Mindful Systems
Can we create mindful systems? Using tools like system dynamics models and social network analysis, we can make a start.
systems thinking
Our Unhealthy Hero Complex
Is our use of the term ‘hero’ in the context of health care doing us more harm than good? What if we stood back and look at what that term means in light of true population and public and public health? We might change our tune.
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Amazing Stuff
What does microphotography, walking to school, leadership, social health care and the real value of locavores on the environment and economy have in common? Not much, but they were among the top 5 most interesting things I read this week.
Standing Still
“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” If staying the same requires change, then what good is standing still? Actually, quite a lot. A mindful look at the systems around us.
Order and the Problem of Change
Learning, when done to its fullest, is a disruptive activity that changes the way things are done. Yet, our education system is designed for change on a modest scale. With school back in swing, it is time to welcome the headaches brought by those who truly learn.
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Back to School and the Lesson of Accumulation
As we go back to school it is time to consider how the stresses of teaching and education build up over time and why it might be worth re-thinking its impact.
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The Food Bank Model of Education and the Tyranny of Resiliency
Resiliency enables us to bounce back from adversity, but like an elastic band too much stretching can lead to breakdown. Food banks, once a stop-gap for food security are now a model for education. Are we stretching a little too far?
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Cohesion vs. Diversity
Systems function well at the ‘edge of chaos’. In social systems that means balancing diversity with cohesion, but there are aspects to both that are troubling and may be highly incompatible. Can we have both or do we have to sacrifice one for the other?
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Making the Invisible Visible
Hurting your back really changes how you see the world, including the boundaries and assumptions of the systems we live in and design. This post looks at how a simple problem led to some complex revelations about systems thinking.
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Specialized and Generalized Systems Thinking and Action
Health promotion is largely focused on large scale social systems, while counseling psychology looks at the individual. Is there a way to bring these two perspectives together and have both specialized and generalized systems thinking and action models?
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