The document discusses gap analysis within social systems. It provides an overview of key concepts for understanding social systems, including systems mapping, cause and effect chains, the vicious circle, vulnerability and resiliency. The document outlines how to perform a gap analysis by describing the current state versus the future ideal state. This includes analyzing inflows, outflows and changeable/unchangeable parameters. The document also introduces PESTEL analysis as an additional technique for identifying gaps within a social system.

1. APS 1015: Social Entrepreneurship
Class 3: Gap Analysis within Social
Systems
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
1
Instructors:
Norm Tasevski (norm@socialentrepreneurship.ca)
Karim Harji (karim@socialentrepreneurship.ca)

2. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Agenda
• Recap of Social Systems (Class 2)
• Guest Speaker – Andrew Reddin (Social Capital
Partners)
• Break
• Gap Analysis within Social Systems
• Next week
2

3. Systems Mapping (Recap from Last
Week)…
3

4. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Cause and Effect Chain - Example
4
Poverty
ResultEffect
Hunger
Cause
(Proximate)
Can’t grow
enough food
Cause (Ultimate)
Bad soil?
Soil erosion?
Not enough
water?
Not enough
labour?
Over-used
soil?
Don’t know
how to
prevent it
Rains too
hard
Changing
rain
patterns?
No irrigation
resources?
People sick?

5. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
The Vicious Circle
• A symptom (effect) of a social condition can also
be a cause, which then serves to further deepen
the social condition
5

6. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Vicious Circle - Example
6
Poverty
ResultEffect
Hunger
Cause
(Proximate)
Can’t grow
enough food
Cause (Ultimate)
Bad soil?
Soil erosion?
Not enough
water?
Not enough
labour?
Over-used
soil?
Don’t know
how to
prevent it
Rains too
hard
Changing
rain
patterns?
No irrigation
resources?
People sick?
Malnutrition
Poor Health
Hunger could therefore be
both an effect and a cause of
poverty

7. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Vulnerability vs. Resiliency
• Vulnerability
– The reduced ability for elements within a system to
withstand shocks to the system
– Examples of shocks:
• A crop failure/drought
• A health crisis/new illness
• Resiliency
– The absence of vulnerability (i.e. the ability to absorb
shocks to a system)
7

8. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
8
“Root Causes of
Poverty” Workshop
Tabe Ere

9. Guest Speaker:
Andrew Reddin
9

10. Break
10

11. Gap Analysis
11

12. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Current State & Future State
• Current State
– The amount of “stock” between two elements in a system
– The stock is typically a measurable quantity
– Examples:
• Amount of water behind a dam
• Level of trust in government
• Amount of money in a bank account
– The current state can have either in an ideal level, an over-
abundance or a scarcity of stock
• Future State
– The ideal level of stock between elements in a system
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13. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Inflows and Outflows
• Inflows
– An increase in stock
• Outflows
– A decrease in stock
• Example: Soil erosion
– Excess inflow of water;
insufficient/ineffective
outflow of water
13
Cause (Ultimate)
Bad soil?
Soil erosion?
Over-used
soil?
Don’t know
how to
prevent it
Rains too
hard

14. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Correcting Loops
• The mechanisms for
controlling the inflows
and outflows within a
social system to
maintain an ideal
state
• Correcting loops are
not necessarily
“visible” in a system
– Example: how do we
maintain ideal state of
trust in government?
14
Cause (Ultimate)
Bad soil?
Soil erosion?
Over-used
soil?
Don’t know
how to
prevent it
Rains too
hard
• What correcting loop
can we form in the
system shown above?

15. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Correcting Loops
• The mechanisms for
controlling the inflows
and outflows within a
social system to
maintain an ideal
state
• Correcting loops are
not necessarily
“visible” in a system
– Example: how do we
maintain ideal state of
trust in government?
15
Cause (Ultimate)
Bad soil?
Soil erosion?
Over-used
soil?
Don’t know
how to
prevent it
Rains too
hard
• What correcting loop
can we form in the
system shown above?
• What is the ideal
state?

16. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Parameters
• The considerations/
factors that affect inflow
and outflow
• Example: Erosion
– Rainfall
– Soil type
– Landscape/topography
– Vegetation type
– Land management
• Can be unchangeable
or changeable
16
Cause (Ultimate)
Bad soil?
Soil erosion?
Over-used
soil?
Don’t know
how to
prevent it
Rains too
hard
• What parameters can
be changed? What
can’t be changed?

17. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Parameters (Continued)
Parameters are one form of intervention (aka
“Leverage Points”) to address gaps in a system
But…
…we will cover leverage points in class 4
17

18. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Gap Analysis within Systems
• Goal:
– Identify the gaps between current state and future state to
begin to understand how to design an intervention to
address the gap
• Steps:
– Describe the current state (inflows, outflows, changeable +
non-changeable parameters)
– Describe the ideal future state (ideal inflow/outflow levels
and ideal parameters)
18

19. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Exercise
19
Describe the current state in one area of this system
Poverty
ResultEffect
Hunger
Cause
(Proximate)
Can’t grow
enough food
Cause (Ultimate)
Bad soil?
Soil erosion?
Not enough
water?
Not enough
labour?
Over-used
soil?
Don’t know
how to
prevent it
Rains too
hard
Changing
rain
patterns?
No irrigation
resources?
People sick?
Malnutrition
Poor Health

20. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
Another Gap Analysis Technique
• PESTEL Analysis
– Political: The degree to which government intervenes in a
system
• E.g.: political stability, tax/education/health policies
– Economic: The degree to which economic factors affect a
system
• E.g.: economic growth, interest rates, inflation
– Social: Cultural factors that affect a system
• E.g. attitudes toward health, career, the elderly
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21. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
PESTEL (Continued)
• PESTEL Analysis (Continued)
– Technological: Technological factors found in a system
• E.g.: level of R&D, level of automation
– Environmental: Ecological and environmental factors in a
system
• E.g.: weather, climate, land use/degradation
– Legal: The man-made laws governing a system
• E.g. tax/employment/health laws, type of legal system
(e.g. civil, common, religious)
21

22. © Norm Tasevski & Karim Harji
What did we learn?
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