Module Five: System Thinking
TOPIC 5.1: What are Public Policy Problems?
Growing Complexity in Government
For many reasons, some foreshadowed in the preceding Modules, government has grown more complex and many of the traditional systems are struggling to maintain momentum. The reasons relate to:
- Scale and scope of government
- Technological advancement
- Discontinuous change
- Challenge of ideology/ideas
- Globalisation.
Part of the rise of wicked problems is also “our tendency to treat them as problems to be solved rather than conditions to be endured” as was the case previously (Geuijen, et al, 2017).[1] As already commented, this has all placed huge pressure on governments around the world which face numerous seemingly intractable problems.
“Governments increasingly have to deal with complex and uncertain challenges, which are core characteristics of most public policy issues. All the components of such a complex situation are interconnected in multiple, complicated, and hard-to-define ways. Consequently, it is essential to consider it holistically before intending to alter it. Traditional analytical tools and problem-solving methods, characterised by linear procedures and the notion of isolated interventions, no longer work, leading to the failure of public policies to achieve the set objectives and deliver the expected and desired outcomes. Therefore, the current scale and nature of public policy issues require new approaches to problem-solving. Systems thinking (ST) offers governments a way of handling this increasing complexity in public policy problems, as it holistically traverses disciplinary boundaries. Multiple approaches to ST exist, each with a different emphasis on the system structure, mental models, and underlying cognition… Taking an ST approach encourages decision-makers to change the nature and quality of their thought processes regarding complex situations, widen their mental boundaries, and consider issues interconnectedly and holistically.”
(Nguyen, et al, 2023, pp. 64)[2]
Public Servants need to work meaningfully and effectively with people, communities, organisations and other government agencies to achieve greater impact over time.
At the same time, it is critical that we open our minds to alternate world views when considering the systems in which we operate. From an indigenous perspective, nothing exists outside a relationship to something else. As Tyson Yunkaporta highlights in his book ‘Sand Talk’, all areas of knowledge are integrated not separated. The relationship between the knower and other knowers, places and senior knowledge-keepers is paramount (2019, p169)[3].
Required
20 min
The above video, provides a useful overview of this concept. As you listen, consider the following reflection questions.
- Can you name any wicked problems faced either by your work unit or the wider agency?
- List the factors which you believe contribute to the problems.
Recommended
50 mins
Read only sections one and two.
Activity
Deeper Learning
25 mins
For those who are interested, watch this interview between ABC’s Virginia Trioli and Tyron Yunkaporta as he explains the ideas of relationships and connectedness and the differences between complicated and complex systems. How might this be useful?
Glynn-McDonald, R. (2022, October 20). First Nations Systems Thinking. Common Ground.
- Geuijen, K., Moore, M., Cederquist, A., Ronning, R., & van Twist, M. (2017). Creating public value in global wicked problems. Public Management Review, 19(5), 621–639. ↵
- Nguyen, L.-K.-N., Kumar, C., Jiang, B., & Zimmermann, N. (2023). Implementation of Systems Thinking in Public Policy: A Systematic Review. Systems, 11(2), pp. 64 ↵
- Yunkaporta, T. (2019). Sand talk : how Indigenous thinking can save the world. Melbourne, Victoria: Text Publishing Company. ↵