Where Persistent Issues Are Studied as Systems
Unemployment in Botswana — A Systemic Diagnosis
A longitudinal study examining why unemployment persists despite policy intervention, investment, and programme expansion. The study reveals structural patterns linking education, economic participation, and institutional behaviour.
👉 Addressing Persistent Unemployment in Botswana A Systems Thinking Approach Part I
Leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of tomorrow.
What Makes The Research We Offer Different?
The research arm focuses on issues that do not resolve despite sustained effort, policy attention, and investment. These are not isolated problems, but outcomes produced by underlying system structures—reinforcing behaviours that regenerate the very conditions they attempt to solve.
Each study examines these patterns over time to identify the structures, behaviours, and mental models sustaining persistence.
▪ Focuses on persistence, not events
▪ Uses Behaviour Over Time (BOT) to reveal patterns
▪ Identifies system archetypes driving outcomes
▪ Works through the Onion Model—from events to structure
▪ Moves beyond recommendations to structural clarity
Method: Seeing Structure Before Action
This work is grounded in The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge, but extends beyond its common application. While much of what is called “systems thinking” today operates within balancing loops—optimising within constraints—this research identifies the reinforcing structures generating those constraints in the first place.
LIST
▪ Behaviour Over Time (BOT) analysis
▪ System archetype identification
▪ Causal loop structuring
▪ Onion Model layering
▪ Integration into policy and practice contexts
Application in National and Regional Contexts
The insights from these studies are designed to inform:
▪ National planning processes
▪ Public investment implementation
▪ Institutional capability development
▪ Cross-sector coordination
For Those Working on Persistent Issues
This research is relevant for:
▪ National planning bodies
▪ Ministries and implementation units
▪ Development institutions
▪ Researchers working on structural change
▪ Practitioners confronting repeated failure of well-designed interventions
LIST
▪ Behaviour Over Time (BOT) analysis
▪ System archetype identification
▪ Causal loop structuring
▪ Onion Model layering
▪ Integration into policy and practice contexts
Entry Point
For those new to this work, the Unemployment Study provides the clearest entry point. It can be engaged within an hour and offers a structured introduction to how persistent outcomes are produced—and how they may begin to shift.
Where This Work Is Often Misunderstood
Is this systems thinking as commonly practiced?
Most of what is called “systems thinking” today operates within balancing loops—improving performance within existing constraints. This work focuses on identifying the reinforcing structures that generate those constraints, which often remain unseen and therefore unchanged.
Is this a training programme or a consultancy approach?
It may appear as both, but it is neither in the conventional sense. Training and facilitation are used as entry points, but the intent is to surface the structure producing persistent outcomes, not to optimise existing processes.
Why do well-designed programmes fail to deliver sustained results?
Because they are often designed to address events or symptoms, while the system continues to regenerate those conditions. Without understanding the underlying structure, interventions tend to stabilise the problem rather than resolve it.
Can this work be applied within government systems?
Yes—but only where there is willingness to look beyond performance indicators and engage with how outcomes are being produced over time. This often requires working across ministries, private sector as well as communities and levels of decision-making.
Is this approach relevant at organisational level?
It can be, but its greatest value emerges in national and regional systems, where persistent issues cannot be resolved through organisational improvement alone.
Why does this work feel unfamiliar or difficult to place?
Because it sits between disciplines. It is not economics, not policy, not management—and yet it touches all three. It requires a shift from solving problems to understanding how they are continuously produced.
Systems Thinking Research & Leadership Development Institute (STRLDi) 