Group: Hugo Ramos, Ulan, Rebecca

To first address the issue of corruption from the police in Afghanistan 

 

Systems Thinking Challenge 1

“If u were the top police chief how would we deal with this problem”  blog post question- 

1. Differentiation: 
   1. Local government
   2. Taliban
   3. Policemen
   4. Overall population
   5. Ghost Policemen
   6. Commanders
2. Interdependence: 
   1. Police provide protection for the overall population
   2. Local government funding the ghost policemen are creating a low moral in the police force
   3. Commanders are getting cut of salaries from the ghost policemen
   4. Taliban feed off policemen with low morals
3. Holism: 
   1. People are upset because there are ghost policemen that are getting paid to do nothing. This lowers the overall morale of the entire police force and creates public distrust in the government.
4. Multifinality: 
   1. Goal of police force members: They just want to keep their paying job and to keeping serving their people 
   2. Goals for the public: They want to have a safe city and an uncorrupt government that cares about them
   3. Goals for the police chiefs: They want the corruption to continue because they are getting a free check out of it
5. Equifinality: 
   1. Desired goal is for the ghost policemen to be eliminated, but there is no incentive for the top down government officials to fix the issue because they benefit with a free check.  
6. Regulation: 
   1. An implementation of a verification system, that verifies if you are actually a police officer, eliminating the ghost policemen.
7. Abstraction: 
   1. Not having a verification system is problem for the policing system and for other industries that don’t have verification for their workers
8. Leverage Points: 
   1. High government- if the national government of Iraq would adopt this verification system and spread information about its benefit
      1. This would raise morale in the population restoring trust in the government. Additionally, it would create accountability measures. 
   2. Figuring out who is putting the “ghost” policemen on the payroll
      1. By identifying this person, the chief of police can either remove them or keep a closer eye on them so that they aren’t putting more people on the payroll that shouldn’t be getting paid.  They can be replaced with someone more trustworthy.  

 

How to solve the problem: 

Our solution will consist of a verification system implemented by the federal government that will require weekly sign ins, in order to receive a check.  Additionally once a month the sign in list will be examined and will check to see if there is anyone on the payroll that hasn’t signed in.  Then there will be a followup with that person as to why they haven’t been coming to receive their checks/ coming into work. It is important that the regulation comes from the top down government, because no one will listen to the community citizens since it’s the police chiefs that are the most corrupt.  Additionally, It is also important for morale so that people can be held accountable and that the people feel there is something being done to address the problem.

 

System Thinking Challenge 2: 

 

1. Differentiation: 
   1. Community members
   2. The lake (Lake Victoria) 
   3. Habitat (
   4. The moss (Hyacinth)
   5. The employees (the four employees that the entrepreneur hired and the future employees that can be hired in a possible other system that falls under the larger system) 
   6. Entrepreneur (Foreigner)
   7. Compost and Briquettes (Block of Biomass from the Hyacinth)
2. Interdependence: 
   1. The entrepreneur is taking the moss that is causing problems for fisherman and health consequences and making something (with the profits) that has economic value and possibly further cleans Lake Victoria 
   2. The entrepreneur is providing job for four employees from the village 
   3. Create more jobs for further people
3. Holism: 
   1. Community members are upset that she is selling the compost and briquettes for profit off of a natural substance in the lake
4. Multifinality: 
   1. Goals of the community members: They don’t want an outsider profiting off their land, however they want the moss in the lake cleaned up so that the fisherman can continue to fish and to avoid any possible health consequences 
   2. Goals for the employees: They want a job so they can make money and support their families
   3. Goals for the Entrepreneur:  Wants to help the community with their issue while also making a profit
5. Equifinality: 
   1. Desired output is that all parties want the moss extracted from the lake, but the community members want it gone to improve fishing while the entrepreneur wants it gone to generate profits
6. Regulation: 
   1. There should be direct communication between the entrepreneur and the community to make sure that whatever is being done with the moss and whatever the plans are for expansion of her company also aligns with the communities goals
7. Abstraction: 
   1. The process the entrepreneur created can be used in other areas where the moss grows
8. Leverage Points: 
   1. Ecosystem- By marketing the business right, the entrepreneur can inform villagers and locals about the negative effects of the water hyacinth (decreases biodiversity, spreads diseases, evenness in the water, blocks boats, disrupts fishing) so she can gain the approval of them. By gaining their trust and communicating well with the villagers, she can have a more prosperous business. 
      1. Assuring the locals that the entrepreneur has motives that go beyond the profits 
   2. As the entrepreneur’s need for hyacinth increases, she might be tempted to artificially control the moss level to profit more and not actually get rid of it. That might disturb the community and the fishermen. In the short run the entrepreneur will probably want to solve this issue of the water hyacinth infestation, but in the long run she’ll realize this business has sustained her and her employees. The radical decision would be to control the growth of the water hyacinth and her business to turn it into biomass. 
      1. To prevent this from becoming a monopoly or disruptive business, the entrepreneur must expand to other regions and consumers. Price would be a major factor in how this would sustain the community and her business. 

