Police Chief- 

 

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

 

GSIF has helped me become a better communicator, presenter, researcher, and entrepreneur. While working ion this venture I’ve realized how many of my skills have become stronger and how my relationship with others to work on a business has grown. I feel much more confident to later on pursue on another venture project or business. My relationship with my partners and peers is a good  network that has become useful for my education and college career. Wen make a really good team in that we can assess each others strengths and better organize to do work more efficiently. Every Friday we have a meeting with our Venture Mentor Professor Dinissa Duvanova Duvanova. Our group comes together to discuss findings and report on progress of venture. My critical thinking skills have been sharpen by the Tuesday lectures as well by diving on complex issues and working around them to not simply solve, but improvise. I like learning about real world problems and issues and bringing out ideas to help decrease the damage of these issues. 

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

 

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 learning about other cultures and

• Ulan – Comes from the same cultural background as the region our project is based on, fluent in their native language

• Nathaly- Passionate about environmental issues and helping disadvantaged groups. Learns by doing and seeing.

• Rebecca- Well versed in research and computer science. Is a great listener and synthesizer

• Josue- Is a quick thinker and has a business mindset.

 

Team Name

 

Air Quality, Almaty  

Jack is an American student who lived at Kenya, working on his social venture

Kids were under 14 years of age

Jack was asked by the staff to hand out the gifts during the ceremony

Jack took the credits for handing out the gifts, but did not want the credits for not bringing enough the gifts for all the kids.

Jack did not give the black hats (attached at the bottom of the boxes containing the gifts) to the 4 kids that did not receive the presents during the ceremony

The 4 kids that did not receive a gift each got the black hat from the staff after the ceremony.

One kid stared at him, but Jack interpreted that the four kids felt “left out” and upset about the incident, and brought this issue to the staff.

The staff acknowledged that it was not their fault and should not be blamed for this trivial issue.

Jack was told by the staff that if Jack thought that incident was a problem, then he should go and solve it himself.

The staff were also kids that grew up through the program, so they are not evil

As an intern at the youth center, Jack is basically an outsider and has little power/ influence

Culture expectation: maybe it’s the norm in Kenya that not every kid should get the presents every time, and the kids can be expected to receive the gifts next time

Assumption: there is a difference between Jack’s American culture norm and Kenya culture norm

Assumption: the staff do not care whether who gives out the gifts and who gets the credits for giving out the gifts

Ethical issue: Jack has to decide how to solve the “forgotten gifts” accident while keeping good relationships with the kids (both got the gifts and did not get the gifts), the staff, and save faces for himself and his affiliated organization.

 

 

STEP 2: Define the stakeholders

Jack (primary stakeholder)

Professional

Being a new worker, he wants good relationships with staff and kids

Decent pay

Save faces/uphold the reputation of his associated organizations (university/institute/funding agency, etc).

Personal

An outsider coming into a new country, he might want to do all he can to make the situation better for the affected stakeholders. (i.e., this would help Jack ‘look good’ as a ‘good samaritan’ or something like that.)

Does not want to be hated by the kids

 

Kids (between ages 3 – 14) — the ones who did not get the gifts

Personal

They are just kids.

Want gifts!

Want to be acknowledged and celebrated as the other kids were.

Professional

N/A

Staff

Professional

Wanting to get paid

Getting the job done

Concerned about Jack becoming a children’s activist

 

Personal

Avoiding taking part in an unnecessary problem.

“Nothing is wrong with what happened”

They were saving face. Keep things running smoothly.

 

The social venture

Professional

Improving the lives of the children

Maintain rapport with other stakeholders

Getting good press/ recognition

 

Personal

Getting good press/ recognition

 

Donor organization (secondary stakeholder)

Personal

Attempting to reach as many children possible

 

Professional

Reinforcing their relationship with the social venture.

 

STEP4: Formulate (at least three) alternative solution

 

Potential Solution 1: Following the staff’s approach in looking past the issue

How does it solve the problem?

We are staying on good terms with the staff,

Pros

We remain on good terms with the staff

The rest of the kids are happy

Jack will be on good terms with the staff, because they are not too concerned about him being a “child right activist.”

Cons

1 of the kids is upset with Jack

Jack personally feels upset about the situation

 

How does it save face of those involved?

