{"id":7,"date":"2018-09-04T10:16:20","date_gmt":"2018-09-04T10:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/w3webhelp.in\/sample\/atelierducomplexe_new\/?page_id=7"},"modified":"2021-05-05T11:30:53","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T11:30:53","slug":"complex-thinking","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/complex-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Rarely asked questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><section id=\"bannr-id\" class=\"kc-elm kc-css-581054 kc_row bannr-sec2\"><div class=\"kc-row-container\"><div class=\"kc-wrap-columns\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-54615 kc_col-sm-12 kc_column kc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"kc-col-container\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-648745 kc-raw-code\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section id=\"bannr1-id\" data-kc-fullwidth=\"row\" class=\"kc-elm kc-css-839284 kc_row bannr-sec2\"><div class=\"kc-row-container  kc-container  bannr-sec1\"><div class=\"kc-wrap-columns\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-248614 kc_col-sm-12 kc_column kc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"kc-col-container\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-320450 kc-raw-code\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section id=\"tab-box\" data-kc-fullwidth=\"row\" class=\"kc-elm kc-css-783321 kc_row\"><div class=\"kc-row-container  kc-container\"><div class=\"kc-wrap-columns\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-875259 kc_col-sm-12 kc_column kc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"kc-col-container\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-613415 kc_accordion_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-315523 kc_accordion_section group acc-title\"><h3 class=\"kc_accordion_header ui-accordion-header\"><span class=\"ui-accordion-header-icon ui-icon\"><\/span><a href=\"#what-is-complex\" data-prevent=\"scroll\"><i class=\"\"><\/i> What is complex?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"kc_accordion_content ui-accordion-content kc_clearfix\"><div class=\"kc-panel-body\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-97424 kc_text_block text-panel1\"><\/p>\n<p>\n<em>Complex is what cannot be summed up in a key word, which cannot be reduced to a law and cannot be condensed into a simple idea.<\/em> (Morin, 1990)<br \/>\n<span style=\"font-style: inherit;\">In short, let\u2019s call it life. Each of our lives, the planet\u2019s life!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-308571 kc_accordion_section group acc-title\"><h3 class=\"kc_accordion_header ui-accordion-header\"><span class=\"ui-accordion-header-icon ui-icon\"><\/span><a href=\"#why-is-complex-not-complicated\" data-prevent=\"scroll\"><i class=\"\"><\/i> Why is \u201ccomplex\u201d not complicated?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"kc_accordion_content ui-accordion-content kc_clearfix\"><div class=\"kc-panel-body\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-931445 kc_text_block text-panel1\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Making a wind turbine is complicated. Commissioning its use in a community is complex.<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Planning a school timetable is complicated. Managing a class is complex.<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Extracting tumours is complicated. Prevention of cancer is complex.<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Success in exams is complicated. Success in a job is complex.<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Getting a driving license is complicated. Daily driving is complex.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>None of it is simple but getting through \u201ccomplicated\u201d matters is doable with analytical thinking skills and required know how. All factors involved and their causal relationships are more or less known. Once the art is mastered, you can be fairly sure of the results of your efforts and reproduce them when needed.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t quite the case with complex matters. We can never know everything we want to know. They involve too many interdependent factors, which interact in unexpected ways making it hard to predict an outcome with certainty. The cause and effect relationships are not obvious and it\u2019s often beyond our cognitive limits to make sense of all that happens. Unpleasant or pleasant surprises, contradictions, failures despite efforts or fresh problems arising from well thought out solutions are the norm. The practice in general is to find out the most we can; sense the needful and act accordingly. Most times, this process relies on past experience but does not promise success. Take the example of family solutions that work with one child but not with the other. There are too many continuously and unpredictably interacting components in the picture to guarantee coherence in results, which is why the thinking here cannot be the same as with complicated tasks.