Systemic Thinking

What is systemic thinking and why is it so important? Since many centuries it has been practice to understand various things by deconstructing them and breaking apart different components into smaller pieces or parts. We analyse things and try to solve it. Analytical skills have been very important in our society and well recognised. Systemic thinking does not only allow thinking analytically but it also requires thinking holistically by understanding the problem through its complexities. Systemic thinking requires brain to make connection of one problem to another or the effect of one problem to another and encourages to approach in such a way that it does not only solve the problem but also avoids any unforeseen issues through different connections. It offers a better way to manage critical situations and improves the way we think in this 21^st century. In many organisations, governments and businesses we hear shared leadership, integrative approach or holistic thinking; these are all parts of systemic thinking. Systemic thinking challenges today’s leadership and academia’s  to rationalise 21^st centuries  world problems in such a way so it recognises externalities (positive & negative) and the costs of not recognising it and accordingly provide solutions to it. Our teachers are nurturing our tomorrow’s world. They must do everything possible to instil systemic thinking into our kids’ minds so when they grow up; they are taught to rationalise the problem from every possible angle and analyse the root cause instead of jumping to a solutions.

In sustainable world all short term solutions to our long term problems are useless and it is very critical for us to apply systemic thinking approach to our long term problems and look for the permanent and acceptable solutions; those solution’s that are of nature and support our quality of life. The world is changing fast and becoming more and more complex than ever before. The problems are becoming very difficult for anyone to understand. We humans are facing ever increasing problems of climate change, GHG emissions, environmental degradations, wastes and many more. Sustainable development offers the opportunity to approach all of these problems through systemic thinking. Economic, environmental and social are three dimensions of sustainable development demonstrates true example of systemic thinking approach.  

Does Bollywood have a responsibility towards CSR? If not then who?

There are many stakeholders in Bollywood such as producers, directors, writers, singers, actors, actresses and many others. Huge amount of contractual and material transactions that happens daily in Bollywood industry and the producers are making big bucks from movies releases and so on.

How can we bring them to take the ownership of CSR? How can we bring them to support community at large in India? How can we bring them at the forefront to support the issues such as poverty reduction, education for poor, women empowerment, environmental degradation, sustainable cities and climate change? Can they make more movies focusing on these areas to educate people in and out of India? Can they organise regular event around India to support such activities? Or can they set up a board or an "NGO - Bollywood" where every member contributes certain amount and the funds are utilised towards addressing those pressing issues? Much more needs to be done. Certainly there is a room for this type of work to take place and support social, and environmental aspect of the society. Bollywood has a power and enthusiasm which should be brought in to the action. Some individual who are part of Bollywood may be already doing some work towards this but how can we bring the whole of Bollywood together and make a Bollywood “Corp” a sustainably responsible entity??

Should household be charged for their household waste?

In Australia local councils are charging rates for individual household waste and sewerage systems. Rates are standard for all household under one council but different council may have different rates. The question that comes to my mind is one household may produce 5kg of waste per week vs another who produces 8kg or 10kg of waste per week. Because some households are well aware of GHG emissions, environmental degradation and other climate change related issues therefore they produce less waste by changing their behaviour and actions. Whereas others who are least bothered to worry about such issues or does not care at all therefore they continue to produce waste as much as they can and consume more and more resources. So why those household who produces less waste and cares about the environment should pay the same council rates as others who produces twice the amount of waste? Is that because councils don't have the process on how to measure individual household's waste? or is it the same size bins are problem? or Our councils are not proactively looking for solutions which offers incentives to households to reduce their waste?

Councils in Australia can become smarter in various ways to reduce household waste (recyclable and organic) at source by proactively introducing reduced waste charges for those who do care and waste less through smaller bin than the normal size or may be collecting bi-weekly or offering strata units of only one bin for organic and one bin for recyclable items. Why do people need separate bins in strata settings? Why can’t they just have one bin? Trucks can pick up quicker instead of loading and unloading 10 bins, trucks would have to load and unload only 1 bin; wouldn't that be a quicker way of collecting waste and reduce time, effort and petrol? (not to mention co2 emissions and less labor through efficiency in bin collection). Not only truck driver but those individual household in strata living or even big houses on one street spends tremendous amount of time (if put together) for taking out bin every week and putting it back. The tasks can be shared amongst household if there was only one bin. So much of an opportunity is there for council to introduce such practices by offering incentives to become smarter and charge less, collect less waste and worry less about composting organic waste, separating recyclable items and specially land filling.

Co-housing; sharing and caring…..

In modernised world many societies are built in an urban area to bring more people in from regional areas. People are offered living space, room for a car and storage to store the stuff that is unwanted on a daily basis. In many urban units storage is offered along with the car space. A question comes to my mind when thinking about sustainable cities and sustainable living that why do we need so many car space and so much of a storage space? Why don’t we offer shared car, shared equipment’s similar to shared laundry for example vacuum cleaner or gardening equipment’s in case of strata townhouses. So much of a money, time and waste can be saved through creating shared co-housing communities. This will not only help people with financial burden but will also be able to bring them together and make connection with their neighbours while sharing equipment’s and get to know each other compare to current set up where hardly anyone knows who is living next door.  So much of a car space is wasted at the basement of the strata units or townhouses and living areas are much smaller than before. Can we not change the way we have been building houses? Can we not change the behaviour of people by offering such shared settings? Can we not reduce our waste through following simple stuff and stop using unnecessary scares resources just to boom economy?