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Short-course

Using systems thinking to unpack problems

When dealing with the increasingly complex and messy problems of today, it’s probably not the best strategy to focus on just one particular behaviour without first understanding the wider system. Doing so could result in frustratingly ineffective programs or even create new problems.

This course introduces a practical way to apply systems thinking to understand the problem and reveal the social, economic and environmental factors that may contribute to it. With these insights, you will be able to make better decisions about where to intervene and know which behaviours to target.

This short course is for anyone who needs to understand a problem holistically and better identify ‘who needs to do what differently’.

Bring your own problem to apply a systems approach and gain a broader perspective.

What you’ll learn

All BehaviourWorks’ short courses support skills development and the practical application of behavioural science theories, tools, techniques and methods.

By attending this short course you will:

  • know why, and how, systems thinking can directly contribute to the development of effective behaviour change initiatives
  • practice using ‘cause and effect’ mapping to gain a broader perspective of the context and situation of a problem.
  • discover how these holistic, big picture approaches can illuminate different actors/behaviours that may be more impactful to focus on
  • uncover connections and influences that can inform later stages of the BehaviourWorks Method, such as identifying specific drivers of a behaviour and designing effective behaviour change evaluations.

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This course aims to contribute to the learning and development capabilities encouraged in the public sector: e.g. ‘systems thinking’ – level: Applied – VPS Public Sector Commission, p. 3 ‘ under meaningful outcomes’.
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This course is part of our Toolbox Series short courses that are designed to support your skills development and the practical application of behavioural science theories, tools, techniques and methods to what you do.

The benefits of taking a holistic, big picture approach

For behaviour change programs to be successful, we need everyone to be on the same page. One of the tactics we use to achieve this is by showing how problems emerge from systems.

By examining the interconnections and/or influences between networks, processes, policies and organisations, we are better able to identify some of the challenges (i.e., silos, competing agendas, organisational cultures) that may be playing a role.

Systems mapping helps us identify the range of influences contributing to the problem to reveal parts of the system where behaviour change can have the biggest impact – ideally for the least effort.

More on Systems Thinking as a methodology and Research Service

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Course dates and details

More details

Online Workshop 1:
Friday 28 May, 9:30 – 11:30 am

Online Workshop 2:
Friday 4 June, 9.30 am – 12:00 midday

Plus 10 hours of self-paced learning between workshops, including access to online content and resources, tool application and peer review.

Registrations close
26 May 2021 (places are limited)

$
660
incl. GST

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Frequently asked questions

What is the format and structure of the course?

BehaviourWorks Australia’s Toolbox Series short courses comprise up to 15 hours of learning within an intensive seven-day period (Friday to Friday). See course information webpage for dates and times.

Your course will begin and end with an instructor-led workshop. In between the workshops, you will make your way through the self-paced activities in the online learning management system, Moodle.

Tasks to complete in Moodle include an eBook of reading material, an online quiz to assess your understanding, a demonstration activity to enable you to watch the skill in action and a practical peer-review activity, which will give you the opportunity to consolidate your newly-acquired skill by giving and receiving feedback with your peers.

What are the eligibility requirements for participating in this course?

There are no specific entry requirements for participating in BehaviourWorks Australia’s short courses.However, in order to gain the most out of the content and activities, we ask that you are able to read and communicate in English effectively.

The courses contain academic and non-academic learning materials and you are expected to commit time to participate with the expected workload (approximately 15 hours per course). You are responsible for your learning, such as completing required tasks, engaging with peers and conforming to online codes of conduct. Finally, we ask you to bring your own experiences to the course to enhance your learning and to enable the transfer of knowledge back to your work.

Are there any face-to-face lectures or is physical attendance required?

No. The course is delivered fully online, which means that all of the course content is delivered digitally, through the University’s online learning platform. Moodle. The fully online nature of the course makes it extremely flexible. As long as you have reliable access to the internet, you can complete the course from anywhere!

What is meant by ‘self-paced’?

Parts of this course are ‘self-paced’, in that you will decide when and from where you will access the learning material and how fast or slow you wish to progress through it. That is, the majority of the materials, including the eBook, quiz and learning activities can be completed flexibly within the week the course runs.The two workshops within the course are not self-paced but instructor-led, meaning that you will be asked to attend at a given time and participate in scheduled activities.

What is covered in the workshops?

The workshops are intended to bring learners together to achieve certain objectives in a cohesive and standardised way.

  • Workshop 1 will involve getting to know your facilitator, the course, its learning activities, the nature of the content you will cover in the upcoming week, navigate the online learning platform, and provide an opportunity to connect with other learners.
  • Workshop 2 will enable you to address any questions or challenges you have experienced with the course material, to collaborate with others in applying the skills you have learned to a new task and provide you with further behavioural insights to help you in your behaviour change pursuits!
What if I cannot attend a workshop?

The workshops in your course are a key part of the learning experience. However, you can still achieve the learning objectives of the course by completing the online materials and participating in the online activities only, without attending the workshops. The workshops are recorded so that you can catch up later, if you cannot attend due to other commitments. Please note that recordings may be edited for clarity.