Although this was not the first time I encountered the concept of systems thinking, I had never seen it been implemented before I attended the GINila conference. One of the main things the facilitators used was the compass model. The compass model is a set of four perspectives that are used to break down issues and examine them in terms of the environment, society, the economy and wellbeing. It is a very interesting lense to analyse global issues through, and after observing several GANG discussions, I found that it was not a shallow exploration either. On Friday, GANG groups utilised the compass model to analyse natural disasters - an annual threat to the lives of impoverished communities in the Philippines (typhoon season). The team I observed selected different elements of the issue, and made graphs to show their long-term impacts (for example, the economy would slump, while resources would increase as a result of emergency responses.) When seen collectively, one can then examine the overall effect of the issue through different perspectives. While the compass model has its benefits, it also has a disadvantage. Because of the four-sided structure, it is quite rigid, and limits the amount of links and connections we can make between the different problems. However, there is no denying that it does provide a level of analysis that has more depth to it than conventional methods.
- Kavya D.
- Kavya D.