Karishma Gupte
🌍 "After a decade in sustainable development, I'm now exploring alternative pathways for lasting transformation through a systems lens. Along the way, I embrace the joy of raising two sparkly toddlers, practicing yoga, and getting lost in a good book."
#SystemsThinking #Sustainability #WomenInSystems #LifeBalance
How did you first encounter systems thinking, and what made it "click" for you?
I first heard the words ‘systems thinking’ in 2012 in my ‘Global Energy and Sustainability’ class during my Master’s program. My professor was explaining the idea of networks and systems in the field of sustainable development. It took time to understand but when it clicked, it was like an epiphany! I was surprised at how reductionist my thought process was and I needed a shift in mindset to learn better.
When I became a Donella Meadows Fellow in 2014, it really opened up a wide world – conversations, deliberations and application, more so learning from a systems lens. What really “clicked” was the idea of connection. We all are connected, not only to humanity but to everything around us; and that we ought to consider the whole instead of looking at an entity in isolation – this stayed with me.
What is a misconception about systems thinking that you wish more people understood?
People often feel the need to know ‘modeling’ or ‘simulations’ for application of systems thinking. But I think systems thinking has more to it. It’s a way of life – you can identify systems in your daily life, develop mental models and realize how transformation can happen simply by making small shifts in the systems you are a part of.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new to systems thinking, what would it be?
The world is your oyster! We all are a part of numerous complex systems. Don’t hold yourself back from exploring, learning, asking questions, but at the same time, knowing as Donella Meadows says, ‘there is no certainty in any worldview.’
Can you share a moment when systems thinking changed how you approached a real-world problem?
Although I started working with systems over ten years ago, more recently, the way I approached my work drastically changed when I explored the idea of operating from a place of love and speaking truth to power in solving global crisis from a systems perspective. A bit of deep diving with like-minded colleagues at a workshop highlighted how speaking the truth and operating from love translated into courage, wisdom, compassion and trust at the risk of being an outcast for speaking up and moving away from one’s comfort zone. Aligning scientific and technical knowledge alongside exploring invisible forces that foster transformation is currently shaping my reality.
What is one book, tool, or resource that significantly shaped your journey in systems?
Like many others, more than one resource has shaped my systems journey. Recently, Donella Meadows article, ‘There are limits to growth but no limits to love’ which I chanced upon after many years, has been my source of inspiration. As I revisit systems thinking after a brief hiatus, I keep going back to this article.
https://donellameadows.org/archives/there-are-limits-to-growth-but-no-limits-to-love/
Two books I can’t do without:
Thinking in Systems, a primer – Donella Meadows
Systems One: An introduction to Systems Thinking – Draper L Kauffman Jr
