th year of an espoused 10-year journey, we expect many more years of refinement and improved explanations.
Here is the original abstract sent in advance.
In 2012, at the 56th Annual Meeting of the International Society of the Systems Sciences, an aspiration of “Rethinking Systems Thinking” was proposed. In 2019, the rise in interest in “systems change” led to the formation of the Systems Changes Learning Circle, centered in Toronto, Canada. Now 4 years into a 10-year journey, research publications and presentations are being released.
In 2022, the Systems Changes Learning approach features three concepts: (i) rhythmic shifts; (ii) texture (leading to contexture); and (iii) propensity. Practices developed are depicted as hub of “knowing from within” appreciated through a cycle of learning along four spoke. Theory-building through multiparadigm inquiry includes philosophies of science underlying Classcial Chinese Medicine and ecological anthropology.
