Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Thinking in systems to address climate with Sheryl Cababa
Summary
Key Insights
-
•
Systems thinking extends perspective to understand interconnectedness, causality, and wholeness beyond immediate work scopes.
-
•
The iceberg model helps teams uncover root causes beneath surface problems by analyzing events, trends, mental models, and structures.
-
•
Structural elements like company policies significantly shape behaviors and are often the hardest yet most impactful change points.
-
•
A committed minority of 25% can shift majority viewpoints, offering optimism for grassroots climate action within organizations.
-
•
Designers and information architects are naturally positioned as systemic change agents due to their cross-functional roles and mental models.
-
•
Participatory systems mapping involving diverse stakeholders aligns understanding and surfaces leverage points more effectively than solo efforts.
-
•
Prototyping and pilots in systems thinking allow testing potential interventions cheaply and reduce risk-avoidant inertia.
-
•
Frameworks like the theory of change and STEEP analysis keep climate action efforts grounded and aligned to measurable outcomes.
-
•
Personifying the environment as a stakeholder (e.g., 'Mother Nature' card) facilitates embedding climate considerations into product decisions.
-
•
Long-term design thinking inspired by indigenous principles (seven generations) reinforces decision impact across future horizons.
Notable Quotes
"Always design a thing by thinking of its next larger context: a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment."
"Designers are change agents within their organizations because we’re multidisciplinary, empathetic, and compassionate."
"It only requires 25% of a committed minority to reverse a majority viewpoint in a population."
"Systems thinking is a mindset that extends your perspective beyond the immediate problem to see interconnections and consequences."
"Mapping is not just for presentation; it’s a practice to evolve your understanding of a complex problem space."
"Personifying the environment as a stakeholder is like Trojan horsing important climate conversations into the design process."
"You don’t need formal power to be a change agent; influence through alignment and stakeholder mapping is key."
"Pilots and prototyping create evidence to inform decisions, making change more achievable and less risky."
"The organization’s website structure often mirrors its internal organizational structure and decision-making."
"Design for seven generations—think about decisions that affect future people, not just immediate outcomes."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Scaled Agile felt at first like a step backwards—design looked like just the finishing touch, not a key ingredient."
Erin HauberDesign is Not the Frosting on the Scaled Agile Layer Cake
October 24, 2019
"You aren’t going to turn into an arrogant jerk by believing in yourself more."
Megan KiersteadYou Are a Badass at UX: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
March 10, 2021
"Not a week has gone by in my four years at Uber that something slightly shocking or jarring did not happen."
Maggie DieringerCreating Consistency Through Constant Change
January 8, 2024
"Allocate about 30% of your analysis and design effort to change management for successful adoption."
Meaghan Waters Fotina KoutropoulousLack of Product Thinking will Doom Your Legacy Modernization
June 9, 2021
"Ultimately, we’re all here to help our companies care about the customer faster, no matter the tribe or method."
Jemma AhmedBringing together market and user research
October 17, 2019
"Self-efficacy boosts motivation to share knowledge by increasing confidence in one’s ability to perform that sharing."
Maria TaylorKnowledge is Power: Managing the Lifeblood of the Design Org
October 3, 2023
"Getting accessibility integrated into all company processes is essential because accessibility is a culture change."
Sam ProulxUnderstanding Screen Readers on Mobile: How And Why to Learn from Native Users
June 6, 2023
"We threw out the team structure and started to commission work based on the multiple skills needed for each project."
Catherine BlizzardUsing Integrated Insight to Drive Growth
March 10, 2022
"Laura let out a sigh of relief and said, I don’t think I could ever recover the way that you did."
Randolph Duke IIWar Stories LIVE! Randy Duke II
March 30, 2020
