Thinking about sustainable business systemically

This course is part of Sustainable Business Strategy for Future Leaders Specialization

Instructor: Haider Ali

Included with

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Go beyond the limitations of existing methodologies and business design approaches to serve complex ecosystem needs and problems
Design and implement new sustainable business concepts and business models grounded in People, Planet, Profit and Progress centric thinking and doing

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

9 assignments

Taught in English

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Sustainable Business Strategy for Future Leaders Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

On this course, you’ll examine the process, methodology and impact of global circular economy initiatives.

You’ll use systems thinking and mapping to understand the underlying dynamics and interaction of your problem-opportunity space and explore the likely impacts and effects of changing and/or influencing key elements of your systems. You’ll also identify key ‘leverage points’ of potential change across your systems map that you can address through future business interventions. Via text-based resources and task books, you’ll gain comprehensive understanding and benefit from in-depth reference points as you formulate your ideas and plans.

This week, you will learn about the benefits of a circular economy and examine what steps you should take to frame a specific challenge before you attempt to solve it.

What's included

2 videos11 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt

2 videos Total 15 minutes

Video 2.1 Helen Burdett, Head of Circular Economy at the World Economic Forum – Interview 1 (7 mins) 8 minutes
Video 2.2 Helen Burdett, Head of Circular Economy at the World Economic Forum – Interview 2 (7 mins) 7 minutes

11 readings Total 51 minutes

Welcome to the course 4 minutes
Course requirements 6 minutes
Engaging with your tasks 7 minutes
Reintroducing the circular economy 6 minutes
Your task: World Economic Forum’s Scale360° initiative to enable circular economy (Part 1) 3 minutes
Thoughts from your course instructor 2 minutes
Your task: World Economic Forum’s Scale360° initiative to enable circular economy (Part 2) 4 minutes
Thoughts from your course instructor 2 minutes
Your sustainable challenge domains 5 minutes
Your task: Defining your business challenge space 10 minutes
Week 1 summary 2 minutes

2 assignments Total 60 minutes

Week 1 assignment 30 minutes
How much do you know already? 30 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 10 minutes

Your task: Introduce yourself 10 minutes

This week, you will address complex issues within multi-stakeholder settings, often with divergent perspectives. You will learn how to create, map and analyse problems across stakeholders using systems thinking to understand complex dynamics and their interrelatedness across your chosen challenge space.

What's included

1 video14 readings3 assignments1 discussion prompt

1 video Total 10 minutes

Video 2.3 introducing systems mapping 10 minutes

14 readings Total 195 minutes

Welcome to Week 2 2 minutes
Introduction to systems thinking 3 minutes
What is a system? 8 minutes
Traditional problem thinking: in search of a single solution 5 minutes
Combining systems thinking and design thinking 5 minutes
Systems mapping 2 minutes
When to create a system map 10 minutes
Systems boundaries and dynamics 5 minutes
Your task: System dynamics 45 minutes
Stakeholder interviews: primary research 6 minutes
How to conduct stakeholder interviews 68 minutes
Summarising your stakeholder interview insights 30 minutes
Other primary data sources to consider 4 minutes
Week 2 summary 2 minutes

3 assignments Total 70 minutes

Week 2 assignment 30 minutes
Your task: Differences between systems thinking and design thinking 10 minutes
Week 2 self-assessment 30 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 20 minutes

Your task: Write your problem statement 20 minutes

This week, you will pick up threads from the three preceding lessons and move on to building a systems map related to your challenge space.

What's included

6 readings2 assignments

6 readings Total 82 minutes

Welcome to Week 3 2 minutes
Building your systems map 5 minutes
Causal relationships between nodes 15 minutes
Further examples of causal relationships between nodes 25 minutes
Understanding and identifying feedback loops 32 minutes
Week 3 summary 3 minutes

2 assignments Total 60 minutes

Week 3 assignment 30 minutes
Week 3 self-assessment 30 minutes

This week, you will decide what to include and exclude from your map given the underlying complexities of your stakeholder ecosystem, and decide where you might need to intervene within your system.

What's included

6 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt

6 readings Total 72 minutes

Welcome to Week 4 3 minutes
Identifying leverage points for intervention 4 minutes
Example: Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon 20 minutes
Prioritising leverage points 22 minutes
‘How might we?’ statement for your systems map leverage points 18 minutes
Conclusion and next steps 5 minutes

2 assignments Total 75 minutes

Course graded assignment 45 minutes
Week 4 self-assessment 30 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 3 minutes

Your task: Reflect on the course 3 minutes

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Instructor

Haider Ali

The Open University

4 Courses 1,212 learners

Offered by

The Open University

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