This lecture will be structured workshop-style. Students will work with Engineers without Borders to understand the process of systems mapping. Students will then create and analyze a systems map for a specific social system, which will then be used as the basis for the major group assignment.

1. APS 1015: Social Entrepreneurship
Class 2: Deep Dive into Social Systems
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
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Instructors:
Norm Tasevski (norm@socialentrepreneurship.ca)
Karim Harji (karim@socialentrepreneurship.ca)

2. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Agenda
• Recap of the Basics of Social Systems
• Systems Mapping – Class Exercise
• Break
• Overview of Major Assignment
• Next week
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3. Social Systems (Recap from Last
Week)…
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4. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
What is a System?
“A set of "Things” (people, organizations, objects…) that are
interconnected in such a way that they form their
own pattern of behaviour over time”
Donella Meadows

5. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
System Behaviour
• A system creates/causes its own responses
• Outside forces can influence system response, but
don’t cause the response
• The same outside force that acts upon two different
systems can therefore elicit two different responses
• Example: the flu virus
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6. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
System Components
1. Elements
2. Interconnections
3. Functions/Purpose
Example: Soccer (Football)
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Elements
Interconnections
Purpose

7. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
System Components
• Elements
– Tangible (people, buildings)
– Intangible (team pride, learned skills)
• Interconnections
– Physical flows (e.g. objects moving)
– Information flows (e.g. rules, instructions)
• Function/Purpose
– Intended responses (e.g. goal to win a soccer match)
– Unintended responses (e.g. violence after a soccer match)
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8. Systems Mapping
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9. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Cause and Effect Chains
Effect:
– A symptom of a social condition
– The symptom disappears if the cause underlying the
condition is addressed
Cause:
– The underlying reason why a symptom exists
– Proximate Causes: a cause closely related to an effect
– Ultimate Causes: a cause more distantly related to an
effect
• The ultimate cause is the key bottleneck – the most
important part of the chain!
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10. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Cause and Effect Chain - Example
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Poverty
ResultEffect
Hunger
Cause
(Proximate)
Can’t grow
enough food
Cause (Ultimate)
Bad soil?
Soil erosion?
Not enough
water?
Not enough
labour?
Over-used
soil?
Don’t know
how to
prevent it
Rains too
hard
Changing
rain
patterns?
No irrigation
resources?
People sick?

11. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
“5 Whys”
• Effect => Hunger. Why?
• Hunger => Can’t grow enough food. Why?
• Can’t grow enough food = Bad soil. Why?
• Bad soil => Soil erosion. Why?
• Soil erosion => Rains too hard...Etc…Etc…
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12. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
The Vicious Circle
• A symptom (effect) of a social condition can also
be a cause, which then serves to further deepen
the social condition
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13. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Vicious Circle - Example
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Poverty
ResultEffect
Hunger
Cause
(Proximate)
Can’t grow
enough food
Cause (Ultimate)
Bad soil?
Soil erosion?
Not enough
water?
Not enough
labour?
Over-used
soil?
Don’t know
how to
prevent it
Rains too
hard
Changing
rain
patterns?
No irrigation
resources?
People sick?
Malnutrition
Poor Health
Hunger could therefore be
both an effect and a cause of
poverty

14. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Vulnerability vs. Resiliency
• Vulnerability
– The reduced ability for elements within a system to
withstand shocks to the system
– Examples of shocks:
• A crop failure/drought
• A health crisis/new illness
• Resiliency
– The absence of vulnerability (i.e. the ability to absorb
shocks to a system)
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15. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Turning Vulnerability into Resiliency
• Reduce the likelihood of incidents that induce
vulnerability
– E.g. reduce spread of illness with mosquito spray campaign
• Lessen the severity of incidents that induce
vulnerability
– E.g. reduce severity of drought with irrigation
• Improve one’s ability to cope with vulnerability-
inducing incidents
– E.g. provide insurance to farmers to cope with drought
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16. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
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“Root Causes of
Poverty” Workshop
Tabe Ere

17. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Step 1: The Case
Read the case (5 Minutes)
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18. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Step 2: Cause and Effect
Document the causes and effects of poverty in Tabe
Ere, Ghana (10 minutes)
In groups:
• Write each cause and effect on a separate sticky
note
• Don’t sort the causes/effects just yet…
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19. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Step 3: Cause and Effect Mapping
Map the causes and effects of poverty in Tabe Ere,
Ghana (10 minutes)
In groups:
• Sort the sticky notes according to effect, proximate
cause and ultimate cause
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EffectCause
(Proximate)
Cause
(Ultimate)

20. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Step 4: Present Your Map
Present your findings (10 minutes)
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21. Break
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22. Major Group Assignment
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23. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
What did we learn?
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