This workshop is passed.

Workshop Results

Welcome to the Systems Thinking Workshop for ISU faculty, students, and partners in support of interdisciplinary, team-based, problem solving to address challenges and issues in big, complex, systems.

This workshop was made possible through the generous support of the

Katie School of Insurance and Risk Management

Hosts & Facilitators

Ken Baldauf

Florida State University

Director, Innovation Hub

CEO, Design Minded LLC

James Jones

Illinois State University

Executive Director, Katie School of Insurance and Risk Management

Peter Kaufman

Illinois State University

Professor in Marketing

Participant Prep

Systems Thinking is collaborative, empathetic work that is best learned by actively doing it rather than passively listening to someone talk about it. Here are some ground rules to set expectations and insure a successful workshop!

• You will be working in with a team through a sequence of exercises to understand a problem, and develop solutions. We ask that participants are fully engaged for the entire duration of the workshop - from beginning to end, to support your team.

• Dress as CASUAL as is reasonable within your work environment. We want everyone to be relaxed and comfortable to maximize creativity.

• Refueling is useful during long Zoom sessions. Have some water and healthy snacks handy and don’t feel self-conscious about eating during the session. We will be taking two breaks during our four hour sessions.

• Participate with an open mind ready to empathize with other’s perspectives.

• Electronic devices are welcome as tools for research related to the work you will be engaged in. Breaks are provided for checking email and texts.

Tech Prep Pre-Meeting

One-hour session Friday, May 14, 2021 at 4:00 CT

Come meet the hosts, facilitators, and participants and learn required tech tools (Zoom, Kumu, and Miro) so you can start the workshop confident and stoked!

On the agenda:

• Welcome

• Zoom basics and tips

• Participant Introductions

• Workshop Overview and Expectations: https://www.designminded.me/isust

• Tech Overview

• Miro Practice: https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lEB2nlY=/

• Zoom Breakout Practice (Optional)

• Kumu Example: https://kbaldauf.kumu.io/work-place-readiness-map

• Homework - Watch Prep Videos below

• Questions?

Prior to the Tech Prep Pre-Meeting it would be helpful if all participants would complete the following:

Zoom

• Sign up for and download Zoom at www.zoom.us if you have not yet used it. We will use Zoom for our virtual conference, it requires your computer to have a webcam, microphone and speaker, and a solid Internet connection.

Miro - Weeks 1 and 2

• Set up a free account on Miro at www.miro.com . Miro is virtual whiteboard software. We will be using Zoom and Miro simultaneously for our group work.

• Learn to use Miro by watching the 20-minute tutorial at https://academy.miro.com/courses/getting-started-with-miro. Feel free to create a test whiteboard and play around - zoom in zoom out, pan, try out the tools. We will primarily be using the the sticky note tool.

Kumu - Week 2

• Set up a free account on Kumu at www.kumu.io. We will use Kumu in week 2 to create our System Maps.

• Open the Docs menu in Kumu and work through the tutorials under “I’m just getting started”

Prep Videos

Gain a basic understanding of Systems Thinking by watching these short videos.

Back to Home

Day 1: Framing

Lessons & Activities

Presentation

• 8:00 Welcome, Introductions, Tech Review

• 8:15 Presentation: Intro to Systems Thinking

• 8:45 Breakout: Systems Challenge Lab

  • Refining the Systems Challenge

  • Tool: Complexity Spectrum Chart

• 9:15 Team Reporting

• 9:30 Break

• 9:40 Breakout: Tools: Why? Stars and Framing Question

• 10:00 Subject Area Expert Presentation: Dr. Sam Cantanzaro

• 10:50 Break

• 11:00 Breakout: Framing Cont’d

• 11:15 Breakout: Tools: Stakeholder & Context Maps

• 11:45 Team Reporting

Homework

• Reflect on your team’s Systems Challenge, Guiding Star, Near Star, and Framing Question. Consider any changes or adjustment you’d like to make before the next stage of the process.

• View and read files 01 - 06 from Acuman Academy to gain a deeper understanding of Systems Thinking and today’s activities.

• View and read files 07 - 09 from Acuman Academy to prepare for our next meeting.

Back to Home

Lessons & Activities

8:00 Welcome

8:15 Breakout - Top Enablers and Inhibitors Cont’d

8:40 Teams Report

8:45 Breakout - Upstream Causes and Downstream Effects

• Structural

• Attitudinal

• Transactional

9:30 Break

9:40 Teams Report

9:50 Breakout - Identify Feedback Loops

• Quick Kumu Lesson

• Vicious, Virtuous, Stabilizing, Stagnating Loops

10:30 Teams Report

10:50 Break

11:00 Breakout - Identify the Deep Structure

• Building the Deep Structure Narrative

11:30 Team Reporting

11:45 Reflection, Feedback & a Look Ahead

Homework

• Reflect on the work done by your group. Draw at least three new loops related to your system based on Inhibitors and enablers. Draw a diagram of what YOU think the Deep Structure of your system looks like in Miro or Kumu to present to your group at next class. Practice the Deep Structure Narrative (see 12_workbook_loops.pdf). Also see example at https://kbaldauf.kumu.io/work-place-readiness-map - the black nodes represent the Deep Structure.

• View and read files 13 - 15 on “Maps” from Acuman Academy to prepare for our next meeting.

Back to Home

Lessons & Activities

https://zoom.us/j/8507663754

• 8:00 Welcome, recap, homework reflection

• 8:15 Breakout - Review proposed system maps, write system narrative (divide and conquer)

• 8:45 Breakout - Conduct Leverage Analysis

  • Where is the system frozen?

  • Where is there energy for change?

  • Where are places that seem like a mixed bag?

  • Where are there places that seem like bright spots?

  • Where are you seeing ripple effects?

  • Develop and write your strategy for system improvement based on levers.

    • Are there any frozen dynamics you can thaw?

    • Can you harness any energy for change?

    • Can you magnify the good qualities of mixed bags, and bright spots?

    • What ripples can you create and magnify?

• 9:15 Break

• 9:25 Breakout - Communicating the System Narrative

• 10:00 Team Presentations

• 11:00 Final Reflection and Future Vision

Back to Home