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Navigate complexity with systems thinking questions
Why this workshop?
When dealing with complexity, it is easy to become overwhelmed and get stuck. Especially if we try to approach it with a linear pre-planned way of working.
We need an approach that lets us make sense of complexity one step at a time, revealing the underlying patterns and how we can take action in a way that supports our goals.
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The power of questions
The questions we ask determine where we look for answers and what we can see. Whenever we feel stuck, finding the right question to ask allows us to move forward again.
Having worked on many complex challenges over the years, I have found that asking the right questions is key. There are a handful of questions that have come back every time, no matter the size or topic of the challenge.
These are the systems thinking questions that help us to navigate complexity.
Sometimes one question is enough to decide what action to take next, other times one question leads us into the next, until we reach an actionable insight.
One off versus ongoing goals
Many of us are used to working towards one off goals. A project has a beginning and an end and a desired outcome that we can check off a list once it is achieved.
In reality, most of the goals that really matter are ongoing: We want to be healthy, have high performance teams, resilient neighbourhoods, a strong education system and a sustainable economy.
In order to maintain these goals, we need to embed them within the patterns of complex systems. Systems thinking questions help us to see these patterns and how we can work with them, instead of against them.
Who is this workshop for?
This workshop is designed for people who have to work with and make decisions within complexity on a daily basis.
The systems thinking questions are not a new method meant to replace the current approach. They are not a lengthy procedure that we need to walk through.
Instead they stimulate a way of thinking that can be integrated into the every day work. Whatever we are working on, the systems thinking questions help us to look at a situation from a new perspective. They help us to move forward again when we feel stuck.
What happens during the workshop?
During the workshop, I will introduce you to the 9 main systems thinking questions that have helped me navigate many complex challenges.
For each question, we will discuss why and when to ask it and how to go about finding the answers.
I will share examples of how I have used these questions in the past and you will get to experiment with applying them to your own complex challenges.
Finally, we will explore how the questions are related to each other and how we can let one question lead us into the next.
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Each question comes with an illustrated card that will help you to remember and come back to it, as well as an A4 summary of how to find answers to this question.
What happens after the workshop?
Each participant will get a set of question cards to take with them into their work. From then on, whenever they feel stuck in complexity, they can lay the question cards out in front of them and see which one helps them to move forward again. Over time, asking these questions will become more and more intuitive.
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The benefit of following this workshop with your group or team is that you don't have to do it alone. Each person might focus on exploring a different question and since you know how they connect to each other, you are able to piece together the puzzle and reveal the patterns.
Workshop logistics
Duration: 2 sessions of 3 hours
Number of participants: 8-15
Language: English, German or Dutch
Price: 2400€ (excluding VAT)
Location: At your location or online
Who is facilitating this workshop?
About me: Hannah Härtwich
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Many people are starting out very motivated to make a positive contribution in the world and there are many different ways to do this. Some people work at municipalities, others start their own impact ventures. But somewhere along the way, they get stuck in complexity. My mission is to help these people to navigate complexity, so they can make their contribution.
I have always been fascinated by interconnectedness and the place where I could see it most clearly was in nature. Therefor I studied Geo-ecology and dove deeply into the interconnectedness of natural ecosystems. This gave me a strong practical foundation in systems thinking and an appreciation for complexity.
I worked on my first systems map for my master thesis and discovered the power of this visual approach to complexity.
Since 2019, I have used my systems thinking and mapping skills to support social systems change. Over the years, I have worked on projects on many different scales and topics. From supporting small impact entrepreneurs, to working with NGO's and governmental organisations, working on topics such as diversity and inclusion, the circular economy or resilient neighbouhoords.
When working with complexity, the typical consulting approach of coming in and giving advice on how to make improvements does not work. Instead, I help people to talk to each other, think for themselves and discover ways to embed their goals in the patterns of the system.
Because of this, I have also discovered my passion for teaching and coaching. I teach online through the Systems Innovation Platform and in person through custom team workshops, at events and conferences and as part of university courses.
Irrespective of the scale or topic of the complex challenge that I am working with, there are certain questions that I ask every time, that help to reveal the patterns of the system. I have developed a set of systems thinking question cards and a workshop to share these questions with others.
Since 2022, I am the representative of the Systems Innovation Netherlands Hub and have co-organised many events to bring people together who want to contribute to systems change, to learn from and support each other.
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