2-day virtual workshop
December 12-13, 2024, 1:00pm-5:00pm ET
Systemic challenges require systemic solutions. Yet, designers’ efforts to bridge systems thinking to systems practice often fall short. When systemic design methods are imbued with complexity (from their application, to the language we use to describe them, to the perceived scope required), they risk abandonment, leaving us to settle for more “realistic” but less transformative approaches.
If you’re a systems thinker struggling to become a systems doer, join us to learn and apply an approach to systems oriented service design that is practical, yet not reductionist – simplifying the art of stepping into complexity, without simplifying the complexity itself. We will discuss (and question) the barriers identified before delving into the proposed approach. Participants are encouraged to enroll with team members so that they may utilize the session to explore applications of “systems doing” in their own work.
Logistics and rough outline
The workshop will contain two segments of 4 hours (over 2 week days), split into four 90 minute parts:
DAY 1
Part 1. When systems thinking falls short: barriers to systemic service design (90 minutes)
Is there a gap between thinking and doing in systems? During this session we will review and discuss findings surrounding key insights into the thinking / doing gap. We will discuss barriers faced by practitioners interviewed, and together the group will explore, dissect and prioritize the gaps, reshaping the problem statement to serve as a foundation for the remainder of the workshop. This collaborative process will serve to 1) introduce the core concepts of systemic design, 2) bust commonly held myths about what systemic approaches in service design might or must entail, 3) demystify “systems doing,” and 4) tailor the remaining sessions of the workshop to the specific pain points faced by our group, should they hold nuance or differences from those in original findings.
30 minute break
Part 2. An accessible approach to systems doing (90 minutes)
What must an accessible approach include or avoid? We will review the proposed approach to systems-oriented service design. The approach contains seven steps and we will walk through each, discussing how it can and has been applied to not just understand systems, but take strategic action within them. Participants will have opportunities to discuss and question the approach, considering if and how it applies to their own work, as well as the key design attributes that must guide the systemic-minded service designer. In this way, we will revisit and align to the priorities aligning to the problem statement and priorities developed during session 1.
DAY 2
Part 3: Wading into complexity: “testing out” the approach with support (90 minutes)
Does it work? Next, we will break into groups and try key steps of the approach. Teams are encouraged to attend together so that they may apply the approach to their real world scenarios. This process will be guided, and coaching will be provided throughout, so that participants can learn by doing and ask questions as they arise. The specific activities of this session will be adapted to the live group dynamics and outputs of the sessions 1 and 2, however, are likely to include skills such as building causal loop diagrams and formulating theories of systemic change during this time.
30 minute break
Part 4: Doing forward: bringing action from the workspace to the workplace (90 minutes)
We will kick off the final session with an opportunity to tie up loose threads, address final questions or barriers, and reflect and summarize learnings. Participants will then return to their groups to generate systemic action plans, which will capture their learnings about the system they’re designing within, and about what makes the complex more accessible in their unique contexts. They will generate a set of next steps to continue integrating systeming “doing” upon return to their normal contexts.
