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T306: Managing Complexity: A systems approach Block 4

Managing sustainable development: Learning with other stockholders (Part 1 !" Part 1: #ntro$%ction 1& Block a%thors This block will consider what sustainable development (SD) means to different groups of people. S stems provide language and theor to e!plore and make sense of the interconnections between environment and development. "t provides wa s of recogni#ing the importance of multiple perspectives on the issues and wa s of learning what to do ne!t in our s stems of interest.

'& (hy is s%staina)le $e*elopment rele*ant to T306+ Sustainable development provides an e!ample of a domain of activit that man have e!perienced as comple!. The term domain is used here in several of its recogni#ed senses as: $. The area of activit of a person% institution etc& '. ( sphere of thought or operations& ). The situation where something is applicable&

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 : There are ) particular features of SD that we will focus on: $. "ssues of SD directl or indirectl affect and are affected b ever one. So% it is a domain in which ever one is a stakeholder. '. This domain provides opportunities to consider how s stems theories and methodologies have been and can be used in practice. ). Man practitioners working in this domain have not e!plicitl used s stems approaches but the with hind*sight* recogni#ed the need to think and act more s stematicall and to adopt learning approaches% usuall when crises on protests at decisions and actions have occurred. Part ': ,ngaging -ith s%staina)le $e*elopment (./"& $. +!ploring our understanding of SD. SD can be described as ,bringing environmental and development issues together with the future in mind-. '. Searching for ,s stem- in SD situations. (There are ) newspapers articles in .o!es $% '% and ) which offer some different perspectives on transport% environment and global warming.) The nations of ,hierarch - and /levels- are important in s stems practice% useful in structuring and grouping elements when e!ploring a s stem of interest There are man different hierarchies which individuals find meaningful in the domain of SD. The independence of human and our environment 0 human and non* human subs stems 0 means that s stems practice in the domain of sustainable development and cannot concentrate on human factors alone.

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 : "t is essential that political% economic% social% biological and ph sical dimensions be seen as parts of one s stem% so that we recogni#e the effects of our actions.
(1efer to table $ on page '2* 3ierarchies for structuring SD situations).

The concepts of hierarchies and s stem levels are central to SD% where individuals4 actions are relevant to a range of levels. 3ierarchies are important to consider because s stems possess emergent properties that their sub*s stems do not. "t is not alwa s possible to predict what properties ma emerge at different s stem levels in different people4s SD s stems of interest. .ut for a s stem practitioner in this domain% it can be helpful to recogni#e different s stem levels to work out how to facilitate interaction and to reali#e that these s stems will not simpl be a sum of their parts.

Different observers will attach different importance to different hierarchies% with the choice of level alwa s being observer dependent. 3& Context%ali0ing ./ in terms o1 historical e*ents& "n e!ploring SD situations we will need to understand some of the references to the histor that others make The concepts of ,environment- and ,development- are used and understood in man wa s. "n T)25% environment is a s stems concept% referring to the conte!t for a s stem of interest. 6hereas% when talking about sustainable development% the term environment is used to refer onl to the ecological% natural on bioph sical environment

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 : The term development will be used in several wa s% for e!ample% to describe: $. 6orld development in two different wa s a. a historical process of change b. deliberate efforts b all kinds of organi#ation and social movements as attempts aimed at progress and improvement '. 7articular site*based infrastructural pro8ects% such as roads and supermarkets% in the sense of new developments or redevelopments. S stems of interest are not static*their boundaries and characteristics change with time and observer choice. 3&1Pre$ictions 6hilst concerns about the future ma be well founded% the future is unknowable and often turns out to be profoundl different from the fantasies of both pessimists and optimists. Man of the disasters forecast in the past have been avoided b technological developments. The forecasts of future disasters are made precisel to encourage people to avoid them. There are several factors that seem to us to make the current forecasts of future problems different in principle from the past. This principle difference is that the scale of human activit on earth is now approaching the same scale as the natural c cles that occur around the globe.

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 : 3uman engagement with parts of ecos stems is causing hundreds of species to become e!tinct each ear and the effects of human activit are evident well be ond the immediate locations in which we live. Man of the resources that were used to drive industrial development in the $9 th centur are now e!hausted. 6ater e!traction rates e!ceed the annual flow of some rivers. 3owever the do not run dr because waste water is returned to them. (nother difference is that with the increased scale of human activities comes an increase in associated effects and disparities between rich and poor. Some claim that povert is the main cause for environmental degradation% others have stressed that wealth is the main cause for environmental degradation. (ction b one or a few countries alone would be ineffective unless matched b others. 3&'2inking en*ironment an$ $e*elopment: "n $9:2% all organi#ations that see themselves as dedicated to preventing environmental catastrophe produced the 6orld ;onservation Strateg . This strateg stressed the interdependence of conservation and development and called for the vitalit and productivit of the planet to be safeguarded 3&3The Br%n$tlan$ 3eport Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the abilit of future generations to meet their own needs.