 

How should she solve the problem: 

She should try and make her compost and briquette process one that also benefits the community as a whole and not just benefits them by getting rid of the moss.  The entrepreneur should have an open discussion with community members about their expectations of moss removal and what they feel is becoming an issue with her company’s extraction of the moss. In addition, the entrepreneur should also address the possible noise and sight pollution that will increase around the lake. The employers that she hires should be members of the community so that the community can benefit from increasing it’s employment numbers.  Her moss extraction also needs to take into account how it is affecting fishermen. If the demand of the moss compost and briquettes is increasing, then the increased demand in moss will make the entrepreneur want more moss in the lake to extract, which can hinder the fisherman’s ability to catch fish.  She should look for other communities that are also having similar issues with the moss so that she has multiple sources of resources and not just Lake Victoria to avoid resource depletion.  Lastly, the community members might also not like that an outsider is coming in and making a profit off their land and resources.  She should find a way to give back to the community for the ability to take free resources from the lake and make a growing company that will likely make profits in the long run.

 

Another factor that needs to be considered is possible oversight on the entrepreneur and her business because we do not want depletion to occur which can lead to an unwanted outcome backfiring on the group that initially benefited which were the fishermen. According to “Water Hyacinths are crucial for animals and fish in aquatic habitats”, the moss is what helps feed some of the life within the lake and is a major contributor to their diet.  If too much moss is extracted then it could affect the ecosystem and harm the aquatic life and fisherman’s ability to collect seafood.

 

Water Hyacinths are crucial for animals and fish in aquatic habitats. 

http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/extension/4h/plants/Water_hyacinth/index.html

 

Water hyacinth- Native to Amazon, South America

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/national_invasive_species_awareness_week_water_hyacinth_bohling16

Team members: Ulan, Rebecca, Nathaly, Josue, Hugo

Describe 5 partnerships that have been formed to support project and impact success of failure of venture. 

 

Identify partnerships at the individual, team, and Lehigh/GSIF level

1. AlmaU
   1. They agreed to partner with us from the beginning of the project.  The partnership helps provide funding to both sides, allowing for them to use us as a resource and allowing us to use them as a resource when applying for grants.  
   2. They help us gather information from the country that we wouldn’t be able to learn and access, especially since we didn’t have any field work.  We help them
   3. Yes, because they want to fix the air quality issue for cleaner air in the city and we benefit from their research inputs
   4. To help strengthen this partnership it would be helpful to have clearer communication and incentives because they went MIA over the summer when they took their summer break
   5. They provide cultural and societal norms background information which can help our team make appropriate decisions 
2. Almaty Urban Air  (AUA)- 
   1. We’re working to solve the same problem. 
   2. They have helped us with software, because their app is already created
   3. We help them by offering them a different perspective and knowledge
   4. This partnership would be stronger if we could find a way to integrate both our
3. IQAir
   1. We will use their air quality data
   2. It has helped us justify the reason for needing air pollution mitigation plans to help reduce exposure
   3. They help us with our data collection and we can help them spread their product to more Kazak residents that might want to track their air quality
   4. Our partnership would strengthen if our app was directly paired with their company  
4. Arnika 
   1. Environmental NGO that has connections to other non profit environmental groups
   2. They have awareness projects based in Kazakhstan that we don’t have access to.  They also have relationships with the government and connections to resources that we don’t have available.  
   3. Yes this is a symbiotic relationship because we can utilize their connections and we are helping solve the issue they are interested in
   4. It will be strengthened once we have a usable model of our application because there will be something tangible to talk about.
5. Professor Holland
   1. She is a professor that has invested her research in air pollution and understanding how air pollution affects the health of cities.  She is an expert in her field and is a good resource for how to combat air quality issues
   2. She helped us by giving us information on how to jump start our venture and what types of problems we should look at.  We can also rely on funding for each other so if we get a grant that allows us to get air quality monitors she can utilize them and vise versa. 
   3. The relationship isn’t necessarily symbiotic because she was willing to give her expertise for no personal benefits.  She was also willing to pay for us to use handheld air quality testers in country when we were originally planning on going
   4. If Professor Holland had more stake in our project then it would make our project more equitable because she has a good name for herself in the research field
   5. She’s a key factor in keeping our relationship and communication with AlmatyU active. She keeps track for the AlmatyU and their progress. 

