Can the future of humanitarian response be sans technology?

The number of refugees is on the rise. The need for humanitarian efforts is increasing. Be it human or natural disasters, the world is facing a gripping statistic of individuals who have been forced to live in destitute conditions. While the efforts have become more strategic, the rate at which aid is needed is multiplying by the second. It is but a clear indication for humanitarian projects and funding organisations to start investing in technology. Technology as a means to quicken donor response, magnify utilization of resources for humanitarian workers, provide better facilities for the refugees and disaster struck individuals. The focus can also be directed towards bringing long term solutions to the individuals affected by these crises.

Professionals working on field have a rich understanding of the conditions and requirements of the affected individuals. Creating substantial platforms for field professionals to communicate this understanding to technological firms would give new light to the developmental efforts. Better yet provide training to individuals or craft courses in the area of humanitarian sciences and technology. An interdisciplinary background will help establish a solid foundation to design need specific technical solutions. "Rather than have existing technology fuse into the humanitarian aid sector, our efforts should be directed towards innovating technological solutions from within" stressed a doctors without border professional at an IDRC Panel discussion . Not only will that have a stronger, long lasting impact but will pave way for more meaningful research. This kind of approach to technological innovation helps connect to individuals at a ground level since the technology is designed with a user centric feel. 

There is an immediate need to incorporate technology to our developmental efforts. A future without technology will not get us far, at least not where we are capable of going. New technology for humanitarian aid would arise from renewed strategies and design thinking. The future lies in maneuvering this tool to develop effective solutions 

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The need for technology was emphasized during an IDRC (International Development Research Council, Canada) panel discussion addressing the future of Humanitarian response. The panel discussion can be found below

-> IDRC Panel discussion on: Future of Humanitarian response

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Engineering solutions for Social Systems

What good is funding in the 21^st century? Social service, humanitarian work, public good, aid, relief, support add to it a dash of NGOs. Resting upon the threshold of donations and funds, the immediate as well as long term projects are usually if not always taken care by non profits.  That is how it has always been, claimed one graduate student during a 2 day conference on The State of the Youth in Toronto early in November. Corporate Social responsibility can never be given a genuine benefit of doubt for corporate organisations always have ulterior motives. While there was some truth to that, it was hard to let the reality set in. A large part of social and humanitarian work is done under the banner of being a non profit. That is the state of the world dynamics one would argue.  In my mind I questioned, why does it have to be like that?

Only when we challenge ourselves to think beyond the existing structures and mental models, are we truly capable of innovating and progressing. If analog was the only way of life, and we sat there assuming it to be, digital would never see daylight, nor would our mobile technology or high tech computing. Why then do we have to completely rely on existing methods and be critical towards the non standard social applications?  A method that cuts across corporate and donation based organisations does exist.

Engineering social systems through strategic management and design thinking will bring about a new flavor to this sector. Simply put, organisations that are grown out of the need to renew social systems have a brighter future than their existing counterparts.  There is a dire urgency to develop effective business models in this direction. We have been dealing with the same social systems for beyond a century. Our application mediums are being redesigned yet the source has always been the same, funding agencies.

While there is much good is this form of public service, there is a vision to actively propagate an unparalleled methodology waiting to touch the face of humanity. Design thinking for social systems brings in forces of empathy with creativity and rational. What better way than this to logically work towards social system and humanitarian issues. 

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Design Thinking rooting for Engineering principles

Design Thinking has a deep correlation towards Systems Thinking. The concept of design thinking lays much emphasis on the design of existing problems. In an iterative manner, which is for most part user centric, a mindset for innovation is created. The strength of this process relies mainly on diversity and the powerful creativity that comes with it. For a given problem, two rationales are evaluated. A convergent and a divergent mindset differing mainly in the way solutions are generated and applied. Interestingly, over the last decade Design Thinking has found its application mainly in product development and sales. This was because until recently, these fields highly emphasized the need for customer satisfaction. However, with a stark rise in social innovation it has become clear that there is a greater need for customer centric development in vast spheres of management and engineering.

We have to step out of the traditional approach of creating solutions and engage more consumers of the technology to get a reflection of what truly is the problem. As Steve Jobs once said, “It is not the customers’ job to know what they want”. Indeed, creating technologically pioneering solutions and feasible engineering systems requires a lot more than the problem statement and resource availability. It is time we introduce design thinking as an empathic component into the design process and not just a technical aspect.

Image Courtesy: http://www.pdagroup.net/

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Hackathons; A direct application of Systems Thinking Principles

After a gripping 2 days of non-stop foreign aid open data discussions, software development and unlimited coffee, ground work at IATI (International Aid Transparency Initiative), IDRC and DFATD seemed to make a lot more sense. By the end, all those involved in the hackathon had a fair insight into the challenges faced by Canada’s foreign Aid.  