The staff might be saving face by looking past the issue to keep additional conflicts from arising

Jack

 

Implications on relationships

Short-term: The staff will not think different about Jack, at least 1 kid will be upset with Jack

Long-term : Jack remains on good terms with the staff and a larger portion of the children by saving face

Implications on the venture

Short-term:

Jack does not have to worry about fraying his relationship with the owners of the facility/ staff

Long-term

Jack’s good image will continue throughout his stay

 

Potential Solution 2: Reframing the values of the black hats with the 4 kids that did not get the gifts through social/team-building activities

 

How does it solve the problem?

It adds value which will make the kids with the black hat feel special unlike before.

Pros

Fix the relationship with the children

Provide a sense of ceremony

Jack gain face with the kids (and consequently with the staff)

Cons

If Jack changed the value of the hats, it might cause other kids to feel bad / underserved.

The staff might still be concerned about Jack being a “child right activist”

How does it save face of those involved?

Jack does not have to since he is making up the act with the kids.

Implications on relationships

Short-term: The upset kids will be happy

Long-term : The staff might believe Jack will act up/ overreact again

Implications on the venture

Short-term: Jack’s image changes to the staff

Long-term:

Potential Solution 3: market the gift as a community gift — toys are for everyone, for their community

How does it solve the problem?

The left-out kids will feel included because the toys will be shared now

 

Pros

Creates a sense of community and socialize kids with each other

They will have access to more toys instead of only one

Cons

The kids who got toys might feel like their toys were taken away from them

200 hundred kids would feel like that, and Jack would need to

 

 

How does it save face of those involved?

You are saving face by making the toys a community thing. You are saying that now everyone must share.

Implications on relationships

Short-term: The upset kids will drop their grudge with Jack

Long-term : staff will dislike jack for the mini chaos he will collapse

Implications on the venture

Short-term: help out the venture but then cause problem

Long-term will cause issues since the kids will fight over toys

 

 

Potential Solution 4: Hold the second ceremony with everyone (kids and staff) and maybe have a conversation about the values of toys

 

How does it solve the problem?

This is a long-term solution because you have to wait until the second ceremony

 

Pros

 

 

 

 

Cons

 

 

 

 

How does it save face of those involved?

 

Implications on relationships

Short-term:

Long-term :

Implications on the venture

Short-term:

Long-term

Potential Solution 6: Wear a black hat for a few days and move on

 

How does it solve the problem?

Khanja’s style of hat

Do not talk or debate with staff → still get on good terms with them

Wearing the black hat for a few days → can help make the 4 kids feel that the black hats are important

 

Pros

Less work and move on fast

Save faces for mostly everyone

Respect the culture norm in Kenya and in the youth center

Cons

At least 1 kid might still feel upset

Jack himself might still feel upset

 

 

How does it save face of those involved?

Wearing a black hat for a few days → help to amend the relationships with the 4 kids (if things go well; if not, Jack can move on and look past the issue)

Jack respects the cultural norm in Kenya → get on good terms with the staff and kids in youth term

Jack does not have to apologize for anything → move on easily

Implications on relationships

Short-term:

Long-term :

Implications on the venture

Short-term:

Long-term

 

Potential Solution 5: Dance performance with black hats (Michale Jackons’ solution)

 

How does it solve the problem?

Hold a dance feast in the youth center and teach the 4 kids some special moves to dance with the hat, then ask other kids and staff to join together in the dance performance.

 

Pros

 

 

 

 

Cons

 

 

 

 

How does it save face of those involved?

 

Implications on relationships

Short-term:

Long-term :

Implications on the venture

Short-term:

Long-term

STEP5: Seek additional assistance, as appropriate

 

Jack might get in touch with his American superiors or advisors for learning better how to navigate the situation.

(if possible) Jack could reach out to former interns to ask about if they could share any insights on the customary behavior of the staff members. Anecdotes sometimes help one to make their mind into (not) doing something.

 

STEP6: Select the best option.

The best solution is to not do anything. The kids that didn’t get a toy is not a big issue, but can become one as they grow one. This constant treatment of pleasure from receiving toys and to sometimes not getting one can grow tensions. Next time, its best to not give toys at all if there aren’t enough for every child. As for the adults and the management team, this shouldn’t start a problem with each other because at the end of the day they’re children and toys. Maybe don’t centivise giving out toys, but instead earning them or asking who would be interested in having one. 

STEP7: List the sequence of actions you will take to implement the solution

 

There are a few steps to implement this solution. All Jack must do is carry on and save face. He has to continue to go with the flow because he is new and is not in the position to create problems. By carrying on he is creating good long term benefits because the staff will remember that he does not go out of line. This may appear like a lazy solution, but truthfully it holds the best outcome in the long term for all stakeholders.

 

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.

Professor Holland

1. 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