Systems Thinkers Express an Elevated Capacity for the Allocentric Components of Cognitive and Affective Empathy

Davis, Adam C.; Leppanen, Wendy; Mularczyk, Kimberly P; Bedard, Theresia; Stroink, Mirella L.

doi:10.1002/sres.2475

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Second, this study is correlational. Although we found our results to be generally consistent, robust, and aligned with current theory on the effects of systems thinking in the environmental domain (3,8,9,12), we cannot establish causation. Future research should design and evaluate interventions to experimentally (and longitudinally) test the extent to which they enhance systems thinking and affect downstream outcomes such as climate change beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors across different populations.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 46%

Systems thinking as a pathway to global warming beliefs and attitudes through an ecological worldview

Ballew

Goldberg

Rosenthal

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Prior research has found that systems thinking, the tendency to perceive phenomena as interconnected and dynamic, is associated with a general proenvironmental orientation. However, less is known about its relationship with public understanding of climate change and/or whether this relationship varies across people with different political views. Because climate change is a highly politicized issue, it is also important to understand the extent to which systems thinking can foster acceptance of climate science across political lines. Using an online sample of US adults (n = 1,058), we tested the degree to which systems thinking predicts global warming beliefs and attitudes (e.g., believing that global warming is happening, that it is human-caused, etc.), independent of an ecological worldview (i.e., the New Ecological Paradigm). We found that although systems thinking is positively related to global warming beliefs and attitudes, the relationships are almost fully explained by an ecological worldview. Indirect effects of systems thinking are consistently strong across political ideologies and party affiliations, although slightly stronger for conservatives and Republicans than for liberals and Democrats, respectively. We did not find evidence of the converse: Systems thinking does not seem to mediate the relationship between an ecological worldview and global warming beliefs and attitudes. Together, these findings suggest that systems thinking may support the adoption of global warming beliefs and attitudes indirectly by helping to develop an ecological ethic that people should take care of and not abuse the environment. systems thinking | New Ecological Paradigm | climate change | attitudes | climate change communicationThe challenges associated with environmental protection today are multifaceted and affected by many interacting factors. The challenges operate on various, often large, spatial scales, unfold on long temporal scales, and usually have global implications (for example, carbon dynamics, nutrient cycles, and ocean acidification). Dealing with these problems will require systems thinking and integrated multidisciplinary science.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 46%

Systems thinking as a pathway to global warming beliefs and attitudes through an ecological worldview

Ballew

Goldberg

Rosenthal

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Through allowing for emergent causality, the interconnections that create niceness are better understood. It further builds on previous studies by Cabrera et al (2015) and Davis, Leppanen, Mularczyk, Bedard, and Stroink (2018) exploring social and empathetic behaviours. As researchers working within a complexity world view, questions can be asked that highlight and address the impact of our actions on the wider community.…”

Section: Niceness In a Complex Systemmentioning

confidence: 82%

Being “nice”: A complex activity among health professionals following a critical incident

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper reports on an action research study to explore the underpinnings of outwardly unsupportive behaviour among health professionals in New Zealand after a critical event and to develop and evaluate a resource to help them recover through mutual care and support. It explores the dynamic nature of the support system, the feedback loops, nonlinearity, underpinning “rules,” and associated behaviour. The tenets of complexity theory are applied to identify characteristics of the system, which, in turn, provide insight into ways of achieving change. The study demonstrates that these health professionals were behaving in ways which they thought were expected, rather than being “nice” to each other: behaviour that was driven by the inherent interrelatedness within an organization or system. This finding not only has significant outcomes for practice but also contributes to a deeper understanding of the emergent nature of complexity theory.

show abstract

“…The emotional competencies identified were connectedness to nature, empathic concern for others and a sense of transcendence of time. Individuals with feelings of empathy and connection with nature exhibited a more expansive self-concept and value entities beyond themselves such as other human beings and nature (Davis et al , 2018). Individuals who possessed the connectedness to nature competency perceive themselves as part of a broader natural community and feel a sense of affinity toward it (Leopold, 1972).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a cognitive capability, it is an ability to think in systems and is an implicit tendency to recognize various phenomena as a set of interconnected components that interact with one another to make up a dynamic whole (Davis and Stroink, 2016; Randle and Stroink, 2012). Systems thinking is a cognitive style involving an implicit tendency to perceive the social and ecological world as a multitude of interconnected complex adaptive systems (Davis et al , 2018). This competency represented understanding of interconnections and interlinkages of complex systems for achieving sustainability (Metcalf and Benn, 2013).…”

Section: Data Analysis and Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability competencies and its link to innovation capabilities

Nair

Bhattacharyya²

2022

EBR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study individual sustainability competencies and its linkage toward building innovation capabilities. This study explores the interrelations between individual-level competencies with organizational-level capabilities. Design/methodology/approach Thematic content analysis is used to analyze the qualitative interview data from 22 experts working in the sustainability departments of large corporations in India. The respondents were chief sustainability officers, sustainability managers or general managers responsible for driving sustainability in their organizations. Findings This study identifies individual sustainability competencies into two sets. First being cognitive competencies and the second being emotional competencies. The cognitive competencies identified are systems thinking, future orientation and perspective-taking (cognitive empathy). The affective or emotional competencies identified are connectedness to nature, sense of transcendence of time and empathic concern. The competencies enhanced innovation through the development of stakeholder capabilities and organizational learning capabilities. Research limitations/implications This study provides new insight regarding the link between both cognitive and emotional competencies and organizational capabilities for innovation. Practical implications This study appraises the role of individual sustainability competencies on innovation. This study indicates the importance of developing sustainability competencies at the individual level to drive innovation. Originality/value This paper provides novel insights on sustainability competencies and its link with innovation. The conceptualization of competencies was made as cognitive and emotional skills. Furthermore, its relationship with innovation capabilities advance the understanding of the individual contribution to innovation.

show abstract

Systems Thinkers Express an Elevated Capacity for the Allocentric Components of Cognitive and Affective Empathy

Cited by 16 publications

References 51 publications

Systems thinking as a pathway to global warming beliefs and attitudes through an ecological worldview

Systems thinking as a pathway to global warming beliefs and attitudes through an ecological worldview

Being “nice”: A complex activity among health professionals following a critical incident

Sustainability competencies and its link to innovation capabilities

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About