<\/p>\n<p>Learn more with Dave Snowden\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N7oz366X0-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CYNEFIN framework<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-265971 kc_accordion_section group acc-title\"><h3 class=\"kc_accordion_header ui-accordion-header\"><span class=\"ui-accordion-header-icon ui-icon\"><\/span><a href=\"#what-is-complex-thinking\" data-prevent=\"scroll\"><i class=\"\"><\/i> What is complex thinking?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"kc_accordion_content ui-accordion-content kc_clearfix\"><div class=\"kc-panel-body\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-273692 kc_text_block text-panel1\"><\/p>\n<p>\nComplex thinking is a process of engaging and dialoguing with life in all its complexities:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Understanding each problem as arising out of an \u201cinterconnected whole\u201d<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Identifying the factors and dynamics that contribute to its complexity<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Discerning the web of interdependencies between factors<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> In any drawback, not blaming people but focusing on interactive processes and circular causal loops that cause the problem.<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Knowing that an accumulation of small actions lead to delayed and far-stretched impacts.<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Being aware that one\u2019s own perspective is just one of the many others in the context<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Growing in self-awareness, empathizing with all forms of life and seeking quality relationships<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> Developing flexible, creative and divergent thinking abilities to deal with uncertainties, constantly changing phenomena, <span style=\"margin-left: 28px;\">unintended consequences, contradictions or paradoxes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Would these skills help have a \u201cbetter control\u201d over life? Not really and that\u2019s not the ambition. Reality is a flow that cannot be controlled or conquered. One can acquire a lens to \u201cread\u201d its complexity but the real spirit of complex thinking lies in a constant dialogue with it for the sake of desired futures. <em>If complexity is not the key to the world but rather a challenge to face<\/em>, says Morin, <em>complex thinking is not what avoids or removes the challenge, but what helps to tackle it and sometimes even overcome it. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>And this challenge could be raising a child, managing a classroom, working, mitigating or adapting to climate change!<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-623994 kc_accordion_section group acc-title\"><h3 class=\"kc_accordion_header ui-accordion-header\"><span class=\"ui-accordion-header-icon ui-icon\"><\/span><a href=\"#how-different-is-complex-thinking-from-analytical-critical-or-creative-thinking\" data-prevent=\"scroll\"><i class=\"\"><\/i> How different is complex thinking from analytical, critical or creative thinking? <\/a><\/h3><div class=\"kc_accordion_content ui-accordion-content kc_clearfix\"><div class=\"kc-panel-body\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-690278 kc_text_block text-panel1\"><\/p>\n<p>\n<em>Analytical thinking <\/em>calls for breaking down complex problems into manageable components, analysing the cause and effect relationships to find suitable solutions, which may then be fit for the separated component of the problem but unfit for the overall complex problem it was related to and in which it continues to reside.<\/p>\n<p><em>Critical thinking <\/em>could be described as reflective and independent thinking based on objective evidence. Critical thinkers question arguments and ideas, seek to understand clear, rational and logical connections between thoughts, analyse or evaluate information, identify inconsistencies in reasoning, challenge their own beliefs and assumptions. In other words their aim is to make an overall judgement that is as bias-free as possible.<\/p>\n<p><em>Lateral thinking<\/em> also called creative thinking, means \u2018thinking out of the box\u2019 or looking at things in a new way. Creative thinkers go beyond the simple analysis of a problem to search for what might be missing, to review the problem from different angles, assessing more than just one potential solution, remaining open-minded and staying away from stereotypical thought patterns.<\/p>\n<p>These thinking strategies are all useful and do help with complexity to a certain extent and you will see that lateral thinking is an integral part of complex thinking.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"acc4ul\">\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> But what about the countless events with no visible and objective reason behind them? <em>Like a disturbed class of students? <\/em><\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> What about contradictions or paradoxes discovered despite logical and rational decision-making? <em>Like industrial agriculture\u2019s <span style=\"margin-left: 26px;\">role in damaging the life it was initially supposed to sustain?<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> What about personal mind-sets and social relationships that not only interfere but heavily impact a context? <em>Like a local <span style=\"margin-left: 26px;\">politician\u2019s greed or the power dynamics in any set-up?