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 : 3&4The 4nite$ 5ations .%mmits an$ Commission 1or ./& The +arth Summit* the <nited =ations ;onference on +nvironment and Development* held in 1io de >aneiro in $99'% was the largest gathering of heads of government that the world had ever seen. ?rom the +arth Summit ;onventions emerged% a set of guidelines for climate change and biodiversit protection% a declaration on +nvironment and Development and (genda '$. (genda '$ is an e!tensive international agenda for action for sustainable development for the '$st centur . 3&!#ncreasing 6lo)ali0ation SD is concerned for the future inhabitants of the globe as a whole. +mbracing conflict can sometimes be a creative process so avoidance is not alwa s the best strateg . 6e need to value difference as well as similarit . 4& ./ an$ .%staina)ility Sustaining implies something that persists but it does not impl something that is static or unchanging. "t implies something d namic and can also impl a radical change in people4s practices rather than continuing with ,business as usual-. There are man t pes of sustainabilit * ecological% economic% financial% social% political% and institutional% depending on what is being sustained.

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 : SD was selected as the focus for the domain considered in .lock @ rather than sustainabilit because% the process of SD has a historical tradition which has tried to increase the compatibilit of ecological% economic and social sustainabilit % making each of eAual importance in decision making. The situations described here in which a s stems practitioner is managing all have some ecological% economic and social dimensions. "n this block we will primaril use the language of SD but where we use the term sustainabilit it will be in its senses that are to do with both environment and development not 8ust one or other. Part 3: /isco*ering an$ context%ali0ing yo%r o-n ./ )elie1s an$ *al%es . 1& 7al%es8 )elie1s an$ circ%mstances "n an situations% there will be man different perspectives% depending on values% beliefs and circumstances. (ppreciating different perspectives% and accordingl recogni#ing the values% beliefs and circumstances that determine them% is an essential skill for a s stems practitioner. "n the domain of SD it is% particularl important for the practical purposes of working out shared agenda and planning group activities as the term ,SD- means man different things to different people. "n this part we will concentrate on individual and group values% beliefs and circumstances% how the contribute to different perspectives and how the affect people4s thinking and behavior in the domain of SD. The term value will be used here to refer to meaning something that an individual or group regards as something good or that gives meaning to life. ( belief is considered here to be an intellectual starting point for a seAuence of reasoning.

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 : ;ircumstances is used here to refer to personal factors% such as e!perience and role that affect how a situation is perceived. 1&1Connections )et-een *al%es8 )elie1s an$ circ%mstances& Balues% beliefs and circumstances all determine our perspectives that in turn affect the wa that we conceptuali#e the world*our world views. There are connections between these values% beliefs and circumstances. .ut as values in particular are often hidden and seen to be more to do with our emotional than intellectual wa s of knowing% these connections are not eas to rationali#e. .eliefs% on the other hand% as intellectual starting point seem to be more sub8ect to reason. The wa in which the term values% beliefs and circumstances are used is not standard in all literature '& ,xploring *al%es8 )elie1s an$ circ%mstances in relation to a ./ sit%ation& There are s stemic connections between our behaviors and the implications of that behavior when it is aggregated. There are man stakeholders with an interest in maintaining an interconnected set of activities (s stem). Man of these stockholders will have different interests in the same s stem. 3& #ss%es o1 stakehol$ing ( stakeholder differs from a shareholder in that the ke factor that identifies a stakeholder is inclusion rather than ownership. ( shareholder of a compan owns a small part of the compan % whereas a stakeholder does not own an shares in the compan but is affected or cares about it. Stakeholders ma be individuals or groups of people.

