Skills for Operating within Systems

The Skills for Working in Systems (SYTE) project aims to strengthen the ability of professionals working in workplace ecosystems, networks, projects and clusters to operate effectively in complex collaborative environments. The project will develop and pilot a workplace-oriented training programme that strengthens participants’ systems thinking, interaction and collaboration skills, systemic leadership, and their ability to learn and operate in changing circumstances. The training will be implemented in three ecosystems in the Pirkanmaa region and in one open group.

The project will also develop an impact assessment method for evaluating both the development of participants’ competencies and the effects of this development on ecosystem operations. The project outputs will include a training programme and related materials, a method for assessing the impact of systemic competencies, an openly accessible Guide for Working in Systems, a project website, and a series of podcasts and blog posts. All outputs will be published as open resources so that they can be widely used in workplace networks and ecosystems after the project has ended.

An increasing proportion of professional work takes place in networks, projects, clusters and ecosystems that extend across organisational boundaries. Success in these operating environments requires new competencies, such as systems thinking, the ability to build collaboration, an understanding of complex interactions, and the capacity to operate effectively in different networks. However, these competencies are not currently developed systematically through workplace-oriented education or training.

This skills gap reduces the ability of ecosystems to generate innovations, achieve their objectives and create added value for the participating organisations. Discussions and surveys conducted during the project preparation phase, together with experiences gained from previous development projects, have demonstrated that there is a widely recognised need in working life to develop skills for working in systems. At the same time, it has been observed that training currently available in Finland focuses mainly on the theory of systems thinking, leadership or facilitation, while paying limited attention to developing individuals’ practical capabilities to operate within ecosystems.

The project responds to this identified need by strengthening professionals’ capabilities to work effectively in complex collaborative environments. At the same time, it supports Pirkanmaa’s ambition to become a leading region in collaboration and competence development.

The project aims to improve the innovation capacity and performance of workplace networks and ecosystems by strengthening the skills required by professionals working within them. Its objective is to develop participants’ ability to understand broad and interconnected systems, engage in constructive interaction, promote collaboration, and lead and develop systemic entities.

A training programme will be co-created and piloted during the project, enabling participants to apply systems thinking in their practical work. An impact assessment method will also be developed to demonstrate both the development of participants’ competencies and the effects of this development on ecosystem operations.

The project also aims to produce an openly accessible guide and other materials that organisations can use to continue developing skills for working in systems after the project has ended. In addition, it seeks to raise awareness of the importance of these skills as a key competence area in today’s networked working life.

The project’s expected impact is based on strengthening professionals’ skills for working in systems and improving their ability to operate within complex collaborative networks. Increased competence will result in higher-quality interaction, improved collaboration, more efficient information flows, and a stronger ability to identify and utilise opportunities emerging within networks.

As a result, the innovation capacity and performance of the participating ecosystems will improve, increasing their ability to create value for their member organisations and the regional business community. In the long term, the project will support the competitiveness of the Pirkanmaa region by improving the quality, innovativeness and productivity of network-based collaboration.

The project’s impact will extend beyond its immediate target group. The openly published guides, materials and assessment methods will enable the operating model to be adopted by other organisations and ecosystems. In this way, the competencies and practices developed in the project can contribute more broadly to the renewal of working life and to stronger collaborative capabilities after the project has ended.

Translation choices: The wording has been adapted into natural, formal project English while preserving the original meaning and structure. Terms such as systeemiajattelu, vaikuttavuus and tuloskyky have been rendered as systems thinking, impact, and performance or capacity to achieve results, depending on the context.

Co-funded by the European Union