Abstract:

This paper is related to the important concepts set forth through the SYSTEMA Erasmus+ Project on Adult Education that promotes the adoption of Systems Thinking as a fundamental skill to tackle Sustainable Development (SD) and Digital Transformation (DX). Academics, Educators, Professionals and Managers need to become proficient in the ability to “think in systems” in order to properly and effectively address problem solving and decision making in various processes where SD and DX is involved: organizational change, strategic management and consultancy, primary and secondary school education, etc. A recent study published from the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Seville named “GreenComp” shows that Systems Thinking is indeed one of the key competences for sustainable development. The SYSTEMA project started even before the JRC issued such a study and thus can be considered as a pioneeristic experience in promoting Systems Thinking in such two nowadays hot fields. Additionally, nowadays, there is a collective need to equip young people, who will form the backbone of our society in the coming years, with skills that will develop and/or enhance their critical thinking, their problem-solving capabilities in complex environments, sharpen their clarity of thought and enhance their communication abilities. In the digital age, technology is an enabling factor in the transformation based on the creation of a large intelligent network. This transformation is not only aimed at satisfying customer requests but is oriented towards a real restructuring of organizations and how they are managed to increase their value and profitability, through process efficiency and greater effectiveness in general. Hence, the current era of Digital Transformation is requiring a radical approach to changing the whole system under analysis and not just some of its aspects. Therefore, the DX process of an organization must take into due account the interdependence of aspects such as customer demand, technology and business objectives. In fact, while socio-cultural changes impact demand and customers, technologies are implemented in such a way to respond to changes in demand itself, so as to be positive for the business and in line with the overall strategy. Thus, the challenge of undertaking DX and realizing its benefits needs to be conceived, planned, managed and followed by leaders who are able to anticipate and understand the expected and unexpected consequences that await the organization on the way of such a profound change. One of the most effective ways to fully understand the dynamics of such a systemic process is Systems Thinking. Similarly, SD will be the key issue that will define policy making in the 21st century. This unavoidable fact was ratified in 2015 when the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development were adopted by 193 countries. However, designing and implementing successful sustainable policies is an extremely complex process, due to their intrinsic nature; such problems have long term horizons, they are characterized by deep levels of uncertainty, interwoven feedback loops, and lengthy time lags between actions and their consequences. The situation is hindered even more by the inability to learn through experimentation, since that involves high costs (that are not solely monetary) and the aforementioned time lags between policies and perceived impacts. These limits could be overcome, again, by the adoption of Systems Thinking.

Keywords:

Systems Thinking, Sustainable Development, Digital Transformation, Agenda 2030, EU Digital Compass, Green Comp.