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 : Most categori#ations of stakeholders distinguish between primar % direct or active stockholding and secondar indirect or passive stakeholding. "n this block we will distinguish between those within and outside a s stem boundar . 6hile stakeholders need to be identified% care is needed in not categori#ing and potentiall e!cluding some of them% too soon. Ctherwise that ma close down an anal sis too earl in the process when divergence is essential to its richness. ;ategori#ation of stakeholders ma determine who participates directl and who does not. "ssues arise in these processes of categori#ation when these most affected are not activel involved through arguabl the should be. There interests or stocks ma not be protected. Stakeholder*anal sis techniAues are used b a range of agencies and can be used for different purposes. Stockholder anal sis can be used as a means of addressing conflict and trade*offs. ;onflicts can be defined as situations of competition andDor disagreement between stakeholders groups and trade*offs as the process of balancing conflicting ob8ectives. Drawing a s stems map is one wa of representing how ou are thinking of stakeholders in a situation. "n recogni#ing a diversit of stakeholders in a SD situation and as a precursor to identif ing or involving stakeholders in purposeful action% there is also a need to recogni#e the diversit of stakeholders4 beliefs about SD.

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 : 4& .ome $i11erent )elie1s a)o%t ./& Different people adopt different values and beliefs and devote their e!pertise in a different direction. !& 7al%es an$ ./ Balues often remain at least partl hidden. .ecause values seem to be more to do with our emotional rather than our intellectual wa of knowing and as such are not eas to rationali#e. .ut 8ust because the are not eas to rationali#e does not mean that the have to remain hidden. (lan 3olland% argues that values do not 8ust contribute to beliefs but also to 8udgments% which unlike beliefs% are formed with reference to certain criteria. 3e goes on to sa a 8udgement is something for which we must be prepared to take responsibilit and which we must stand read to defend and therefore a means b which we create our own identities. 3olland adds that values are most appropriatel construed as ,ob8ects of 8udgement- and hence that the discussion of values belongs properl within rather than outside the arena of rational debate. The values of an individual are not held in isolation but in social or organi#ational conte!t and the values of the individual ma differ from the social or organi#ational norms. ( s stems practitioner will nearl alwa s be operating within a social andDor organi#ational conte!t. "n the domain of SD% where there are man multiple stakeholder situations% a s stems practitioner is also likel to need to rationali#e and defend the values on which their 8udgements are made and to work out what and whose values are relevant in a situation.

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 : There are ' reasons for this previous view% the first concerns action and the second ethics. +thical meaning here what ought to be rather than what is. SD is an ethical concept and particular values and beliefs underpin it. The ke elements for responsible Elobal citi#enship 7al%es an$ attit%$es: Sense of identit and self*esteem +mpath ;ommitment to social 8ustice and eAuit Balue and respect for diversit ;oncern for the environment and commitment to SD .elief that people can make a difference ?or a s stem practitioner% discovering our own values in the domain of SD% can give insights into what is important in a situation and what is shared and not shared with other individuals and groups. Balues can be attributed to groups as well as individuals. 7roblems seem to occur because h%man *al%es are concept%al and o1ten hi$$en or disguised b social norms. The are difficult to determine because the are established ver earl in life and can be unclear even to individuals themselves. Balue s stems have been shown to have emergent properties that are world*views. "t is suggested that these world*views about organi#ational life ma be more important in the change process than separating our specific values. Eeoffre Bickers focused on values and 8udgement in developing the concept of the ,appreciati*e systems-. Cherishing is when ob8ects (non*human) are valued for their sentimental value% something about the relationship with the ob8ect that is valued rather than the ob8ect.

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 : Phenomenology is a philosophical method of investigation that acknowledges the inter*relationship of sub8ects and ob8ects. ?ocusing on the relationship rather than sub8ect or ob8ect is one indicator of s stems thinking. 6& Congr%ence )et-een yo%r ./ *al%es an$ yo%r )eha*ior& 6hether needing to think and act s stemicall as an individual or to facilitate others% " have found it useful to recogni#e what is driving m behavior and the degree of congruence between m values and behavior to guide m actions. ;hange generall is an important factor to recogni#e when considering congruence between values and behavior. Part 4: .ystems practice 1or 9managing: ./. 1& #ntro$%ction "n an situation involving sustainable development there are man people and organi#ations involved% each with their own different perspective. There will not be an widespread agreement about the nature of the problem% its timescale or what an solution or resolution would look like. '& 7ignette ': 2imit to gro-th <ltimatel there would be constraints imposed on the growth of human population and industrial development because these were taking place on a finite (limited) planet. +!actl where and when these constraints would first ,bite- was not predictable with an certaint % but that did not mean that the limits did not e!ist. This concept of limits to growth challenges the belief in economic growth% which has been advocated b western governments as the main vehicle for solving man problems.

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 : The authors of the book ,limits to growth- have made a recent stud to establish whether a sustainable future is possible% and if so what level of material consumption& their conclusions are: $. 6ithout significant reductions in material and energ flows% there will be in the coming decades an uncontrolled decline in per capita food output% energ use and industrial production. '. To avoid this decline% two changes are necessar % a. ;omprehensive revision of policies and practices. b. 1apid% drastic increase in the efficienc with which materials and energ are used. ). ( sustainable societ is still technicall and economicall possible. .ystems $ynamics is a modeling procedure% which computes changes in stocks and flows of specified variables over time.

