May 2, Systems Thinking for Social Change

Even though systems thinking applications are well established in fields such as management, healthcare and psychology, its application in social change work is still a work-in-progress. There is a tremendous opportunity for us to have greater and more lasting impact by leveraging this theory and practice in our day-to-day work. Last year, we wrote about how to recognize and engage in systems thinking, as this approach is central to the way Ag Innovations convenes and facilitates our collaborative change efforts. We encourage and train leaders we work with to develop their systems thinking approach as a critical leadership capacity for their change making asprirations.

That is why we hope that you’ll join us on May 2, as we co-host systems thinking pioneer David Peter Stroh at Sonoma State University. During this evening event he’ll share his insights into what systems thinking is, how systems work, and how to use systems thinking to better understand and plan your change efforts. Whether you work in policy reform, on food and farming systems, or other work that seeks to affect social change, we believe that there will be lessons for all to glean.

David is author of the new book, Systems Thinking for Social Change: A Practical Guide for Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results. He has worked with community groups, foundations, local governments and others to apply systems thinking to achieve breakthroughs around chronic, complex problems and to develop strategies that improve system-wide performance over time. His work and presentation are sure to enlighten any individual seeking to better understand how to apply systems thinking to their world and work contexts. David is founder of Bridgeway Partners and a co-founder of Innovation Associates.

This free event is co-hosted by Ag Innovations, Bridgeway Partners, and Sonoma State University School of Extended and International Education.