Systems Thinking Research & Leadership Development Institute (STRLDi)
Strategy Consulting & Corporate Development Training for Learning Organizations
The parable “I Can Sleep When the Wind Blows” illustrates the importance of preparation, mirrored in agricultural practices and national budgeting. Effective industry planning, guided by STEM principles, ensures sustainable growth and stability. Without this backbone, the system falters, leading to volatility and inefficiency, hindering farmers and economic progress.
Your thinking is incisive — and it touches a painful global fault line. ✳️ Introductory Paragraph: The world is not waiting. Nations are restructuring their economies, education systems, and regulatory frameworks to meet the demands of an AI-powered, STEM-led global future. That shift was happening as far back as 200 years ago. In the span … Continue reading Builders or Bystanders? Three Strategic Scenarios for Botswana’s STEM Future
Botswana’s unemployment crisis is rooted in systemic issues like labor absorption gaps, skills mismatches, and household instability. Solutions require rebalancing educational priorities towards STEM, improving family structures, and fostering cross-sector economic coordination. A holistic design is essential to energize key sectors, ensuring sustainable employment and economic resilience amidst persistent challenges.
Botswana has faced decades of investment without addressing the structural causes of high unemployment. This study employs systems thinking to highlight key systemic failures in absorbing the workforce, underperforming sectors, and value circulation. Solutions lie in redesigning economic structures for sustainable growth and job creation, challenging existing policies and practices.
When a country says it has a 20% unemployment rate, multiply that by three times to determine the rate that is closer to what could be happening on the ground for the country. These include other than those who are actively seeking work or discouraged work seekers, those who would chose not to work as well as those who are not active economically. They are barely able to create jobs for themselves, much less others. Determine what that number looks like for your country. Derive policies based on those numbers. It will become difficult to go wrong from there.
As it appeared in the Sunday Standard, Botswana on Sunday Jan 20, 2013 edition. Change Happens at the Speed of Thinking about the Whole Rather than of Our Individual Parts How did “Uncle solve the problem”? Ignoring is not solving. Should we see a fire at the corner of our house, caused say, by dry … Continue reading Newspaper Column #13: Why do some problems defy, no, NOT change? – Part V
As it appeared in the Sunday Standard, Botswana on Sunday Jan 20, 2013 edition. Change Happens at the Speed of Thinking about the Whole Rather than of Our Parts What causes the change to stay changed? If we have managed change and it has happened, it should not go back to its old ways. Yes? … Continue reading Newspaper Column #12: Why do some problems defy, no, NOT change? – Part IV
As it appeared in the Sunday Standard, Botswana on Sunday Jan 13, 2013 edition. Change Happens at the Speed of Thinking about the Whole rather than of Our Part What causes change to be real? Understanding it with a story: “The Healing Poison” Hope all of you had fabulous New Year festivities with family loved … Continue reading Newspaper Column #11: Why do some problems defy, no, NOT change? – Part III
As it appeared in the Sunday Standard, Botswana on Sunday Dec 23, 2012 edition. Seeing the Trees and the Forest If the problem is solved, it should not come back. Period! We would be seeing results. If it recurs, then this is a sign that we have not solved it. Yet. Period! Last week, we ran a … Continue reading Newspaper Column #10: Why do some problems defy, no, NOT change? – Part II
As it appeared in the Sunday Standard, Botswana on Sunday Dec 16, 2012 edition. Dynamic Complexity vs. Detail Complexity We face problems daily. And, we do not doubt our ability to deal with them. Sometimes, this confidence can pull wool over our heads that we can deal even with the stubborn ones, in much the same way. We would … Continue reading Newspaper Column #9: Why do some problems defy, no, NOT change? – Part I
Dear all, Hope this mail finds all of you in good spirits among all that you wish for in your life. Some of you may know that I have been away from Singapore since 2007 being part of a programme here in Botswana where I had assisted the government learn and appreciate the five disciplines … Continue reading Article 1: The Magic of Systems Thinking!
Under construction (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The two however, does not exist together. It is one or the other. But not both.
Under construction (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Find the vicious cycles and turn them around.
“We are peaceful people,” because we do not talk to each other when we are feeling angry (about something or somebody). Instead we keep it (bottled) inside within us (causing our body blood pressures and the cost of running the Ministry of Health in the country both to rise). We do this, because, “should we … Continue reading Article 3: We are peaceful people
REACHING THE GOALS YOU HAVE SET IS NOT EASY TILL …. WE FACE AND DEAL WITH STUBBORN PROBLEMS It is a management question. Are you there yet? What are you doing to get there? Have you set goals for you and your team? Yet, setting of goals is really the easy part. And there are … Continue reading Article 2: Setting goals is the easy part. Reaching them is not!
Most countries think supply of labour should drive demand. We forget then (or choose not to admit to ourselves) that it is demand that drives supply in any situation. Not the other way around. It is just not realistic to believe that because we have so many ‘young ones’ here, that there should be jobs … Continue reading Regional Article 23: Unemployment, labour disputes, economic diversification and fertility
Despite our efforts to set up judiciary courts to preside over cases involving employers and employees embroiled in disputes with each other as well as educate ‘people’ on ways to avoid disputes with each other, why do relations between employers and employees continue to sour and such disputes tend to soar year after year? Surely, … Continue reading Regional Article 20: Why do disputes by labor (with unions) and employers go up?
We know what causes infidelity? But what causes fidelity? Whatever that causes fidelity, when it is not there, causes infidelity! So, what causes fidelity? A couple goes through different stages or types of intimacy during their times together and experience one or more stages in their lifetime. To the extent the couple moves through the … Continue reading National Article 19: What causes fidelity?
Should we pay attention to: Curing the disease when it is already transmitted (attack the problem that we can see)? or Preventing the disease from being transmitted (defend ourselves from the problem?) or ‘Cure’ ‘the reason that causes the disease to be transmitted (what causes the problem)? Let’s take this situation. Suppose there is a couple, both … Continue reading National Article 18: What would it take to ‘cure’ HIV?
UNEMPLOYMENT = SUPPLY OF LABOUR > DEMAND FOR LABOUR In a country, where levels of unemployment stay persistent over time, then it is a sign that the rates of growth of the supply of labour (population numbers -” child creation”) each year is growing at rates faster than the rate of growth of the demand for … Continue reading Regional Article 17: Is unemployment real?
Stressed so I took my boss hostage (thesun.co.uk) I found this part interesting: Thompson then tied his victim to a chair and subjected him to a 20-minute ordeal that left Mr Grady suffering depression and post-traumatic stress. He remains off work five months later. The court heard the worker (Thomson) told his boss: “This is the … Continue reading National Article 16: So, who is the (real) criminal?
Or does one choose to work because one wants to carve a career (to advance the public or private good) for oneself and for others?
Focussing on how one teaches or how one learns? Can one exclude the other? Which would lead the other within the school system? When a student shows he has understood (by his grades) what the teacher has taught him, would that mean he is learning? Would that mean should the teacher stop teaching (such as … Continue reading National Article 14: What is the right answer?
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