The term hackathon has gained much publicity and media attention over the last few years. The term refers to a successive collaboration of coders and experts from varying disciplines to work on specific project ideas aiming to solve global issues. A typical hackathon lasting from anywhere between a few hours to days brings about a spectacular congregation for cross disciplinary research, idea generation and social innovation. Most of the talk surrounding hackathons is around programmers. Developing unique software solutions and web interfaces is what is sort after in these rapid coding zones. However the inclusion of personnel from other disciplines is what sets the real ground, transcending disciplines and framing a new perspective on the project to be resolved.

Picture Courtesy: http://www.123rf.com

It is this perspective that finds its roots in Systems Thinking methodologies. Instead of scrutinizing a problem by reductionism, systems thinking tries to establish a practical understanding of the interdependent elements by developing a holistic model of thinking. It also incorporates an operational thinking approach which deals with chaos and complexity in a system. Another essential constituent system thinking brings in is that of a social cultural view to the process of analyzing a system. The teams working on such global platforms share individual views during the process of decision making and critical thinking ultimately drawing upon a suitable technology driven social acceptable solution. There is always the question of assessing solutions lest they lead to unintended consequences or risks. Lastly, the encompassing factor while aiming to incorporate systems thinking methodology is having an interactive design which brings about all the subsystems together to be studied as one whole system. Collaborative technology upholding systems thinking principles are the trend setters for social innovation.

Be it the area of international development, community projects, social system problems, food insecurity or inequality, systems thinking has something enriching to offer to every kind of system. While there are no set rules that can be applied to attain fool proof results, experimentation is key to finding the success sauce. It is crucial for non-profit as well as government organizations to benefit from the energy and solutions generated at such hackathons. Needless to say, our social systems are quite in need of Systems Thinking.

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Systems Thinking for Academic Mobility

We have come a long way in structuring and customizing educational curriculum to benefit students at large. While there can never be a one size fits all formula for academic success, there have been quite a many methodologies that have tried to make it easier on the young minds. By venturing into the field of Systems Thinking, one comes to realize how rigid we have been in trying to fit our non linear pattern of learning into a standard linear model. To understand this better, let us take the example of a cause and effect phenomena. Given our age old custom of explaining basic algebra with unknown variables and numbers, very often we find students questioning the need to understand and practice these questions. As important as it maybe, the mind forsakes what it does not find a logical explanation for.

While grammar worksheets might help me speak better and adding numbers will help me with purchase of items, how can 2x+3y=15 be of any help in my every day. This is where Systems Thinking comes to the rescue of these young minds. It explains there is a better way of looking at things than just, because our ancestors said so and did so. The ability to relate complex concepts to real life phenomena help students get a overview of how these frightening equations can help them after all. The universal standard of education with all due respect is well thought of to impart the necessary set of basic skills. However, Systems Thinking comes in to address this curiosity by giving appropriate tools to relate every question with a real life system.  This might seem like a complex methodology to begin with, but that is only because of our attenuation to the standard methods of teaching and understanding. We have made the idea of education more technical and linear than it ought to be. Flexibility in thinking is what these minds need.

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Airport Systems

There is always a degree of fascination surrounding the services offered at an Airport. The discipline in the uniforms and the chaos of the moving crowd, together result in quite a complex system. Yet, each entity functions periodically following quite the standard norm with varying levels of amplitude depending on time of the year. What is more intriguing is the constant inter phase between familiar and unfamiliar. With a million customers zooming in and out, the likelihood of coming across the same entities is least likely. That neither dampens the zeal nor ability to give them the best service possible.

When dealing with such complex systems, customer service is one essential aspect. The strategic planning and management is another dimension which, as zooming customers, we rarely pay attention towards. Think of your childhood fascination traveling. The pilot, the stewards and stewardess, the people who stamp our passports and take away our luggage, and those really lucky staff in fluorescent coats who roam around in mini cars between the large airplane parking lots. That was all the people we knew about and for some that is all we still know of.

By exploring the field of systems thinking, one gets to gradually realize the several subsystems working towards being one large system of success. As customers, we see this success in terms of quality of service and management. The lack of it as dissatisfaction and failure. However, view this system from a different lens. Perhaps as an engineer, a business development manager, a strategic planning associate. You see the depth in its working, the dimensions, the risks and the phenomenal juggling of several domains. In all beauty one sees the actual work behind the scenes. No time for rehearsals, touch ups and script proofreading. Every part is  being played as and when by working abilities, technical knowledge, soft skills and efficient planning. Airports are well defined systems to study and learn from.

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