MOSS Consultants & Capital

24/02/2022

MOSS was invited to provide an intensive Systems Innovation workshop for the Sustainability Grand Challenges course of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University MSc. Global Business & Sustainability. This year’s grand challenge focused on the nitrogen crisis in the Dutch agrifood system.
As a cornerstone of the course, the workshop facilitated the transition from problem to solution where the students built and then analyzed their causal loop diagrams from various perspectives and used key insights to generate intervention ideas. Supported by seminal scientific theory on leverage points and intervention strategies, students were challenged to consider the systemic impact, unintended consequences, stakeholder engagement, and innovativeness of their approaches.
Students recognized the complexity of tackling grand challenges, expressing appreciation for the causal loop diagram’s insightfulness and usefulness for leveraging systems innovation.
Nailed it.

04/11/2021

MOSS was thrilled to provide a workshop on systems approaches as part of Cordaid's online knowledge series on food systems.
During the workshop, participants representing Cordaid from all over the world experienced first-hand how to map and model the structural dynamics of a complex system. After reviewing a case illustrating how synergies between leverage points can lead to multi-stakeholder collaboration insights and sound intervention strategies, they explored the practical implications of systems approaches at Cordaid.
Participants recognized the value of applying a systems paradigm to the complex issues tackled through international development, indicating that more work needs to be done to continue embedding systems thinking in Cordaid efforts.
Challenge accepted.

19/10/2021

MOSS was invited to provide a webinar on systems thinking and complexity theory as part of Cordaid's online knowledge series on food systems.
During the webinar, participants representing Cordaid from all over the world challenged their perceptions and assumptions of international development efforts, recognizing that common approaches in the sector are grounded in a reductionist paradigm that limits their efficacy. After learning about the core properties of complex adaptive systems and the process of systems transformation, the beneficial implications of adopting a systems paradigm in international development became apparent.
By recognizing that the issues tackled through international development are rooted in complexity, change agents can work with the properties of complex systems to enact more meaningful change. This is the value of systems thinking.
The session was well-received, prompted deep reflections, and prepared participants for an upcoming workshop by MOSS on exploring systems thinking approaches at Cordaid.

27/07/2021

In mid-2021, MOSS finalized its support of the research project on three food systems - rice, pulses, fisheries - in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady region in collaboration with ICCO Regional Office South East Asia and Tun Yat.
In this concluding communications phase of the project the teams were challenged to deliver their findings in a final report. However, given the rapidly deteriorating situation in Myanmar, the research project had at this stage effectively come to a standstill and an abrupt conclusion. The partners therefore unanimously agreed to limit the report to just a small portion of the project findings and for only one of the three food systems: pulses.
Producing a professional report under these conditions - even one with such a limited scope - proved to be a herculean task. MOSS is immensely proud to share the results of the collective efforts of the project partners, as it is a testament to the courage, commitment, and perseverance of the Myanmar-based teams.
The final report - and accompanying Kumu presentation - only scratches the surface of the findings of this research project and yet is exceptionally rich in insights and recommendations for cross-sector collaborations towards a climate-change resilient pulse food system. As such, it shows just how valuable a systems approach to complex problems can be!
Report entitled ‘Towards Sustainable Food Systems: Pulse Production System in the Myanmar Delta Region’: https://lnkd.in/dYPVWu7
Kumu presentation: https://lnkd.in/gx_34ZX

21/07/2021

What do human drug addiction and fish stock levels have in common?
Chemical components of both prescribed and illegal drugs designed to change behavior in humans aren't filtered out in sewage treatment and therefore end up in rivers, ultimately also changing the behavior of fish and their offspring, thereby having long-lasting implications for ecosystems.
Taking a holistic view to uncover the many relationships and interdependencies of our complex world helps us better understand how to tackle socio-ecological problems.
Systems thinking. Is it in your blood too?

Trout enjoy water that contains methamphetamine – could this lead to them loitering around sewage pipes?

20/07/2021

In early 2021, MOSS continued its support of the research project on three food systems - rice, pulses, fisheries - in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady region in collaboration with ICCO Regional Office South East Asia and Tun Yat.
In this third phase of the project the teams were challenged to apply various analyses to their systems maps to identify key leverage points in the systems at which to design, improve, and scale interventions. By recognizing the limits of current solutions, the enabling and inhibiting forces, and the critical performance gaps, the teams were able to pinpoint places in their respective systems where relatively small efforts would lead to relatively big results.
The resulting insights formed the key findings of the research project to be expanded upon and shared in the final communications phase of the project.
Unfortunately, the disruptions caused by the seizure of power by the Tatmadaw had by now severely impeded the capacity of Myanmar-based project members, to the extent that their geographic mobility as well as their access to online resources were increasingly limited.

