Using Games to Change Systems

An ecologist by training, Claude Garcia is a researcher working for CIRAD and leading a team at ETH Zurich. His passion is analysing the drivers and strategies involved in the decision making processes of stakeholders in socio-ecological systems; his goal is to balance conservation and development through better public policies bridging disciplines and taking into account local knowledge, constraints and opportunities.
In this context Claude and his partners set up InSpire Strategy and Decision to help people deal with complexity and develop strategies in situations of high uncertainty. They associate facilitating and negotiating techniques with the development and use of games designed to represent the problem to address. We all struggle to make progress in the face of complexity, uncertainty and intelligent opposition. As a result, we take unsustainable decisions and inefficient strategies, sometimes leading to gridlocks or conflicts.

Through games and facilitation, InSpire S&D helps people and companies develop better strategies, and take more informed decisions. Claude and his associates use games tailor-suited to the problem at hand, taking into account the perspectives of the different stakeholders – with their values and aspirations – as well as their capacity to learn and adapt to evolving conditions.

We will talk among other things of cognitive dissonance, power asymmetries and the distinction between knowing and sensing, and why it matters to system thinking.

[bucciancapi]

This lecture was really helpful! I am a PhD student at TU Delft and want to apply these tools for analysing the circular economy from a SES perspective. This game could help to create new institutions for policy making and binding political decisions. Thanks a lot!

[mariusstrydom]

Fascinating to see how gaming can change socioeconomic systems. I am a board gamer and enjoy the wealth of modern board games. How meaningful to have them designed and applied like this.