aps 1015: class 4 - intervening in social systems

APS 1015: Social Entrepreneurship

Class 4: Intervening in Social Systems

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

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Instructors: Norm Tasevski (norm@socialentrepreneurship.ca) Karim Harji (karim@socialentrepreneurship.ca)

© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

Agenda

•  Recap of Gap Analysis (Class 3) •  Overview of Systems Interventions •  Guest Speaker – Assaf Weisz (Purpose Capital) •  Break •  Guest Speaker – Sal Alajek (Engineers Without

Borders) •  Next week

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Gap Analysis (Recap from Last Week…)

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© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

Key Concepts

•  Current State vs. Future Stage –  Current State: The amount of “stock” between two

elements in a system –  Future State: The ideal level of stock between elements in a

system

•  Inflows vs. Outflows –  Inflows: An increase in stock –  Outflows: A decrease in stock

•  Correcting Loops –  The mechanisms for controlling the inflows and outflows

within a social system to maintain an ideal state

•  Parameters –  Factors that affect inflow and outflow

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© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

Another Gap Analysis Technique

•  PESTEL Analysis –  Political: The degree to which government intervenes in a

system –  Economic: The degree to which economic factors affect a

system –  Social: Cultural factors that affect a system –  Technological: Technological factors found in a system –  Environmental: Ecological and environmental factors in a

system –  Legal: The man-made laws governing a system

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Intervening in a System

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© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

Leverage Points

Leverage Point: An intervention that addresses a gap in a system

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© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

Types of Leverage Points

1. Slowing down or speeding up a correcting loop that already exists in a system

–  Example of a slow down: The flu •  With no intervention, what is the effect does flu create in a

system? •  What intervention can slow down the flu? •  Slowing down the flu will therefore result in what change in the

system?

–  Example of a speed up: Voting rights in democracy •  With no intervention, what effect does restricted voting (e.g.

preventing women to vote) have on the system? •  What intervention can “speed up” voting rights? •  Speeding up voting rights will result in what change in the

system? 8

© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

The Challenge with Focusing on Correcting Loops Alone

•  The nature of the intervention (and how it affects the rest of the system) dictates how resilient the system becomes

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© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

Example

Consider response to 2011 Japan Earthquake…

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© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

Example

…

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© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

Example

Compare to response to Pakistani floods…

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In response to why people are not giving to the Pakistani flood in the same way as they did for Haiti, one woman said:!!“It’s a rogue state, if they can afford the nuclear bomb they can look after their own”!!

© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

Types of Leverage Points

2. Building resiliency in a system through self-organization

–  Systems that self-organize are systems that evolve and naturally adapt to shocks to a system

–  Intervention focused on self-organization builds completely new structures and new behaviours

–  Example of self-organization: Human culture •  Stock? Social customs, conventions, symbols •  What happens to human culture when shocked (e.g.

increased immigration from a new region of the world)?

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© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

Question

How could social entrepreneurship act to create leverage points?

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Guest Speaker: Assaf Weisz

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Break

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Guest Speaker: Sal Alajek

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© Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji

What did we learn?

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