APS1015 Class 3: Gap Analysis within Social Systems
- 1. APS 1015: Social Entrepreneurship Class 3: Gap Analysis within Social Systems Wednesday, May 22, 2013 1 Instructors: Norm Tasevski (norm@socialentrepreneurship.ca) Karim Harji (karim@socialentrepreneurship.ca)
- 2. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Agenda • Recap of Social Systems (Class 2) • Guest Speaker – Andrew Reddin (Social Capital Partners) • Break • Gap Analysis within Social Systems • Next week 2
- 3. Systems Mapping (Recap from Last Week)… 3
- 4. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Cause and Effect Chain - Example 4 Poverty ResultEffect Hunger Cause (Proximate) Can’t grow enough food Cause (Ultimate) Bad soil? Soil erosion? Not enough water? Not enough labour? Over-used soil? Don’t know how to prevent it Rains too hard Changing rain patterns? No irrigation resources? People sick?
- 5. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji The Vicious Circle • A symptom (effect) of a social condition can also be a cause, which then serves to further deepen the social condition 5
- 6. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Vicious Circle - Example 6 Poverty ResultEffect Hunger Cause (Proximate) Can’t grow enough food Cause (Ultimate) Bad soil? Soil erosion? Not enough water? Not enough labour? Over-used soil? Don’t know how to prevent it Rains too hard Changing rain patterns? No irrigation resources? People sick? Malnutrition Poor Health Hunger could therefore be both an effect and a cause of poverty
- 7. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Vulnerability vs. Resiliency • Vulnerability – The reduced ability for elements within a system to withstand shocks to the system – Examples of shocks: • A crop failure/drought • A health crisis/new illness • Resiliency – The absence of vulnerability (i.e. the ability to absorb shocks to a system) 7
- 8. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji 8 “Root Causes of Poverty” Workshop Tabe Ere
- 10. Break 10
- 11. Gap Analysis 11
- 12. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Current State & Future State • Current State – The amount of “stock” between two elements in a system – The stock is typically a measurable quantity – Examples: • Amount of water behind a dam • Level of trust in government • Amount of money in a bank account – The current state can have either in an ideal level, an over- abundance or a scarcity of stock • Future State – The ideal level of stock between elements in a system 12
- 13. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Inflows and Outflows • Inflows – An increase in stock • Outflows – A decrease in stock • Example: Soil erosion – Excess inflow of water; insufficient/ineffective outflow of water 13 Cause (Ultimate) Bad soil? Soil erosion? Over-used soil? Don’t know how to prevent it Rains too hard
- 14. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Correcting Loops • The mechanisms for controlling the inflows and outflows within a social system to maintain an ideal state • Correcting loops are not necessarily “visible” in a system – Example: how do we maintain ideal state of trust in government? 14 Cause (Ultimate) Bad soil? Soil erosion? Over-used soil? Don’t know how to prevent it Rains too hard • What correcting loop can we form in the system shown above?
- 15. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Correcting Loops • The mechanisms for controlling the inflows and outflows within a social system to maintain an ideal state • Correcting loops are not necessarily “visible” in a system – Example: how do we maintain ideal state of trust in government? 15 Cause (Ultimate) Bad soil? Soil erosion? Over-used soil? Don’t know how to prevent it Rains too hard • What correcting loop can we form in the system shown above? • What is the ideal state?
- 16. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Parameters • The considerations/ factors that affect inflow and outflow • Example: Erosion – Rainfall – Soil type – Landscape/topography – Vegetation type – Land management • Can be unchangeable or changeable 16 Cause (Ultimate) Bad soil? Soil erosion? Over-used soil? Don’t know how to prevent it Rains too hard • What parameters can be changed? What can’t be changed?
- 17. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Parameters (Continued) Parameters are one form of intervention (aka “Leverage Points”) to address gaps in a system But… …we will cover leverage points in class 4 17
- 18. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Gap Analysis within Systems • Goal: – Identify the gaps between current state and future state to begin to understand how to design an intervention to address the gap • Steps: – Describe the current state (inflows, outflows, changeable + non-changeable parameters) – Describe the ideal future state (ideal inflow/outflow levels and ideal parameters) 18
- 19. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Exercise 19 Describe the current state in one area of this system Poverty ResultEffect Hunger Cause (Proximate) Can’t grow enough food Cause (Ultimate) Bad soil? Soil erosion? Not enough water? Not enough labour? Over-used soil? Don’t know how to prevent it Rains too hard Changing rain patterns? No irrigation resources? People sick? Malnutrition Poor Health
- 20. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji Another Gap Analysis Technique • PESTEL Analysis – Political: The degree to which government intervenes in a system • E.g.: political stability, tax/education/health policies – Economic: The degree to which economic factors affect a system • E.g.: economic growth, interest rates, inflation – Social: Cultural factors that affect a system • E.g. attitudes toward health, career, the elderly 20
- 21. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji PESTEL (Continued) • PESTEL Analysis (Continued) – Technological: Technological factors found in a system • E.g.: level of R&D, level of automation – Environmental: Ecological and environmental factors in a system • E.g.: weather, climate, land use/degradation – Legal: The man-made laws governing a system • E.g. tax/employment/health laws, type of legal system (e.g. civil, common, religious) 21
- 22. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji What did we learn? 22