Part 2: Understanding approaches to STiP

Introduction

Welcome to Part 2 of this free course, Understanding approaches to STiP.

As in the first part of the course, this part looks at five systems approaches, but with more focus on the traditions of practice from which they derive:

• system dynamics (SD)
• viable system model (VSM)
• strategic options development and analysis (SODA)
• soft systems methodology (SSM)
• critical systems heuristics (CSH)

Part 1 focused on understanding systems thinking in relation to situations of interest, people (agents, actors, stakeholders, practitioners), and systems as conceptual tools for enacting strategy or making change. Part 2 focuses more on understanding the practice side of systems thinking in practice, whilst always keeping in mind the continual interplay between thinking and practice.

Note: This short Openlearn course is not teaching how to use the five systems approaches listed above. The course gives a general overview to the approaches and what they may have to offer in support of systems thinking in practice. More detail about the systems literacy associated with each approach, with examples of application can be found in relevant respective Chapters 2-5 of the Reader – Reynolds, M and Holwell, S eds. (2020) Systems approaches to making change: a practical guide ( 2nd edition). London: Open University and Springer.

Chapters 1 (Introduction) and Chapter 7 (Epilogue) are referred to in this part of the course and are available as open access. Chapter 6 on CSH (Ulrich and Reynolds, 2020) is also available through open access.

Six animated tutorials associated with each approach as developed for the associated module TB871 Making strategy with STiP are also available on OpenLearn [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] – each using a different real world case study context of application.