Hello Everyone! My name is Omodolapo Ojo, I am a doctoral candidate at the Department of Educational Research Methodology at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. My research work and hands-on practices focused on investigating equity and inclusion in evaluation efforts. Specifically, I adopt systems thinking principles in my work and would like to share some insights gained.
My Experience and Concern
Systems thinking is an interdisciplinary concept currently gaining popularity. I applied systems thinking the first time on a graduate assistantship project that focused on developing computational literacy skills in K-12 students through a partnership agreement between a university and some rural school districts. Coincidentally, the implementation of the project took a developmental path, as most decisions were iterative and very focused on responding to emerging needs and grappling with the challenges of the pandemic. My experience in this partnership project and subsequent alliance projects has developed my interest to prioritize systems thinking in my career. However, despite my exposure and interest, I sensed the need for a substantial grasp of the underlying principle guiding the systemic concept.
Search for Foundational Knowledge
The concern for my limited knowledge about the foundational principles of systems thinking inspired me to do some research work including a dissertational study on the major theoretical principles guiding systems thinking. I was able to trace the origin of the systems theory to World War I and World War II, specifically in the 1940s, when the theory emerged as an alternative to reductionism. The systems theory was indeed born out of an intense need to develop theories that could accommodate interdisciplinary problem-solving. The study, Systems theory as the foundation for understanding systems offered a more comprehensive account of the history. I got further clarification on application of the foundational principles in publications like Grounding ECD in systems theory, Promoting ECB in a complex adaptive system, and several others.
Building Confidence and Critical Perspective
Based on the experience and knowledge acquired, I am now gaining confidence in using the systems thinking concepts to evaluate projects and review case studies of evaluation capacity building initiatives in my dissertation. Consequent to the confidence gained, I have confirmed the popular notion about systems thinking’s critical role and identified its limitations. The systems thinking lens conspicuously lacks focus on cultural dimensions. While studies like the Culturally Responsive Evaluation Meets Systems-Oriented Evaluation and several others have highlighted this limitation from a broader scope. My practical experience has enhanced my sensitivity to identify more specific missing insights, like the cultural history and strengths of the evaluation context. Less attention to these cultural pieces among several others can significantly impact evaluation’s responsiveness to emerging circumstances. Hence, this blog presents a call for more critical reviews of how we bring the systems thinking lens to our work and be aware of any inherent limitations it may pose to intending purposes.
Rad Resources
Here, I have shared my experience with gaining confidence in applying systems thinking to evaluation. While practical experience remains crucial to developing confidence in applying systems thinking, I realized that the role of foundational knowledge cannot be overemphasized. The diagram below presents the systems theory that impacted my developmental journey. The diagram highlights the seven axioms and their propositions, with a concise description of how they can be conceptualized in evaluation.
At this point, I like to invite you all to also share what has been your struggles and successes with the application of systems thinking in your work.
Adapted from Systems theory as the foundation for understanding systems
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