The use of models of comple! ,s stems- to predict behavior is consistent with the MS method. en;%ire* to ask in;%ire* to make an investigation 3& 7ignette 3: Trage$y o1 the commons& "n $95:% 3ardin published a book called ,The Traged of the ;ommons-& in this book he states that like an area of gra#ing land the commons will have a limited carr ing capacit that is the abilit to provide food for animals on a sustainable basis. 7ursuing self interest results in the best outcome.

?igure $: in page 59 illustrates the concept of carr ing capacit and the decline in ield as none animals are introduced onto the land.

3arden was able to demonstrate that when a resource is limited market economics would not produce sustainable outcomes.

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 : 3arden suggests that governments should intervene in markets to manage the limited resources so as to produce sustainable outcomes. ,Limit to Erowth- and ,Traged of the ;ommons- provided a powerful counter argument to the accepted wisdom% namel that economic growth through the operation of competitive free markets would provide solutions to all the problems of development% povert % food suppl and so on. "n most communities% there are some t pes of local control put in place in order to make sure that resources will not be e!hausted b over use. 4& The $e*eloping -orl$ 6hen tr ing to help developing countries% it is crucial to include the full participation of the potential beneficiaries in the pro8ect. 6ithout such full participation the pro8ect will simpl not work as the originators intended. The participation has to be sufficientl deep that the different world views% perspectives% values and beliefs are genuinel reflected in the process and operation of pro8ects. !& Managing systems practice in contexts o1 ./ (n aware s stems practitioner has ) choices in how the manage their engagement with stakeholders when pursuing an form of purposeful activit % the choices are to: $. decide for stakeholders '. decide with for other stakeholders ). enable stakeholders to decide /eci$ing 1or: 6hen the s stems practitioner takes control of the situation and uses their e!pertise to tell% or recommend to stakeholders what the should do.

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 : /eci$ing -ith: 6hen the s stems practitioner acts as a facilitator for other stakeholders in the situation and participates in decision making with other stakeholders. Creating an ena)ling process 1or $eci$ing: 6hen the s stems practitioner e!plain to stakeholders what the see as the strengths and weaknesses of a particular method in a given conte!t so that the stakeholders could choose for themselves. "n this situation% there is the potential for the s stems practitioner and stakeholders to become co*learners or co*inAuirers. +ach of these ) situations reAuires a different set if skills for effective practice and will result in different capacities and potentials for learning. 6h is the Auestion of ,who learns whatF- important and wh is it relevant to this blockF Beca%se aware practitioners% using s stems approaches are able to orchestrate a process of action research in which the ke s stems ideas of connectivit % emergence% communication and control are appreciated and in which multiple perspectives are valued. <sing the phrase action research mean also action learning% as research and learning can be seen as the same process. 6hen ou get engaged in a situation 0 either as a consultant or as a stakeholder 0 then putting ourself in someone else4s position is much harder. This is )eca%se< our own beliefs% values and histor will be determining our cognitive processes. "t is onl b becoming aware of our own perspective that ou can create a mental space from which to construct a version of someone else4s perspective.

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6& 7ignette !: 2earning 1rom Brent .par+ ;learl an improved understanding of the different perceptions that the people have% and of the different values the place on natural and human resources is a vital reAuirement for professionals contributing to environmental decision making. Part !: /esigning 9learning systems: 1or p%rpose1%l action in the $omain o1 ./& 1& #ntro$%ction: The focus in the last section (7art @) was focusing on managing s stems practice according to three distinctions about power: deciding for deciding with enabling deciding b

+ach of these three possibilities placed different demands on the s stems practitioner as 8uggler (8uggling the ..+%;% and M balls). The Auestion of who participates in a learning process affects their capacit to be responsible to be able to respond purposefull . Some claim% that it is much easier managing s stems practice in the ,deciding for mode- but that is a trap in conte!ts such as SD. "t is more challenging to be a s stem practitioner in the ,decide with- or ,enabling deciding b - modes. Beca%se that involves much more attention to process issues% and other stakeholders are involved. "dentif ing stakeholders and bringing them together in a decision making or situation*improving pro8ect is often ver difficult but despite these difficulties experience sho-s that if ke stakeholders are not involved decisions do not stick. The focus of this 7art (G) is in the s stems practitioner as a facilitator of a process design which is ,enabling for stakeholders-.

