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Through Map the System, a 2-credit graduate course and friendly student competition, participants apply a set of practices, habits, and tools that help individuals, organizations, and businesses think through complexity and visualize complex systems.
At the beginning of the course teams choose a regional system, uncover dynamics within that system that have potential for impact, and reveal where interventions can reach levers for systems change, or have unintended consequences. At the end of the course, participants present their understanding of the system they chose, highlighting existing efforts to intervene in the system as well as any levers of change.
One Map the System PSU team is selected to attend a Global Map the System competition at the University of Oxford, where they compete against student teams from universities around the world.
What is Systems Thinking?
Systems thinking is a tool that is used to understand the root causes, symptoms, and factors that hold the status quo in its place.
Who can Map the System?
Map the System is open to PSU graduate students who are:
Interested in solving complex, issue-based problems
Looking for careers in ESG and social-impact
Developing an awareness of the role you can play in different systems
Motivated to think outside traditional, linear approaches to problem-solving
Curious what any of this means!
By participating in Map the System, teams will:
Apply a systems thinking approach, including identifying interconnections, interrelationships, patterns, events and behavior that produce the challenge.
Understand a challenge landscape, its root causes, symptoms, and what is holding it in place
Understand the existing solution efforts and the links and gaps among those efforts
Identify levers of change, including new ideas, enhancements to current efforts, connecting ideas between sectors, and more
Create connections with students, faculty, staff, and community members
Be eligible for selection to attend the Global Map the System Final Competition at the University of Oxford
How is Map the System Unique?
It is designed to change the conversation in social impact education — moving from an overemphasis on the ‘heropreneur’ and new ‘solutions’— to a focus on deep understanding of complex problems as the foundation for driving transformational change.
STORIES
STORIES
Past PSU Project Samples (2022-2024)
Past PSU Project Samples (2022-2024)
Food Mirages
Food deserts can have a significant effect on residents impacting economic progress and healthy outcomes. This project identified the food deserts and food mirages in the North Portland area that affect those that are socio-economically disadvantaged.
High Speed Transit
The development of high-speed rail is crucial to the future of the United States but current HSR infrastructure is prohibitively expensive. This project explores the forces preventing development of high-speed passenger trains in the US.
Support for Kids with ADHD
This project identifies potential ways to to help children with ADHD (Attention Destruction and Hyperactivity Disorder) build their confidence/overcome the negative impact ADHD has on them.
Conspiracy Theories
Dashne Abdulghafour, Alex Bok, Andrew Sulak and Crystal Van Wyk, all MBA students in PSU’s School of Business, explored the problem of conspiracy theories. They focused their research on four elements: how conspiracy theories affect social systems, how conspiracy theories form, what makes a person believe in conspiracy theories and who are the stakeholders believing, creating and pushing conspiracy theories.
Regional Health Systems
Devlin Prince and Anaeliz “Mina” Colon, both PhD students in health systems & policy in the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health explored how regional health systems within the state of Oregon have been tasked with addressing social determinants of health—non-medical factors that can influence well-being—in their communities. As part of their project, the team conducted a systematic review of twelve Coordinated Care Organizations (COO) within Oregon and compared how different organizations addressed social determinants of health.
Voices in Early Childhood Ed
Anna Koelle, who is pursuing a Master degree in early childhood education and inclusive education in PSU’s College of Education, explored the systems that prevent early childhood programs from addressing issues of access and equity and engaging in anti-bias education. The map depicted who has a seat at the table—and who does not—when it comes to addressing these issues, and showed how the pandemic might be an opportunity for reimaging early childhood education and for integrating anti-bias work.
CONTACT
CONTACT
Abby Chroman
Program Director, School of Business, PSU
achroman@pdx.edu
https://abbychroman.youcanbook.me/
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