Practitioner Networking: How to Influence Public Policy Decision-Making from a Systems Perspective

In this session titled: How to Influence Public Policy Decision-Making from a Systems Perspective, Dennis Sherwood will be our presenter, and will discuss a theme of high current political interest in the UK. In April, the UK government announced that illegal asylum seekers arriving in the UK will be deported to Rwanda. This is intended as a disincentive to potential asylum seekers, and so will reduce the number of dangerous crossing of the English Channel in small boats. But will this policy work? Or is it a classic case of ‘perverse incentives’? If it might be, how can systems thinking be used, for real, in influencing high-level policies – not just in the UK –  for the better?

Dennis’s education was as a scientist, reading physics at Clare College, Cambridge, followed by taking an MPhil at the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University, and a PhD in biology at the University of California at San Diego. Dennis is also a Sloan Fellow, with distinction, of London Business School. Dennis’s scientific heritage has influenced his work ever since: Dennis’s approach to creativity is disciplined and highly analytical, and in no way ‘fluffy’! Dennis left academia and has worked in management and consulting for many years. In 2001, he founded an intelligent innovation consultancy, The Silver Bullet Machine.

Dennis is the author of several books, including Creativity for Scientists and Engineers: A Practical Guide, How to Be Creative, Strategic Thinking Illustrated: Strategy Made Visual Using Systems Thinking, and Missing the Mark.

This practitioner networking session is a space for people in the society who are consulting with external clients using systems thinking or system dynamics. A speaker will present on a topic they’ve been working on, some challenge they’re having, and potential solutions they’ve explored. The second half of the call will be for attendees to ask questions, offer suggestions, and provide feedback. Anyone can sign up to share!

Join us to:

• Get to know people in the field
• Explore different perspectives
• Learn about System Dynamics projects
• Share your experience
• Build relationships

Visit the Practitioner’s page for more resources.