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Summary
Our sixth session, led by Sheryl Cababa, author of Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers explores the relationship between systems thinking and climate solutions. We use real-world examples to discuss systemic and organisational power dynamics, incentives, and how seeing and understanding them can integrate climate solutions into your work. Moderated by Alexis Oh
Key Insights
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Systems thinking requires expanding perspective to include interconnectedness, causality, and wholeness in design work.
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The iceberg model helps uncover root causes by exploring events, patterns, mental models, and structures beneath surface problems.
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Organizational structures and policies often codify behaviors that reinforce systemic issues and can be leverage points for change.
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Designers, including UX professionals and information architects, are well positioned to lead systemic change due to their cross-functional skills and holistic mindset.
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Stakeholder and power mapping exercises are essential tools for grassroots climate initiatives within organizations to identify influencers and barriers.
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Engaging decision-makers directly in systems thinking exercises increases alignment and effectiveness of proposed changes.
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Prototyping and piloting systemic interventions allow organizations to experiment safely and gather evidence to inform decisions.
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Anchoring climate efforts in widely accepted frameworks like the UN Sustainable Development Goals strengthens organizational buy-in.
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Committed minorities of around 25% can shift a majority viewpoint, offering optimism for grassroots change agents.
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Embedding a long-term mindset, such as designing for seven generations, encourages sustainability thinking in daily decisions.
Notable Quotes
"Systems thinking is a mindset designers can adopt to understand interconnectedness, causality, and wholeness beyond the narrow scope of their work."
"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 of their multidisciplinary, empathetic, and compassionate nature."
"25% of a population holding a committed minority viewpoint can reverse the majority viewpoint without large resources."
"Organizations’ websites often reflect their internal structure — what’s visible externally echoes internal organization."
"Systems mapping exercises are most valuable when done participatively with stakeholders who are decision-makers and those affected by the system."
"Prototyping systemic changes lowers risk and provides evidence about what works before scaling interventions."
"Anchoring climate initiatives to established frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals can create organizational momentum."
"Even if you’re not in a high-power role, understanding and mapping influence helps you identify where and how to act."
"There’s an indigenous principle of designing for seven generations — thinking beyond immediate results to long-term impact."
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