Course: It's a Wicked World credits: 15
- Course code
- MIVB22MOD41IWW
- Name
- It's a Wicked World
- Study year
- 2026-2027
- ECTS credits
- 15
- Language
- Dutch, with parts in English
- Coordinator
- S. van der Meer-Gubler
- Modes of delivery
-
- Assignment
- Guest lecture
- Assessments
-
- - Professional product
- - Assignment
- - Performance assessment
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrates authentic leadership through a critical, reflective attitude toward one's own behavior, motives, and beliefs, enabling one to respond to the needs and perspectives of the individual(s), organization, social challenge, and profession.
- analyzes the business operations of an organizational unit and contributes to its innovation, anticipating societal developments and their consequences for the organization/services.
- Creates a suitable working and learning environment within an organization (or part of an organization), ensuring that those involved operate based on their own strengths, talents, and professional responsibility, with a clear connection to organizational and/or societal challenges.
- Identifies and utilizes opportunities to improve services and implements improvements wherever possible in co-creation with key stakeholders, substantiating improvements based on their added (social) value and their own organizational vision.
- Demonstrates an investigative and critical attitude, justifies considerations and actions based on their impact on (service delivery) processes, and reflects on these
- Convincingly conveys a personal vision of care, service delivery, and leadership, being reflective where issues arise, and developing congruent goals for their own areas of responsibility, connecting these with the internal organization and societal challenges.
- Connects internal and/or external partners necessary for the design, implementation, and development of services and creates the preconditions for professionals to actively contribute to these efforts.
The 6 themes are:
- Organizing;
- Developing and connecting;
- Innovating and entrepreneurship;
- Changing and transforming;
- Leading oneself and others;
- Context and society.
Content
Besides simple problems, which can be easily defined and broken down into manageable pieces and solved, we also encounter complex issues. These are more difficult to grasp and not easy to solve. A key characteristic of complex problems is that they involve various stakeholders with different perspectives and interests. Complex issues can also be defined and interpreted in different ways, cannot be broken down into smaller problems, and can lead to very different solutions that, in turn, trigger subsequent problems. Complex problems develop unpredictably (Berkel and Manickam, 2019).
Existing problem-solving approaches and traditional change management approaches, which are suitable for simple problems, are insufficient for dealing with complex issues. A different approach is needed, one that allows us to embrace the complexity and persistence of complex problems. Consider a systems approach, which creates possibilities for new interventions. This offers a different perspective on policy formulation, strategy, change, planning, organization, leadership, and collaboration (Berkel and Manickam, 2019).
Because several complex issues are simultaneously at play in the world of healthcare and social work, this module was named "A Wicked World."
Students will gain a deeper understanding of the theory of complexity and systems thinking. Theory is alternated with practice, with attention also paid to their own role and professional identity as a future professional. On the one hand, we focus on themes that transcend organizations, with a focus on public health and the complex issues that come with it. In addition, students also demonstrate how to handle more straightforward organizational issues. This latter is demonstrated in an intensive master's thesis. Finally, the module concludes with a retrospective and reflection.
Existing problem-solving approaches and traditional change management approaches, which are suitable for simple problems, are insufficient for dealing with complex issues. A different approach is needed, one that allows us to embrace the complexity and persistence of complex problems. Consider a systems approach, which creates possibilities for new interventions. This offers a different perspective on policy formulation, strategy, change, planning, organization, leadership, and collaboration (Berkel and Manickam, 2019).
Because several complex issues are simultaneously at play in the world of healthcare and social work, this module was named "A Wicked World."
Students will gain a deeper understanding of the theory of complexity and systems thinking. Theory is alternated with practice, with attention also paid to their own role and professional identity as a future professional. On the one hand, we focus on themes that transcend organizations, with a focus on public health and the complex issues that come with it. In addition, students also demonstrate how to handle more straightforward organizational issues. This latter is demonstrated in an intensive master's thesis. Finally, the module concludes with a retrospective and reflection.
Included in programme(s)
School(s)
- Health, Care & Vitality