Addressing the Critical Need for “New Ways of Thinking” in Managing Complex Issues in a Socially Responsible Way

Managers and leaders today are expected to deliver innovative solutions and policies to cope with increasing change and uncertainty. Even more challenging is the fact that the complex issues tend to transcend the jurisdictions and capacities of any single organisation or Government department. Systems thinking offers a holistic and integrative way of appreciating all the major dimensions of a complex problem, and enables the formation of effective management strategies (systemic interventions) with long lasting outcomes. This paper reports on three major systems based approaches to help current and create future managers and leaders to be equipped with new ways of thinking that are systems design-led to deal with complex problems in a systemic, integrated and collaborative fashion. These include establishing Evolutionary Learning Laboratories (ELLabs); “Starting with the Young”; and introducing systems education at tertiary level.