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2 <br /> • Identification of what we need to know more of and the new questions that are arising for <br /> us re: hunger <br /> Ms. Chotas presented the Parking Lot as a place for ideas that weren't immediately relevant to <br /> the topic of the retreat. Commissioners were invited to identify issues as they arise. <br /> Systems Thinking introduction & overview with a focus on hunger in Orange County <br /> Michael Goodman, Innovation Associates Organizational Learning <br /> Michael Goodman reviewed the objectives and agenda as follows: <br /> Overall Objectives <br /> • Understand what systems thinking is and its importance <br /> • Learn a few basic Systems Thinking tools Gain hands on experience applying systems <br /> thinking to food insecurity in Orange County <br /> Agenda <br /> • Why Good Intentions are Not Enough <br /> • Observations about Systems <br /> • Conventional Vs. Systems Thinking <br /> • Why Systems Thinking? <br /> • Background on Hunger and Food Insecurity in Orange County <br /> • Fundamental Systems Thinking Framework & Case <br /> • Team Iceberg Exercise <br /> • Brief Introduction to the Language of Systems Thinking & Exercise (Time permitting) <br /> • Introduction to Mental Models & Exercise <br /> • Questions and Answers <br /> Mr. Goodman set the context for stories in the news and asked the small groups to reflect on <br /> what the following stories have in common: <br /> • Homeless shelters perpetuate homelessness <br /> • Drug busts increase drug-related crime <br /> • Food aid increases starvation <br /> • Get tough prison sentences fail to reduce fear of violet crime <br /> • Job training programs increase unemployment <br /> Small groups noted the following commonalities: <br /> • Unintended consequences <br /> • Good intentions <br /> • Mindset that anyone on both sides of these issues can use them or talking points or a <br /> hammer— both sides can be right and both sides can be wrong <br /> • Hard to explain to the public if you don't do these things—they are expected <br /> Mr. Goodman reviewed the common characteristics of failed solutions as follows: <br /> • Address symptoms vs. underlying problems <br /> • Obvious and often succeed in the short run <br /> • But short-term gains undermined by long-term impacts <br /> • Negative consequences are unintentional <br /> • If the problem recurs, we do not see our responsibility <br />