“How To Survive in the VUCA World?
Introduction to SYSTEMS THINKING”
Oct 21st (Thu) 19:00-20:30 
Speaker: Prof. Junko Edahiro (Shizenkan University)
| Why Systems Thinking is Required in the Age of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity)?
Join Professor Junko Edahiro, one of most prominent sustainability thinkers and advocates in Japan, at this free webinar to learn the systems thinking approach to dealing with the VUCA world.
Systems thinking gives you some practical tools for broadening your perspective and seeing problems in different and new ways that help you make informed choices and find solutions for problems once thought unsolvable. In other words, it helps you to confront the complexity and see “the whole iceberg” instead of just “the tip”.
This is an invaluable skill for leaders today, because they need to understand the pattern and underlying mechanisms to take effective actions to deal with turmoils in business environment. For example, why are there different COVID-19 patterns in different countries? What is the mechanism of the US-China trade war? Do you understand the underlying structure of your own business-related problems? Learn with concrete examples how systems thinking helps deepen the understanding of a situation and predict its development.
Professor Junko Edahiro has translated books of Lester Brown, Al Gore, Dennis Meadows, Donella Meadows, David Suzuki and many others into Japanese, and also writes by herself dozens of books on climate change, energy, happiness, systems thinking, and many other sustainability topics. She promotes and facilitates environmental communication and dialogue among governments, corporations and citizens.
In addition, she was an advisor to Japan’s Prime Minister at the “Climate Change Roundtable,” preparing for the Toya Lake Summit in 2008. She has served many other government committees and corporate boards related to climate change, biodiversity, and energy issues.
In this open class, we will explore the questions as below;
|
Prof. Junko Edahiro
Professor, Shizenkan University
Founder and President, e’s Inc.
President, Miraisozobu (dba For Future Company)
President, Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society (ISHES)
Co-Founder and Chairperson, Change Agent, Inc.
Outside Director, Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.
Junko Edahiro is an environmental journalist, committed to communication and networking through lecturing, publishing, consulting and translating on the environment, all with the aim of causing behavioral change among people and building effective systems for a sustainable society. To comprehensively study the relationship among happiness, economy, and society and work on these themes, she holds workshops on happiness and sustainability.
She creates opportunities and places to build consensus among stakeholders utilizing the Systems Thinking or Scenario Planning model. She acts as a facilitator for companies and local governments. And as an advisor, she is also involved in regional revitalization to depict a more desirable future with projects to rebuild the local economy.