Human Action and Social Systems in Uncertainty

In an increasingly complex and uncertain world, innovative tools are essential for addressing new challenges and opportunities. 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. No prior knowledge of social psychology, behavior change, or complexity is required.

This course is ideal for professionals aiming to influence human behavior in dynamic settings using systems thinking and behavioral insights. It’s perfect for those collaborating across diverse groups to drive sustainable change. However, it’s less suited for those focused on non-applied research, complex systems science theory, or working in stable environments with minimal human behavior impact.

Course Dates

• Course Start Date: 29 January 2025

• Course End Date: 26 February 2025

Registration Dates

• General Registration Opens: 11 December 2024

• General Registration Deadline: 28 January 2025

Scholarship Application Window: 20-27 January 2025

To apply for a scholarship, click here.

Early Bird Pricing Deadline: 8 January 2025

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

Questions? Contact us at programs@necsi.edu.

Are you looking to apply the course in an organizational context? Register as a team to deepen your collective understanding, build a shared language, and develop actionable strategies that create lasting organizational impact.

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 interactive sessions, hours of self-paced content, and a peer network for collaborative learning. We cover topics lying at the intersection of behavior change science, complex systems science, and sense-making. We combine these with hands-on exercises—designed to immediately get you started with applying an understanding of human action within interconnected systems.

This course will be conducted over five weekly sessions, each held on Wednesdays. Mark your calendars with the following schedule:

• Start Time: 11:00 AM EST / 5:00 PM CEST / 8:00 AM PST

• End Time: 1:30 PM EST / 7:30 PM CEST / 10:30 AM PST

Session Dates

• Session 1: Wednesday, January 29, 2025

• Session 2: Wednesday, February 5, 2025

• Session 3: Wednesday, February 12, 2025

• Session 4: Wednesday, February 19, 2025

• Session 5 (Final): Wednesday, February 26, 2025
  

Abstract

Fifty years ago, we lived in a fundamentally different world. With fewer interdependencies, leaders could make informed decisions from the top of a hierarchy, and adaptability was less of a concern. The world changed at a manageable pace—there was no internet or social media to catalyze the rapid spread of information. Challenges like climate change and pandemics existed only as distant possibilities. How much has changed since then!

Today, while our knowledge expands faster than ever, our ability to anticipate and respond to challenges or opportunities often falls short. Thriving in an increasingly complex and uncertain world requires understanding human behavior as embedded within interconnected systems. This course integrates behavioral science, systems thinking, and sense-making, offering practical frameworks and methods to navigate modern complexity effectively.

Traditional approaches to planning still have their place, but they often fail under conditions of high uncertainty. By understanding this limitation, we can design more resilient and adaptable change initiatives that evolve alongside the systems they aim to influence. Creating lasting impact also demands collaboration with diverse stakeholders and the cultivation of robust sense-making skills. These skills enable early detection of warning signals, identification of emerging opportunities, and the harnessing of collective intelligence.

This course provides a practical introduction to theoretical concepts and actionable tools. You will gain access to lectures that unpack human behavior in complex systems, supplemented by weekly discussions that reinforce key ideas and introduce hands-on tools. This combination of understanding and practice will transform your approach to behavior change, help you ask insightful questions, and guide you toward taking more effective actions in an uncertain world.

Join a pioneering community of diverse change-makers to address real-world complexity. You will sharpen your analytical lens, expand your skill set for understanding and influencing systems, and empower yourself to adapt and thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

Course Content