An interaction with Chris Blackmore got me thinking. I had listed elements I saw in my project purpose. My third point was this:
3. Systems Concepts. Seeing AWARD and alumnae entity as two systems and the implications of that. How to move fellows from being within an AWARD system to the environment where they can influence and be influenced by AWARD?
And Chris commented:
Could you draw a diagram of this? Remember that systems thinking is about going up a level of abstraction so if you are perceiving two systems, what does the next level up look like?
In my third assignment in the course on Managing Systemic Change (TU812) I wrote the following:
Self-organisation: For long term sustainability, Bawden asserts that "we need to facilitate the transformation of communities into learning systems which are sufficiently self-referential that they will be able to learn about their own learning" (Bawden 1999, p.43). If we consider fellows and ex-fellows as a system of African women in agricultural research and development with the dual purpose of developing each other and contributing to African agriculture, it is apparent that at the moment the AWARD programme is inside the boundaries of such a system (Figure 3, left). To ensure sustainability, the fellows need to be a self-organised system with AWARD moved to the environment (Figure 3, right). From this position of structural coupling with environment, the African women scientist system can co-evolve with AWARD while it exists and continue to adapt after AWARD finishes.
Figure 3. Creating sustainability. Moving AWARD from the core of the system (left) to the environment (right)
I still think this diagram is relevant and useful. But Chris' question remains unanswered: What does the next level up look like?
As Ray Ison (and Senge I think, anyway other authors too) has said: If that is the answer, what is the question?
I have the WHAT, what is the WHY?
I guess it must be the wider system of developing critical advances and innovations in agricultural development for Africa. The 'empowering women' bit is one subsystem which (we believe) can contribute to that higher level aim. Thoughts?