16/07/2021

"The leadership to push forward and embrace challenge can be a lonely business, and the paradox of loneliness within the social sector is a common experience. To champion systemic change involves stepping aside from the fold; it means seeing humility and hope where others are cynical."
A short article by Acumen on the value of accompaniment for social innovators.
https://www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/20210419/lonely-the-top-finding-accompaniment-while-leading-social-change

When the going gets tough, what keeps you going? Acumen explores the 'beautiful struggle' of social change and the importance of accompaniment while on the path of leadership with UK Fellows Duro Oye and John Harrison.

15/07/2021

"The purpose of business has always been – we just lost our ways – to actually work with all of your stakeholders because that’s the best way to unlock value: true, meaningful value."
Be inspired by Halla Tómasdóttir, CEO of The B Team, as she outlines her vision of turning the private sector into an agent for transformative change through stakeholder capitalism.
The podcast is peppered with systems thinking language including Halla's explanation of three levers to shift mindsets in existing leadership.
One of them is the "time horizon problem" of corporates, or short-term orientation, that she is tackling through intergenerational dialogue interventions.
Find out what the other two levers are here: https://skoll.org/2021/06/23/solvers-episode-10-halla-tomasdottir-can-capitalism-save-the-planet/

Halla Tómasdóttir of The B Team offers up a new spin on capitalism: one driven not only by short-term profit, but also by the wellbeing of people and the planet.

13/07/2021

At the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021, MOSS continued its support of the research project on three food systems - rice, pulses, fisheries - in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady region in collaboration with ICCO Regional Office South East Asia and Tun Yat.
In this second phase of the project the teams were challenged to identify, organize, and aggregate the key factors that drive current system behavior and to visualize their interdependencies. Over a period of two months, the teams iteratively developed and validated the visual representations of their respective systems by conducting field research with numerous system stakeholders.
The resulting systems maps were iteratively digitalized in Kumu in preparation for further analysis in the third phase of the project.
Up to this point the online training and consulting format had been challenging but ultimately proved to not only be feasible but also exceptionally rewarding for all partners!

09/07/2021

MOSS was invited to participate in the first of three webinars by Sasin Sustainability & Entrepreneurship Center and Singapore Management University in a series that explores the benefits and challenges of sustainability for SMEs and startups.
As an introduction to systems thinking, our Managing Director, Sander Fleuren, provided a 30-minute presentation on the evolution of business sustainability and the value of systemic corporate sustainability (starts at 30:00).
What type of sustainability approach does - or will - your business adopt?

Over recent decades, there has been a gradual re-evaluation by society of the role of business. Whereas business had been perceived by many as existing purel...

06/07/2021

Starting in late 2020, MOSS supported an ambitious research project on food systems in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady region in collaboration with ICCO Regional Office South East Asia and Tun Yat. Our role as systems specialists was to (virtually) train and coach the Tun Yat teams in mapping and analyzing three food production systems: rice, pulses, and fisheries.
The purpose of the project was to generate a strategic document that offers entry points for decision-makers and leaders to develop cross-sector collaborations towards food systems that are resilient to changing climate conditions.
In this first phase of the project the teams were challenged to recognize how mental models inform their understanding of problems and to adopt a mindset focused on identifying interdependencies when conducting extensive desk research on their respective food systems.
The resulting insights iteratively informed the scope and boundaries of the three systems for further investigation in the second phase of the project.

23/03/2021

“Debate and dialogue is the only way we will make progress and we must lean into courageous conversations rather than avoid them.”
Systems change is necessarily participatory – it requires a concerted effort from multiple stakeholders to tackle the root causes of problem behavior. Unfortunately, as shown in this article on the upcoming United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021, when it comes to complex adaptive problems such as climate change and food security, stakeholders are far removed from these systems change requirements. Indeed, “the planned summit is already embroiled in arguments over who is to blame for the growth of hunger and disease, and whether the meeting is biased in favour of corporate, hi-tech intensive farming.”
By promoting approaches such as precision agriculture and genetic engineering, summit organizers are advocating for surface-level solutions rather than inviting debate on the underlying structural and mental model causes (such as inequality, accountability, and governance). In so doing, they are excluding vital stakeholders of food systems whose perspectives of the systems’ problems are vital to generating new directions, insights, and change efforts.
“We need agro-ecology. We need food sovereignty. We need sustainable intensification and we need vegetarianism. We need all the solutions.”
More importantly, we need a collective understanding of the root causes of food system problems.

Focus on agro-business rather than ecology has split groups invited to planned UN conference on hunger