Social Entrepreneurship and Systems Change

Systems thinking is a discipline that emerged in the 20th century as a way to understand the complex interrelationships among various players and dynamics within an industry or field that resist simple, reductionist thinking. The big challenges we face play out in complex social-environmental systems, and the strength of systems thinking is in widening the perspective to see the fundamental relationships and dynamics that enable us to address challenges at the root cause rather than at the surface. The course note summarizes the core concepts of systems thinking and its application to the field of social innovation for students looking to understand how to identify opportunities for systemic change of complex and at times seemingly intractable problems.