Lesson Overview

As the world we live in is more of an asymmetrical world rather than a symmetric one, finding the right solution cannot be achieved by a single discipline. McAllum introduced that system thinking is a melting pot of discipline to help us understand the climate of uncertainty. Having tools is not enough. Thus, policy makers need to understand the importance of how ideas frame the system which will further shape experiences. Then McAllum elaborated that the steps to follow are asking (1) what do we want to do with the system, (2) do we have a shared view of what will shape the policy space, (3) do we have a shared understanding of the system in question, (4) rethink of the objective of change, (5) explore alternative or learning options and (6) advocate for a second order change which is the change of a system to serve new purposes.