 

Questions to keep in mind: 

1. What constituted the partnership? 
2. How did the partner help you? How did you help them? 
3. Was this a symbiotic relationship?  Why or why not? 
4. What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable? 

 

Visual of coalition and how it works 

 

https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/dair-dream-cleaner-future-your-city

Airkaz.org

https://ccacoalition.org/en/content/funding

Ten ways my teaming approach has changed/ evolved since I started, teamwork skills I have developed, and lessons learned: 

1. Communication
   1. My team and I have developed a relationship on both a professional and personal level which I feel as if was key for us to work well together. 
   2. Being able to provide truthful feedback is crucial to both the team and venture’s development. 
2. Creative approach
   1. When I first started on the team, I was a bit timid on giving ideas and feedback because of how fresh our project was and not being aware of exactly where our venture was headed. I am now embracing the journey though and not feeling pressured or stuck in a box when thinking about how our venture can be improved and/or expanded. 
3. Accountability
   1. Holding myself and my teammates accountable is what allows the most improvement. I am still working on this skill. As a team, we tend to work very last minute and miss deadlines which are trying to be stopped this semester. For instance, we now always sending out when2meets so we are aware of each other’s schedule and fit time to dedicate to our venture. 
4. I learned to not wait until the last minute. Last semester, we were not able to submit any literary pieces as a team because of how we kept pushing back the duties and responsibilities. 
   1. I would recognize though that last semester was really rough when we completely transitioned to online school which no one was prepared for. 
5. Networking  
   1. It is really crucial that we always take the opportunity to send out an email or set up a zoom call to network with people who could have huge contributions on our journey to a successful and impactful venture. For instance, Rebecca, one of my teammates, took the opportunity to meet with one of the Environmental Studies professors which was really helpful since she was working on an interesting research project herself that provided us insight that could be incorporated into our project in Almaty, Kazakhstan. 
6. Taking initiative
   1. Sometimes it is extremely helpful when someone sort of dominates a group to an extent to enforce expectations and duties. In my team, we all have taken turns doing so depending on the personal confidence and motivation in a specific scenario. We are all college students juggling a lot so taking turns with this role has been very relieving. It does not concentrate any dominance or stress on one person. 
7. Not taking on too many tasks 
   1. Last semester, I was very unrealistic with how much I could do for the venture every week, which led to disappointments. I should have made my group aware so that they could possibly help out with needed tasks
8.  I think it will be beneficial as a group to designate a specific time every week or biweekly to meet on our own to discuss goals and progress. 
   1. It will be very beneficial to meet as a team on our own to take the time to reflect on what could/ should be done better. 
9. I improved on my data taking. Last semester, I used to read many literary pieces but not fully explain them to my group members because of simply just forgetting what I had thoroughly read. Therefore, I have a designated folder in my google drive that I always have side by side with my readings to ensure that I am citing any research I gather and even make it easier for me to explain to my group members about what I have learned.
10. Active listening
    1. I tend to get way too excited sometimes and block out what is being said to me because of trying to formulate what I will say myself. I worked a lot on that because when working on a group project like ours it is key to allow everyone speak and be understood. 

 

Our original plan 03/20/2020

• Goals: 
  • Have a rough draft completed of the paper we are submitting to the IEE CHTC Conference in Seattle by mid-April
    • Send to Prof. Mehta so that he can review before submitting 
  • Touching base with our connections in Kazakhstan
    • Formulating a plan with them
  • Have a model laid out for the website by the end of April 
• Roles: 
  • Alondra
    • Implementer, Monitor-evaluator
  • Hugo
    • Specialist
  • Josue 
    • Team worker, resource investigator 
  • Nathaly 
    • Monitor-evaluator: critically analyze information before coming to conclusions 
    • Completer/finisher: detects errors and omissions; ensures adherence to deadlines

• • Rebecca 
    • Implementer: actually gets things done; turns ideas into actual plans 
    • Resource investigator: develop external contacts; negotiate for the team’s resources
  • Ulan 
    • Shaper: maintains a positive mental attitude; finds the best ways to overcome challenges facing the team 
    • Specialist: expert knowledge in a particular area 