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 : The main sub8ect is going to be*process design in the modes of ,deciding with- and ,enabling- stakeholders to decide.

,Deciding for- is often needed in case such as: a. where stakeholders are not human b. where stakeholders cannot be involved with decision making either because The have: ". =o capacit % where capacit might be determined b time constraints as well as bio* ph sical restraints. "". =o desire to be involved """. =ot et been identified The disadvantage of ,deciding for- is that however much we might tr to put ourselves in the shoes of another% or acknowledge other perspectives% it is never the same as having these stakeholders participate.

There will be a focused on here on developing practice through a process of designing purposeful inAuir . #n;%iry is an activit which produces knowledge Pro$%ces makes a difference "t is sometimes hard to know whether emplo ing a s stem approach would lead to a better situation or 8ust a different one. 6hen practicing in a ,decide with- or ,enabling deciding b - mode it is helpful for both the practitioner and these stakeholders who become involved to have a route map of the process the are beginning.
?igure $9 in page :@ is one possible route map.

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 : "t is helpful for practitioner to become more aware of different wa s of managing their s stems practice in relation to the Auestion: 6ho learnsF

The following scheme is helpful in addressing the Auestion of how learns: $. (ll s stems practice reAuires the practitioner to be concerned with his own learning. '. <sing s stems thinking to formulate s stems of interest can help us to improve a situation for ourselves% a client or clients. This often results in ,deciding for-. ). "n order for changes to be more sustainable% it might make sense to ,design ,our practice in a wa that involves ,giving awa - or (or embedding) s stems thinking and practice skills so that the stakeholders in the situation can use them in an on*going action* learning manner. This could be ,deciding with- or ,enabling to decide@. "n some cases it ma make sense to design the practice in a wa that enables the stakeholders to give a wa their s stems thinking and practice to others. This is a further elaboration of ,enabling deciding b '& Creati*e %se o1 .. metho$ 1or 9managing: ./ in m%ltiple stakehol$er sit%ations. Moving form ,deciding for ,to one of the other power relationships means that there is a need to focus on the ; ball. (;onte!tuali#ing). 6hen engaging with stakeholders who have multiple e!periences and skills the aware practitioner are faced with the need to be clear about their role% and the process issues for involving stockholders.

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 : So managing the ; ball is more sophisticated than 8ust choosing one or more methods. The ver skilled practitioner relies on the thinking that underpins the various methods that are available. The word ,designing- was used in the title of this part because designing is a special form of conte!tuali#ing. Design is a particular form of purposeful human activit . A s%ccess1%l $esign is one that enables someone to transfer thought into action or into another design. This t pe of design is called systematic $esign8 because there is a clear ob8ective to be optimi#ed. .ystemic $esign is a design which creates the possibilit of emergence and which is carried out awareness of the thinking used to guide the design. The most important emergent propert in this part is ,Learning which triggers purposeful action-. '&1 ,ngaging -ith process $esign 1or emergent o%tcomes . =irst or$er processes: ( first order understanding is gained b accepting that there are general rules that appl to situations in terms of the identifiable ob8ects and well*defined properties. . appl ing the rules logicall to the situation% we can draw conclusions about how something has come about or what should be done. 3ere learning and action are based on the belief in a single realit (a real world) which can be approached and known ob8ectivel .

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 : .econ$ or$er processes: "t utili#e data that takes as its starting point first*order data such as descriptions of ph sical% biological% and ps chological events with specific reference to a person4s e!perience of gathering and working with% the side data. The 4 stages involved in designing a process for emergent outcomes are: .tage 1: .ringing the s stem of interest into e!istence (i.e. naming the s stem of interest). .tage ': +valuating the effectiveness of the s stem of interest as a vehicle to elicit useful understanding (and acceptance) of the social and cultural conte!t. .tage 3: Eeneration of a 8oint decision*making process (a problem* determined s stem of interest) involving all ke stockholders .tage 4: +valuating the effectiveness of the decisions made (i.e. how has the action taken been 8udged b stockholdersF).

(7lease refer to pages 9'*9))

'&' /e*elopments in practice -ith .. metho$

The creative use of SSM offers strategies to break out of traps associated with uncritical use of s stematic thinking and action which has characteri#ed some attempts to manage SD.

7lease refer to:

?igure '$*page 95 0 The seven*step activit model of SSM. ?igure ''*page 9H* (n ,iconic- pictorial model of the process of SSM. S(I $)*page 9H% and its answer on page $'@: give a comparison between figure '$ J ''.

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