Systems Thinking Wicked Problems Behavior Change and Communication

Systems Thinking, Wicked Problems, Behavior Change, and Communication for Change

Today’s PPT Systems Thinking Understanding the parts and connections Wicked Problems What they are Why they’re hard to solve Behavior Change Various approaches Communication for Change Tools Approaches Tweaking

How To Use Systems Thinking Build on abilities, Identify parts, processes, and interrelationships, Not snapshots or slices. Acknowledge mental models Articulate a shared vision

EX: Weather System Complex whole Structure based on relationships between parts and processes Predictable Reducible to snapshots or slices

Characteristics of Wicked Problems Ambiguous; difficult to clearly define No clear solution: multi-causal w/ interdependencies Many elements hidden or unknown; often unpredictable relationships/consequences Many stakeholders; internally conflicting goals and processes The problems and solutions shift as we try to define and address them

More wicked…. No right or wrong, no precedents Not necessarily quantifiable; indicators must be flexible as problems change over time Usually socially complex; rarely does the problem and solution fit within one organizations May be characterized by chronic policy failure Involves a change in behavior

Examples Climate Change Poverty Food Security Weaning ourselves off fossil fuels Creating healthy eating habits Water Quality and Quantity Reducing water use Habitat and Biodiversity Loss Reducing single-car Disaster Risk Reduction transportation/increasing public transportation use

Tame Problem Clear enemy, direct path, or obvious solution “If we discovered that North Korea was pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to destroy the world’s climate, there would be an immediate collective response …. ” George Marshall

Changing Behavior Create Awareness Make it real Build knowledge Make it personal Create attitudes Make it barrier-free Foster skills Enable participation

Switch: The Summary Direct the Rider (Rational) Follow the Bright Spots Script the Critical Moves Point to the Destination Motivate the Elephant (Emotional) Find the Feeling Shrink the Change Grow your People Shape the Path Tweak the Environment Build Habits Rally the Herd What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity (Heath, 213) Smooth the path so much that even an unmotivated person will slide along”. (Heath, 263) “Remember, everything can look like a failure in the middle. ” (Rosabeth Moss Kanter – 168) Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard: Chip and Dan Heath

Trust Within People & Organizations Dispositional – Traits that contribute to or detract from effort Affinitive - Between people with something shared Procedural - Process- or system-based. Usually indicates the participants don’t share trust Rational – Does it make sense to trust this person? “Work on all to make the engagement more resilient”

EX - Characteristics of Excellence: A Campaign in Progress Dispositional – Does the field have the alignment to do this? Demonstrate that it aligns with mission in so many ways Rational – Does it make sense to trust this person? Invited leaders in the field made the case Trust – Affinitive is between people with something shared Convince AAM that others agreed with PIC Green Procedural - Process- or system-based. Ask the Board of Directors to adopt it

Convincing Establishing shared understanding, values and/or a world view. Determine what they think/know/believe Acknowledge the truth in that as based on their experience Provide evidence that is different and introduce an idea that explains the difference

More Options Education Create awareness Build knowledge Shape attitudes Acquire and practice skills Participation to reinforce Storytelling Tailored to the audience Meet people where they are, first No single storyline for a problem because a wicked problem is economic, political, social AND environmental Can cross boundaries in culture, gender, age, background… Create shared purpose; build community and emotional connections The more absorbed the listener is in the narrative, the more changed they are by it

Environmental Communication Is successful when: people are interested information is relevant and meaningful the message is clear and simple straight forward; not controversial Create a franchise of platforms, each telling new information, not repeating it or they’ll be bored and disappointed and go elsewhere.

Plan Your Approach Identify and assess the audience Plan and design an approach Pretest and revise the approach Implement and monitor Evaluate From their perspective what are the benefits and barriers, who do they trust, how do they get their information Create a strategy then the materials to support it (media, interpretives, programs, group activities) Test and revise these; implement a bit more; evaluate and repeat

Media Outlets Newspaper and TV Social media Location-specific (signs) Sources Authority Background Alignment Drivers Images Emotional Rational Norming Critical, but so is testing Media Mass for 300+ audience Social for those who respond to social media channels

EX - SFMOMA new app “museum visitors respond best to ‘specialists-curators, artists and others – [who are] valued for sounding knowledgeable…. , for ‘owning’ the information, and being passionate, …” 97. 1% of all published scientific papers taking a position on anthropogenic global warming say it is so - J. Cook, et al. 2016

EX: If I wanted to improve recycling rates (improve a system…so not a wicked problem) Research the rate now, and the universe we’re dealing with (assess and identify) Observe practice (the whole system – structure, interrelationships) and interview the audience/stakeholders (identify the abilities and mental models – values, beliefs, norms) Identify the barriers and opportunities (smooth the path and find the bright spots) Identify their truths and offer new ones Confirm those with the audience (avoid my own biases) Identify the new job They understand it Believe they can be successful Learn something Can share their success Create a new path to test Awareness (information/broad) Knowledge (clear and simple) Attitudes (positive/see success) Skills (explain, practice, reinforce) Participation (require a commitment? Or create a group for collective action? )

More than one way… Choose the aspects of the issue that you believe will lead to the response you want within the audience or audiences you are working with.

Complete our Recycling Example Placement/Adjacencies Images and Languages Check for barriers and opportunities Test which ones most effective Reinforcement/Franchise Volunteers Interpretives Newsletter updates Staff meeting Social Media Director Waste Manager for City Green Elvis

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