Based upon a presentation by Dr. Rob Weinberg Director, Experiment in Congregational Education Thinking, Planning, and Acting Systemically in Communities Tikkun Middot Project Institute for Jewish Spirituality
Based upon a presentation by Dr. Rob WeinbergDirector, Experiment in Congregational Education
Thinking, Planning, and Acting Systemically in Communities
Tikkun Middot ProjectInstitute for Jewish Spirituality
Goals How systemic thinking enables
long-lasting, far-reaching, significant change;
What such change looks like in communal life; and
How you might apply it to support your innovations.
Our Agenda
Connection question Systems Thinking Principles: An
Introduction Systemic Innovation: Action
Continuum Reflection
Connection Question
Share one system that you are a part of in your personal life. What
evidence do you have that you are part of a living system (not an isolated
“silo”)?
Systems Thinking: The Iceberg View
Events
Patterns of Behavior Over Time
Systemic Structural Causes
Increased Leverage andOpportunity for Learning
and Change
Systems Thinking: The Iceberg View
Events
Patterns of Behavior Over Time
Systemic Structural Causes
Reactive: We react to each event as it happens
Responsive: We try to respond to patterns
Generative: We take the time to understand how the dynamic interaction of variables generates behavior
Systems Thinking:Interconnections
Three ways to look at systems: A collection of parts Parts in interaction with one another
Parts embedded in a system
How We Tend to Think and Systems Thinking Principles
How We Tend to Think
Connections between problems and causes are obvious and easy to trace
Others are to blame for our problems; they must change
To optimize the whole, we must optimize the parts
Systems Thinking Relationships
between problems and causes are indirect, not obvious
We unwittingly create our own problems, have control/influence to solve them by changing our behavior
To optimize the whole we must improve relationships among the parts
How We Tend to Think and Systems Thinking Principles
How We Tend to Think
The best way to implement change is to tackle many independent initiatives simultaneously and aggressively
Policies/decisions designed to achieve short term success will also assure long term success
Systems Thinking A few key
coordinated changes sustained over time will produce large systems changes
Most quick fixes make no long term difference or make matters worse in the long run
Benefits of Systems Thinking
Systems thinking enables us to: Change thinking to match the
interconnected, dynamic complexity of communities
Spot unintended consequences of our actions
Communicate with others, challenge ways of thinking, and create shared understanding
Benefits of Systems Thinking
Systems thinking enables us to: Change our behavior to work with
the complex forces in the system (instead of against them) to realize our vision
Identify and test a variety of possible actions; expand the choices available to us and focus on highest leverage changes
Scope and Duration of Change
Ignore Systems: Small Changes Vanishing
Effects
Systems Thinking:
Long-lasting Far-reaching Significant
change
Seven Core Practices of Systemic Innovation
1. Collaboration in Service of Shared Vision
2. Alignment to Vision3. Feedback4. Coherence5. Community of Learners and
Innovators6. Resources7. (Re)-Creating the Memory of the
Whole
1. Collaboration in Service of Shared Vision Leaders applying Systems Thinking to
generate long lasting, far reaching and significant change:
Organize and collaborate with teams across traditional boundaries to create, disseminate and develop a shared compelling picture of a future state.
Desired Outcome: Engages multiple stakeholders in dialogue, study and reflection to identify shared hopes and dreams.
2. Alignment to Vision
Leaders applying Systems Thinking to generate long lasting, far reaching and significant change: Create, develop and implement with partners across traditional boundaries, innovations that are experiments in a spiraling series of innovations toward a shared picture of the future. Desired Outcome: Develops capacity of the community to focus resources and attention so as to assure that innovations are aligned to vision.
3. FeedbackLeaders applying Systems Thinking to generate
long lasting, far reaching and significant change:
Work in partnership to identify overarching goals, measurable goals and participant outcomes derived from a shared vision that will change based on assessment.
Desired Outcome: Set an agenda that focuses on identifying participant outcomes, based on overarching long term goals derived from the vision, and assures those outcomes are measured and fed back to the innovation process to inform decision making.
4. Coherence
Leaders applying Systems Thinking to generate long lasting, far reaching and significant change:
Identify and develop strategies to link (grow connective tissue between) parts and people of congregation.
Desired Outcome: Utilize the launch and development of each innovation as an opportunity to further connect programs, people, ideas and structures in to a unified community striving to live and work toward a common vision.
5. Community of Learners and Innovators
Leaders applying Systems Thinking to generate long lasting, far reaching and significant change:
Guide continuous learning, reflection among all governing/innovating teams and participants to enrich individuals and to establish a culture of experimentation and learning.
Desired Outcome: Ensure innovations are viewed by planners, governance and participants as learning experiments created by teams not products to be consumed or reviewed.
6. Resources
Leaders applying Systems Thinking to generate long lasting, far reaching and significant change:
Advocate for resources of time, money and person power to support innovations.
Desired Outcome: Advocate for budget to reflect values of the congregation including a primary value on innovation toward a vision.
7. (Re)-Creating the Memory of the Whole Jewish leaders applying Systems Thinking to
generate long lasting, far reaching and significant change:
Utilize Jewish stories, symbols, heroes, rituals and language to create the experience of a whole community working and living together to reach a common shared vision.
Desired Outcome: Communicates a Jewish narrative and language to be shared by lay members and professionals that conveys the value of a whole community striving to reach a common vision.