Systems thinking

The five main building blocks of Holistic Flexibility are holistic thinking, flexibility, learning, responsible outcomes, and pragmatic practice. A brief description of each of these building blocks is provided below:

• Holistic thinking: The ability to transcend a modular approach to problems by approaching systemic boundaries critically and considering them to be contextual and in a state of evolution. Further, the interrelationships between the various sub-systems within the evolving system are also dynamic and evolutionary. This leads to the emergence of a situation as a continual representation of perceived reality from one state to another progressively.
• Flexibility: Holistic thinking has a consummate relationship with flexibility. As a system evolves with its dynamic boundaries, a practitioner needs to display three kinds of flexibility to adapt to it: cognitive flexibility (ability to think flexibly), formulative flexibility (application of a variety of methodologies that enable flexible and adaptive practice), and substantive flexibility (access to resource alternatives that can bring flexible practice to life).
• Learning: A practitioner and the context of intervention must continually learn and adapt to changing circumstances, expectations, and complexities. Learning is central to the dynamic interplay between holistic thinking and flexibility. Learning can be typified as single-loop learning (are we doing things right?), double-loop learning (are we doing the right things?), and triple-loop learning (why are we doing what we are doing?).
• Responsibility: A practitioner must aspire for systemic value addition – social, economic, and environmental – in their area of work. Additionally, they must endeavor to emancipate the situation of stakeholders through practices that are inclusive, participatory, and empowering. Finally, they must provide solutions that are sustainable.
• Pragmatic practice: A practitioner must pragmatically bring together the above four building blocks with focus, dedication, direction, and practice. They must hone certain demonstrable behaviors that include being open to challenge, questioning conventional paradigms, being ready to embrace diversity, and shifting between thinking and acting with seamlessness and tenacity.