New Earth

&

Systems Thinking

What will shape

New Earth?

Source: World Economic Forum - The Global Risks Report 2019

Donut Economy - our challenge

Within planetary boundaries

Good life

The good life,

now & in the future

Flourishing

“Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” – Hans Christian Anderson

Systems thinking as a design approach for New Earth

• Lean in with change
• Adaptability
• Contributing to resilience & equity

What are complex systems?

Complicated

Complex

Behavior cannot be deduced by a study of its individual components

1 + 1 = 3

Characteristics of complex systems

Non-linearity

A great number of interacting components

Self-organisation

Non-Linearity

A great number of interacting components

Self-organisation

Game

Choose your enemy

Choose your friend

Keep friend between you & enemy

Why systems thinking for design?

Systems thinking to come up with better solutions

Preferably with multiple benefits

Habits of a systems thinker

Which systems thinking grade do you give yourself?

Game

Would you change your grade? 

What can you improve? 

How complex are your systems?

Excercise

Add at least 10 associations to your complex system

System boundary

Time

Space

Context

Excercise

Set system boundaries and explain why you include / exclude items

Excercise

What happens if you make your system boundary larger / smaller?

Recap

What is the difference between a complicated and a complex system?

Name 3 characteristics of a complex system

Why is systems thinking important for design for New Earth?

Name 3 habits of a systems thinker

Which 3 dimensions can you use to set system boundaries?