<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> What about subsisting uncertainties? <em>Like those related to the causes for the dwindling bee population? Or the insecurities of <span style=\"margin-left: 26px;\">getting a good job or job satisfaction despite quality schooling or university studies?<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/right-arrow-new.png\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> What about unintended consequences of actions? <em>Such as a new health problem emerging out of medication intended to <span style=\"margin-left: 26px;\">resolve another health issue.<\/span><\/em> Interactions in complex situations happen without anyone meaning them to.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Engaging with complex thinking is not about denying the relevance of analytical or critical thinking in complex situations but about realising that they are not sufficient to deal with real life complexities.<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-236650 kc_accordion_section group acc-title\"><h3 class=\"kc_accordion_header ui-accordion-header\"><span class=\"ui-accordion-header-icon ui-icon\"><\/span><a href=\"#is-complex-thinking-the-same-as-systems-thinking\" data-prevent=\"scroll\"><i class=\"\"><\/i> Is complex thinking the same as systems thinking?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"kc_accordion_content ui-accordion-content kc_clearfix\"><div class=\"kc-panel-body\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-259757 kc_text_block text-panel1\"><\/p>\n<p>\nYes, they both belong to the same school of thought and have the same theoretical underpinnings. Although the terms &#8220;systems\" and &#8220;systems thinking\" were used before the 1940s, it was Ludwig von Bertalanffy\u2019s <em>General Systems theory<\/em>\u00a0that established <em>systems thinking<\/em>\u00a0as a major movement. It was soon to be supported by cyberneticists working on patterns of communication, especially in closed loops and networks. Norbert Weiner formulated the concepts of feedback and self-regulation, which later led to the idea of self-organisation &#8211; all concepts crucial to systems thinking. Weiner related the new notions of message, control and feedback to patterns of organisation, which led to the general idea of &#8220;pattern\" as a key characteristic of life. Claude Shannon&#039;s <em>Theory of Information,<\/em>\u00a0an important part of cybernetics, was the other major contribution to the movement.<\/p>\n<p>Most \u201csystems thinkers\u201d were or are based in North America and a large part of its literature is in English. The term &#8220;complex thought\" was brought to the forefront by the French thinker Edgar Morin\u00a0 who\u2019s <em>Method <\/em>in particular \u2013 a collection of 6 volumes published between 1977 and 2004, compiles his thoughts, research and theories on complexity. His work, more known in Europe, Latin America and French speaking Africa, is only beginning to be translated into English.<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-272065 kc_accordion_section group acc-title\"><h3 class=\"kc_accordion_header ui-accordion-header\"><span class=\"ui-accordion-header-icon ui-icon\"><\/span><a href=\"#why-educate-for-complexity\" data-prevent=\"scroll\"><i class=\"\"><\/i> Why educate for complexity?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"kc_accordion_content ui-accordion-content kc_clearfix\"><div class=\"kc-panel-body\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-907622 kc_text_block text-panel1\"><\/p>\n<p>\nTo answer this question, it is worthwhile considering why education systems have been designed, as they exist today. What inspired us to think that the best way to educate children is to separate them into age groups, create a body of abstract knowledge broken up into subjects, assign a higher value and emphasise some of them, create subject specialists, design timetables and enforce discipline for an efficient transmission of knowledge, emphasise reasoning and analytical skills, ignore emotions\u2026 What indeed influenced this design?<\/p>\n<p>Education systems like most other human organisations were influenced by the mechanistic worldview of Descartes and Newton, which revolutionised the world in its days. It claimed the material universe to be a perfect machine, explainable in terms of mechanical laws \u2013 all aspects of complex structures could thus be understood by reducing them to their smaller constituent parts. Descartes extended this view to plants and animals. The human body was no different he said, if not being inhabited by a rational thinking soul. This worldview separated mind from matter, made reductionism and certainty of scientific knowledge the order of the day. The 18<sup>th<\/sup> century thinkers applied this mechanistic approach to human society and organisation. In other words, human organisations they thought, can be designed in the image of perfect machines and made to run efficiently. This is why schools are organised as mentioned above \u2013 a machine designed for an efficient transmission of knowledge. You may see the same influence on universities, enterprises, industry\u2026 The \u201cmachine\u201d metaphor drove our thinking and was crucial in the design of the structure and operating principles of all our systems.