• • Professor Duvanova 
    • Team worker, coordinator, specialist 
• Procedures
  • Decision Making: 
    • Majority Rule
    • If we are split down the middle, we will use our advisor as a mediator to help come to a consensus. 
  • Effective Meetings: 
    • Setting up goals for each meeting 
    • Checking in with each other→ Where people are with their designated tasks, etc. 
    • Splitting up work so that we are being proactive and productive with the time we work on tasks
    • Creating documents that have everyone’s assigned tasks for the week so we know how to check up on each other 
  • Communication:
    • Best time to work: In the mornings, any day of the week, preferably the end of the week
    • Frequency: Meet at least once a week besides our weekly advisor meetings
    • Location: Online
    • Type of Technology: Google Docs and Zoom
  • Relationships 
    • Make sure to consider everyone’s perspective 
    • Do not get frustrated with each other

Our Updated Plan:  

 

	What are the personal goals (small g) of each member on this team? (Team Member #1,#2, #3, etc) Make sure they connect to the DREAM on the Individual Profile.  What is the Project GOAL (big G) we’re all committed to achieve together? Is our Project Goal scaled to our resources (dreams, materials, skills, differences, etc.) and constraints (assignment, time, skills, etc.)  What are the metrics for success for what we’re producing? GOALS  Personal: (Insert your own goals)  –> Stretch out the weekly work throughout several days to ensure I am putting the most effort –> Submit one article discussing the effects of COVID on Almaty’s air quality Big Goal G: Decreasing the people’s exposure to air pollution and the amount of health diseases and deaths associated with cardiovascular and lung diseases in Almaty and improving overall quality of life  Small Goals: Strengthen our relationship with AlmaU to better understand the students and people there.   Creating our survey to identify our prime customer segments.  Recruitment passionate students to continue working on our project Better understanding of the financial side of our project Scaled to our resources and constraints?  Our Project goal is scaled to our resources and constraints. Our venture is still in the early stages of development. We have an ultimate goal and know how we want to approach it, which is through a mobile app that will provide individualized advice. Our advice will guide people through better behaviors that can be taken to decrease the chances of getting a chronic illness associated with cardiovascular and lung health.  What are the metrics for success for what we’re producing? Decrease in the morbidity and mortality rates from conditions related to cardiovascular and lung diseases  Decreasing the medical cost related to poor health
Roles	Who is responsible for which deliverables? Alondra, Josue, Hugo – responsible for developing the survey and sending it out.  Rebecca, Nathaly, Ulan – responsible for figuring out the financial portion of the project, identifying the funding sources.  Everyone – responsible for writing a research paper, finding ways to make our project sustainable in the long term, and connecting with the partners from AlmaU.  Which deliverables that require collaboration, subgroups & individual work?  All of our deliverables require collaboration because they are fundamental parts of our project.  Who does each person depend upon to succeed? Everyone depends on one another for various things. We know what our strengths and weaknesses are and use them to our advantage.  Do we need a project manager to coordinate?  No, we do not need a project manager because we all keep each other accountable.
Procedures	Decision Making –  Consensus/majority rules If there is a tie in votes, our advisor’s vote will break the tie Effective Meetings Everyone comes with updates on their progress with their deliverables We review goals and methods to progress towards them  Meeting roles:   Facilitator- advisor Notetaker- Rebecca Implementer- Alondra  Specialist in culture and language-Ulan Main presenter, networker-Josue  Specialist in Kazakhstan environmental history-Hugo  Communication- Zoom Weekly meetings with Advisor and team on Fridays @ 11:30 AM Weekly meetings with only team members to work on deliverables together and update one another  We send messages to update one another on our progress and where we may need help Email advisor with updates on progress
Relationships	Team Diversity – What is the diversity on our team?  Our team consist of a range of disciplines from computer science/ engineering to environmental studies/ economics/business Disciplines to tap for solutions;  individual learning styles for the stages of invention;  overall team learning style strengths and places to supplement;  cultural backgrounds , work experience,  dreams to leverage for scope & impact of goals, new roles, better procedures;  languages for more diverse customer set, bigger market; Alondra→ Invested in learning about the environmental issues being faced globally. Learns mainly from social interactions Hugo- Learns mainly from reading. Enjoys to learn about other cultures and  Ulan – Comes from the same cultural background as the region our project is based on, fluent in their naitve language  Nathaly- Passionate about environmental issues and helping disadvantaged groups. Learns by doing and seeing. Rebecca→  Josue  Listening – Notice my binary thinking, auto-rankism, and go beyond it.  Team Name Air Quality, Almaty