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features?(areasneedingpolicyandprogramdevelopment)requiredtoachievetheirvision, <br />selectingpriorities,andproposingrecommendationsfor(re)designingtheinfrastructureofthe <br />community(social,physical,policies,decisionmakingmechanisms,andwaysofdoing <br />things)toachievethosegoals. <br />InMayandJune2006,theTaskForcecompletedtheDestinyPhase,whichinvolved <br />constructingshortandlong-termstrategiesforimplementingandcommunicatingthe <br />recommendations. <br />TheultimategoalofSystemsThinkingistohelppeopleexaminehowtheirthinkingand <br />beliefsystemsmayhavecontributedtotheproblemandcanalsobeadjustedtocreatesuccess. <br />TheSBITaskForcespentthesixmonthslearningfromotherswiththeexplicitgoals <br />ofavoidingquickandpossiblyerroneousconclusionsandclarifyingthetypeofthinking <br />neededtocreateaneffectiveapproachforgrowingsustainablebusinesses.Wehopedthis <br />approachwouldalsoprovidetimeforbusinessandcommunityleaderstolearnaboutand <br />understandsustainability. <br />ASystemsThinkingtoolcalledthe?Iceberg?wasusedasamodeltohelppeopleunderstandthe <br />concept.LikeanIceberg,mostofthecomplexityinoureconomic,social,andenvironmental <br />systemslieshiddenbeneaththesurfaceofeverydayevents.Itisnotpossibletonavigatearound <br />anicebergwithoutacknowledgingthatmostofitsmassisunderwater,hiddenfromview.The <br />sameistrueforsustainablebusinessandjobdevelopment. <br />Forexample,businessandgovernmentleadersareoftenconsumedwithdailyeventsandcrises. <br />Onecanincreaseunderstandingandrespondbettertothedailyeventssuchaseconomic, <br />socialorenvironmentalproblemsnotjustbyrespondingtothoseevents.Instead,by <br />steppingbackandaskingiftheproblemshaveoccurredbeforeinthesameorsimilarform,that <br />is,bylookingforhistoric,itmaybepossibletogainincreasedunderstanding <br />trends and patterns <br />andleverageforchange. <br />Itislikelythatevengreaterunderstandingofthecausesandsolutionscanbegainedby <br />goingstilldeeperandexaminingthethatmayhaveproducedthepatterns <br />systemic structures <br />ortrends.Forexample,examiningthewaypoliciesandprogramsarestructuredmay <br />illuminatewhytheongoingpatternsofpooreconomic,socialorenvironmentalperformanceare <br />occurring. <br />Thegreatestleverageforunderstandingandchange,however,canusuallybefoundbygoing <br />stilldeeperandexaminingthe--themindset--thatcreatedthe <br />thinking, beliefs, and assumptions <br />structuresintheplace.Themindsetthatpeopleholddeterminesthestructures(policies, <br />programs)theyestablishthatproducethehistoricpatternsofeventsthatshowupaseveryday <br />issuesandcrises.Surfacingthesementalmodelscanleadtonewwaysofthinkingandsuccess. <br /> <br />