Understanding and Shaping Complex Social Psychological Systems

In today's uncertain world, we need innovative tools to address novel challenges. This course introduces a systems approach to understanding and influencing human action, enabling you to more effectively navigate risks and seize opportunities in contexts where people play a crucial role.

While this course is designed for anyone interested in behavior change, it holds particular relevance for individuals looking to drive strategic change in organizations, policymaking (especially health and security), or service design.

Dates: June 24th through June 28th, 2024
Start: 11:00 am EST / 5:00 pm CEST / 8:00 am PST
End: 1:30 pm EST / 7:30 pm CEST / 10:30 am PST

Registration Open: Wednesday, April 12th, 2024

Early Bird Registration Prices Apply: April 12th - May 31st

Your Instructor: Matti TJ Heino

Matti TJ Heino is a social psychologist studying societal crisis resilience in pandemics, with a focus on human behaviour change processes in complex systems. In addition to research, he also works with providing practical behavioral science policy advice on both national and local levels.

www.mattiheino.com

Registration

Enrolling in this course grants you access to five two-hour interactive sessions and a peer network for collaborative learning. Each immersive two-hour session combines thought-provoking lectures on key topics, as well as hands-on exercises.

Early Bird prices are as follows:
Corporate - $499
Government/NGO - $499
Individual - $459
Student/Academic - $409*
*Must use college or university email address to receive this rate

To apply for a scholarship, click here. Scholarship applications close 5/31.

Register today to take advantage of Early Bird pricing which ends May 31st.

Questions? Contact us at programs@necsi.edu.

Are you looking to apply the course in an organizational context? Attending the course as a team can level-up your learning and create a lasting impact in your organization: When you learn together, you reinforce each other's insights, build a shared language, and form a ready-made support system to turn knowledge into action. To make the most of this opportunity, register with one or more colleagues and leverage the power of social learning to catalyze real change.

Abstract

Thriving in today's uncertain and complex world requires understanding human behavior as embedded in interconnected, self-organizing systems. This course integrates behavior change science, complex systems science, and sense-making, offering frameworks and methods to effectively navigate this complexity.

We move beyond linear cause-and-effect models to explore human behavior within dynamic, interconnected systems. We explore how actions emerge from the interplay of capabilities, opportunities, and motivations, all acting upon a landscape of "attractor states" – recurring patterns or outcomes towards which systems naturally gravitate. This understanding allows us to design more resilient and adaptable change initiatives and interventions that evolve alongside the system. Creating lasting impact also requires collaboration with diverse stakeholders, and thus the cultivation of basic psychological needs and robust sense-making skills. These skills help detect early warning signals, identify emerging opportunities, and harness collective intelligence.

This course offers a practical introduction to these concepts and tools. You will learn to transform your approach to behavior change, ask insightful questions, and take more effective actions in an uncertain world.

Join a pioneering community of diverse change-makers to tackle real-world complexity. You will develop a sharper analytical lens and a broader skill set for understanding and influencing systems, empowering you to adapt and thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

Here’s What You’ll Learn