<\/p>\n<p>But this understanding of the world is no longer valid today. Scientists agree that the world is indeed a constantly changing interconnected web of life. Our planet is a vast closed-loop system within which innumerable human and non-human sub-systems inevitably and intricately relate to and interact with each other, making uncertainty and emerging properties the order of the day. It is in this context that systems\/complex thinkers call for schools to make a shift from the &#8220;machine\" metaphor to a \u201csystems or complexity\u201d representation. In other words, analytical-rational thinking skills, so dear to the mechanistic worldview, do not help understand the real world &#8211; an inevitably complex and interconnected world. Educating for complexity and nurturing complex thinking skills prepares learners for the real world.<\/p>\n<p>What is true of the planet is true of a classroom. A constantly changing learning environment! Learner profiles have changed. Cultural diversity, equity and identity issues matter more to learners today than they did some decades ago. No straightforward reasons (in other words, no certainties!) to explain conflicts, dropouts, mental and psychological stress, drug addiction or low motivational and engagement levels. Knowledge and curricula keep changing. So do markets, jobs and livelihoods. The digital device invasion allows for personalisation, interactive learning, social networking, direct and immediate access to knowledge or transmission of information and misinformation. Learning apps adapt to student performance in ways teachers cannot and hundreds of freely available videos and tools explain any subject that once used to be the sole prerogative of the teacher. This diversified resource base often leads to confusing and contradictory information on any object of knowledge which itself is complex because it keeps evolving and can be interpreted in a variety of ways. In short, complexity practices and complex thinking skills help teachers, educators and activists to navigate and dialogue with such complex learning environments.<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-483750 kc_accordion_section group acc-title\"><h3 class=\"kc_accordion_header ui-accordion-header\"><span class=\"ui-accordion-header-icon ui-icon\"><\/span><a href=\"#how-different-is-complex-thinking-from-design-thinking\" data-prevent=\"scroll\"><i class=\"\"><\/i> How different is complex thinking from \u201cdesign thinking\u201d? <\/a><\/h3><div class=\"kc_accordion_content ui-accordion-content kc_clearfix\"><div class=\"kc-panel-body\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-879664 kc_text_block text-panel1\"><\/p>\n<p>\nMany articles contemplate the role of \u2018<em>design\u2019<\/em> in \u2018systems thinking\u2019 as much as that of \u2018<em>systems thinking\u2019<\/em> in influencing \u2018design\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Design thinking\u2019 as its name suggests, aims to design solutions for complex problems. It works to meet the real needs of people for which inputs are sought from a core group; iterates upon ideas in a cyclical fashion; looks for new ideas based on undetected needs and patterns and concludes with a prototype for a solution to be tested.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Complex or systems thinking\u2019 is wider in its scope and concerned with the big-picture thinking: mapping complex relationships; understanding underlying processes and dynamics; detecting unintended consequences and delayed impacts; seeking to change undesired dynamics or patterns that create problems; being aware of unavoidable contradictions and so on. While \u2018design thinking\u2019 is more about creating solutions for the future, \u2018systems thinking\u2019 is about seeking systemic change.<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-11157 kc_accordion_section group acc-title\"><h3 class=\"kc_accordion_header ui-accordion-header\"><span class=\"ui-accordion-header-icon ui-icon\"><\/span><a href=\"#how-does-one-educate-for-complexity\" data-prevent=\"scroll\"><i class=\"\"><\/i> How does one educate for complexity? <\/a><\/h3><div class=\"kc_accordion_content ui-accordion-content kc_clearfix\"><div class=\"kc-panel-body\"><div class=\"kc-elm kc-css-93852 kc_text_block text-panel1\"><\/p>\n<p>\nProbably the most important question! What indeed are the methods and tools that help transform learners into positive changemakers for themselves and for the planet? To discover the practices that hundreds of teachers around the world are engaging with, jump to <a href=\"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/embracing-complexity\/\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cEducating for complexity\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"kc-elm kc-css-545106 kc_row\"><div class=\"kc-row-container  kc-container\"><div class=\"kc-wrap-columns\"><\/div><\/div><\/section><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5076,"href":"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7\/revisions\/5076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atelierducomplexe.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}