Exploring Systemic Design : Practical Insights for Organizational Implementation
Saarelainen, Emilia (2024)
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024052917619
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024052917619
Tiivistelmä
Many contemporary challenges, such as environmental issues, healthcare, and digital transformation, are so complex that traditional approaches fail to address them. Navigating and thriving within such complexities is crucial for organizations, yet doing so presents significant challenges. One approach gaining traction in addressing systemic issues is systemic design. This thesis, commissioned by Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, aimed to explore systemic design as a field and provide insights into its implementation within organizations.
The study examined the theoretical foundations of systems, complex problems, and systems thinking, providing insights into complex systems. It also explored the relationship between design and complexity and systemic design. Furthermore, it investigated innovation and organizational transformation. Using a qualitative research approach with an abductive reasoning method, data were collected through eleven semi-structured interviews with individuals from various organizations in Finland and internationally. Interviewees ranged from those who were only starting to familiarize themselves with systemic design to those with extensive experience in complex global settings.
The study identified six different perspectives on systemic design, revealing significant differences among them. These perspectives also require varying levels of organizational maturity to be effectively implemented. Instead of prescribing a specific methodology, the study suggested an approach based on principles and crucial elements: methodology, learning, collaboration, and organization. Furthermore, the research findings indicated that the organization plays a key role, with many challenges associated with systemic design being linked to organizational limitations.
The path to systemic design within organizations was created, comprising four key elements: systemic design perspectives, a systemic design framework, a systemic design maturity model, and a matrix of organizational maturity and systemic design perspectives. These components offer practical guidance for organizations seeking to adopt systemic design approaches.
As a tangible outcome of this research, a practical booklet on systemic design was developed. This resource is designed to assist designers and others in integrating systemic design into their work and initiating organizational-wide adoption.
The study examined the theoretical foundations of systems, complex problems, and systems thinking, providing insights into complex systems. It also explored the relationship between design and complexity and systemic design. Furthermore, it investigated innovation and organizational transformation. Using a qualitative research approach with an abductive reasoning method, data were collected through eleven semi-structured interviews with individuals from various organizations in Finland and internationally. Interviewees ranged from those who were only starting to familiarize themselves with systemic design to those with extensive experience in complex global settings.
The study identified six different perspectives on systemic design, revealing significant differences among them. These perspectives also require varying levels of organizational maturity to be effectively implemented. Instead of prescribing a specific methodology, the study suggested an approach based on principles and crucial elements: methodology, learning, collaboration, and organization. Furthermore, the research findings indicated that the organization plays a key role, with many challenges associated with systemic design being linked to organizational limitations.
The path to systemic design within organizations was created, comprising four key elements: systemic design perspectives, a systemic design framework, a systemic design maturity model, and a matrix of organizational maturity and systemic design perspectives. These components offer practical guidance for organizations seeking to adopt systemic design approaches.
As a tangible outcome of this research, a practical booklet on systemic design was developed. This resource is designed to assist designers and others in integrating systemic design into their work and initiating organizational-wide adoption.