In the first week of the MACAL Intensive, we explored different contemporary approaches and ways of thinking about the issues of climate change and climate action leadership. This exploration included an introduction to design thinking, systems thinking, Indigenous ways of knowing/thinking, transdisciplinary thinking, and the concepts of open learning, participatory web, and pro-social web.
The one, simple idea that really resonated with me was related to design thinking and can be summed up like this: one must invest the time and energy to appropriately define a problem before taking any steps toward finding solutions. The very thought of slowing down my solution-seeking/problem-solving impulse felt very uncomfortable at first. However, after diving into the design thinking exercise, the idea that an intentional and thoughtful exploration of the “real problem” could be the key to developing effective solutions lit up and wove its way back through all the topics discussed throughout the first week of our program, especially topics on Indigenous experiences and ways of knowing, and transdisciplinary thinking.
This idea of putting much more emphasis on problem-finding rather than problem-solving has challenged me to think more deeply about the “real” problems in our society related to climate change and Indigenous peoples, for example, and giving weight and consideration to the historical factors of colonization which have ultimately produced the climate crisis (Gram-Hanssen et al., 2021). From the Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Being, and Leading Circle we all participated in on June 1st came the suggestion that we really need to slow down, consider solutions in terms of seven generations forward and backward, and take the time to build relationships and trust as a first priority, which reflects the idea of defining the problem first, before jumping to solutions (M. Lickers, personal communication, June 1, 2021). As I continued my reflection on problem-finding, the concept of transdisciplinarity defined as “…a process of inquiry” (Corman & Cox, 2020, p.2), whereby wicked problems can be explored from multiple perspectives through open, productive dialogue aligns with the importance of first orienting to and investigating the problem before leaping into solutions. Both of these perspectives on problem identification take time and effort, and I would argue it is a necessary investment if we have any hope in solving the climate issues at hand.
One of my favourite quotes on climate action is from the book called Drawdown, “If you are traveling down the wrong road, you are still on the wrong road if you slow down” (Hawken, 2017, p. xiii), and I think this is right in line with the idea from the design thinking lens that if you’re answering the wrong problem with the right solution, then that solution isn’t really going to be worth much at all.
Corman, I. & Cox, R. (2020). Transdisciplinary Thinking in the context of the MACAL program. Royal Roads University. https://commons.royalroads.ca/macal/wp-content/uploads/sites/88/2021/04/MACAL_Transdisciplinary_Thinking03-31-21-3.pdf
Gram-Hanssen, I., Schafenacker, N., & Bentz, J. (2021). Decolonizing transformations through ‘right relations.’ Sustainability Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-00960-9
Hawken, P. (Ed.). (2017). Drawdown: the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming. Penguin Books.