Jump on the Revolution Bandwagon! #cindertoflame

Do you share Cinder to Flame’s vision for sustainable, quality living? If yes, get ready to jump-on-the-revolution-bandwagon to join a peaceful resistance that is focused on sustainable solutions for social justice, quality of life and healthy communities built upon healthy people.

To set the context, let’s begin by listing examples of complex, interrelated challenges:

High cost of living impacts the ability of middle and low income earners to meet basic needs
Access to affordable, safe housing takes years to build, amid growing needs (e.g. for current residents, refugees etc.)
Climate change (linked to human activities that impact the environment) and low grocery retailer competition contribute to high food costs
Surge in food insecurity exerts pressure on emergency measures (e.g. food banks and drives)
Cheaper food is associated with an increase in obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and some types of cancer etc.
Social determinants of health (e.g. lack of housing and food) escalate health care usage and costs
Rise in mental health issues, addictions, and crime threaten the safety of people
Disconnected health system (e.g. when public health is separate from the health care system there can be conflicting aims for prevention versus treatment)
Shortage of primary health care providers (e.g. family physicians and nurse practitioners) along with the need to advance team-based primary care
Increased demand, delays and cost of emergency services and emergency room visits
Retention of nurses and personal support workers in “direct” patient and client care roles
Insufficient funding for community care and services to enable seniors to age in place (in their homes) to maintain dignity, independence and quality of life
Projected growth of the aging population that will stretch municipal and health care resources beyond the breaking point.

This high-level and incomplete list intends to trigger further thought among my diverse connections across public and private service and industry sectors. The starting point is to identify “one” specific challenge (a problem) that your team, Corporation, municipality or community is grappling with that requires more innovative solutions.

Champions are leading an emergency response to many complex challenges. However, the emergency response needs to be coupled with equal attention to sustainable solutions today because these challenges are anticipated to get even worse.

Large, complex challenges have been described as wicked problems by Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber (design theorists). Such problems are messy with multiple interrelationships across systems and sectors that make them extremely challenging to solve. A focus on one system, isolated processes or parts in isolation cannot fully address the complexities. Nor can it withstand the pressure exerted from other systems. For example, insufficient income to afford housing results in food insecurity and these social determinants of health increase emergency room visits and length of hospitalization, impacting the health and well-being of communities.

We live in a world with an immense and complex infrastructure of public and private service and industry sectors. All levels of government share accountability for the health and well-being of people; however, it is not easy to decipher which level of government is assuming “primary” ownership and taking the lead for an emergency response (e.g. to food insecurity) and especially for sustainable solutions.

Can a Healthy City Strategy be effective when people living in communities cannot afford safe housing or healthy food, or do not have sufficient access to primary and community health care?

Reflecting upon the complex infrastructure, this image came to mind:

Many layers of bureaucracy and hierarchical organizational structures carve horizontal lines and the divisions or departments cut vertical lines. This results in placing people inside a “box” where they are working relentlessly. But they cannot fully see what’s happening beyond their box and that they are on an isolated island, battered by a hurricane of problems. And, the waves are growing bigger each day…

While we can't tackle the entire “ocean” of complex challenges, this is what we can do:

Identify one challenge in your specific area as a starting point
Carry on with an emergency response to the challenge
Ensure there is equal attention to exploring innovative ideas and sustainable solutions.

The third step requires immediate action and entails a culture change in how we view and approach complex, interrelated challenges. In addition to pouring resources and energy into an emergency response, we can jump-on-the-revolution-bandwagon to focus equal attention on sustainable solutions.

Let’s continue with the example of food insecurity. It is well established that lack of affordable housing leads to food insecurity. While poverty has been identified as a root cause, the affordability crisis has expanded to include middle income earners who are struggling to afford homes and healthy food. The risks are an increase in food bank visitors who are middle income earners and the need to ration food for everyone.

We can’t wait years for a sufficient number of affordable homes to be built. People need food today and tomorrow. Beyond housing (and funding for more social services), there are other innovative ideas that remain to be explored for sustainable solutions that can be implemented much faster than going through the red-tape and lengthy process of building affordable homes.

Cinder to Flame helps Corporations solve complex challenges with strategic services that energize people, fuel a healthy corporate culture and ignite major innovation.

Cinder to Flame has developed a unique way of solving complex, interrelated challenges. The System of Systems Approach™ begins with a specific challenge and shifts the perspective to the generation of innovative ideas and the design of sustainable solutions. Over time, this approach can disrupt an emergency situation (e.g. food insecurity, lack of affordable housing, shortage of primary health care providers, retention of nurses in direct care roles, etc.) with a solid set of proactive strategies.

One component of the System of Systems Approach™ is readiness to view challenges through a wide lens. Two barriers reported in leadership studies are a preference to either simplify a problem so that it can be solved more readily or to focus on one best solution, as opposed to entertaining complexity and an array of innovative solutions.

An interesting characteristic of wicked problems is that there are different ways to define and approach them, along with an infinite number of potential solutions. Thessen, Bogdan and Patterson (2021) reviewed the need to move “from reductionism to reintegration” to address society’s most pressing problems, utilizing a complexity approach that is rooted in systems thinking. Dr. Michael C. Jackson is a systems researcher with numerous publications, a common theme is “creative holism” as a “critical systems approach to complex problem situations.”

But what about continuous quality (process) improvement, Generative AI and data analytics?

Continuous quality (process) improvement and associated methodologies were never intended to solve complex human problems. Nor can we afford the time spent implementing small, incremental changes while these problems continue to explode.

Generative AI and data analytics can identify some solutions, but they work from what is already known from the past and in the present. Innovative solutions require a paradigm shift and disruption that venture beyond what is known, has been tried or successfully implemented. And, people must lead the significant change(s) required to solve large, complex, interrelated human problems.

One of the levers for change at the Social Enterprise World Forum includes “grassroots activism and advocacy” toward creating positive social change. This includes engaging people within our communities.

The Canadian Purpose Economy Project is focused on an economy “powered by the pursuit of long-term well-being for all”. This project invites “all sectors of the economy to contribute to health and well-being across our society”. Private sector Corporations can rise to the challenge and help support healthy communities by implementing a social purpose.

The photo of adjoined wagons can be likened to connecting heads, hearts and hands because everyone has a role to play.

The holiday season is a time to pause and consider the hardships that people living in your City, municipality or community are facing. Be forewarned, that once festivities are over the dead of winter follows, along with dwindling public support.

Are you emboldened to jump-on-the-revolution-bandwagon?

Reflect upon characteristics of transformational leaders in this article: https://www.cindertoflame.ca/post/are-you-a-transformational-leader

These hashtags are central to the work of Cinder to Flame and relevant to every article:

#cindertoflame #workculture #creativity #innovation #transformation #paradigmshift #strategy #leadership #management #transformationalleadership #changemanagement #humanresources #engagement #motivation #corporations #ceo #government #localgovernment #publicsector #publicservice #privatesector #healthcare

These hashtags are specific to this article, click a hashtag to generate a subset of Cinder to Flame articles with the same topic:

#continuousimprovement #systemsthinking #generativeai #costofliving #affordablehousing #foodsecurity #socialdeterminantsofhealth #qualityoflife