Overview

In this weekly virtual learning series, we will explore and unpack issues of power within the practice of systems thinking.

4 x 2hr learning session via zoom each Wednesday from 6:30 -8:30pm Melbourne time *this time enables participation from England/Europe check timezone

• Session 1 June 16th 2021
• Session 2 June 23rd 2021
• Session 3 June 30th 2021
• Session 4 July 7th 2021

Important Notes:

In order to support and host a safe space for conversation and learning:

• We encourage you to participate in all 4 sessions
• We won’t be recording sessions
• We’ll be commencing each session in small group discussions so we’ll need you to be present at the start time, rather than joining after the start time
• Participation is limited to 24 participants

This learning activity will be valuable to you if you:

• Are planning, or actively practicing purposeful engagement of diverse perspectives
• Have an interest to better understand how different aspects of power, frame and influence your capacity for purposeful engagement of diverse perspectives
• Are open and willing to examine your own experiences with power in the system

Importantly, this learning activity will require you to engage in personal reflection about your role in the system, your personal power and your experience of power in the system. You will be guided by expert mentors in this process and should consider your capacity to engage in this nature of discussion before registering.

What this learning series will NOT do:

This learning activity will not be addressing or presenting on work from the fields of anti-racism, decolonising systems practice or gender equity. Whilst we recognize these topics to be deeply embedded in aspects of power we feel it is prudent to acknowledge the boundaries of our own expertise and capacity and we will not be covering these important, yet out-of-scope topics.

Focus of the learning activity:

Session 1: How and why is power so critically important to our work in systems?

• Introduction to concepts of power in systems thinking
• Links to the Systems Change Framework - Purposeful Engagement of Diverse Perspectives
• Creating a connection amongst participants to unpack and explore this topic

Session 2: How can we examine power in systems thinking?

• Tools and methods to surface and identify personal, situational and systemic power
• Considerations of how this influences the potential for Purposeful Engagement of Diverse Perspectives in systems work
• Take home activity for participants to apply between Session 2 and 3

Session 3: How can we explore power through boundary judgements

• Understanding the power of boundaries in systems work
• Critical Systems Heuristics - a systems method to explore power
• Please bring a ‘case study’ with you to help ground and make tangible the concepts we will be working with. This could be a group, project, or organisation you have worked with in the past, or are working with in the present.

Session 4: How is power showing up in OUR system? How can we adapt and become more power literate?

• Navigating our systems - sharing and learning about our reflections and experiences with power
• How can we work in systems to enable equity centred efforts and avoid perpetuating harm?

Outcomes

• Conceptual grounding on the topic of power in systems
• Understanding and awareness of how power shows up in applied systems work
• Expanded vocabulary to identify and discuss issues of power
• Methods and processes to articulate and make visible experiences with power
• Personal development for self in the system

About the facilitators

Lina Patel is a first generation migrant, born in Kenya with Indian and Uganda heritage and now based on Wurundjeri country on the traditional and unceded lands of the Kulin Nation. She is a poet, Facilitator and Collaboration Designer who learnt her craft in big business, honed it in civic tech and is perfecting it with organisations who invite her to facilitate moments that matter. Lina’s mission is to alleviate needless workplace suffering and bring more kindness into the world, one team at a time. One way she does this is working with leaders to increase their power literacy through Revma Consulting. She has facilitated events, workshops, and retreats for a variety of government, not-for-profit and private sector organisations. Having been part of 60+ different teams and facilitated over 400 gatherings, she has picked up a thing or two about power.

Seanna Davidson was born in Canada and immigrated to Australia in 2015. She is now based on Wadawarrung country on the traditional and unceded lands of the Kulin Nation. Seanna is a systems practitioner and process designer and works with individuals and groups to unpack complex problems through the use of systems thinking, reflective practice and action learning. As Director of The Systems School, Seanna’s mission is to build capacity for systems thinking because she believes that profound systems change begins from where we stand in the system. A geographer by training, Seanna’s work draws across disciplines to explore and uncover patterns and change within social spaces. Seanna has developed and delivered over 50 systems thinking capacity building workshops and action learning sessions in Australia in the last 5 years.

This event is being offered in partnership between: