Sociotechnical systems understanding for dealing with wicked problems
The project involves an inventory of best practices and developing teaching methods that contribute to the students' abilities to address wicked problems by broadening the question from "design thinking" to "systems thinking" and to a sociotechnical systems understanding.
Project context
Becoming an engineer who can tackle wicked problems requires, among other things, a developed sociotechnical systems understanding. This means the ability to think about and navigate systems that are not only defined as complex technical systems but also include a sociotechnical systems perspective. This is necessary for future engineers to be able to develop relevant decision-making material in, for example, development projects.
In the Master’s programme Integrated Product Design, with its two tracks, there are already courses that touch on this, but a broader approach is needed to strengthen the quality of the programme. The previous project Scalable Module for Design Thinking (2513-ITM) has examined how design thinking as a module can be integrated into teaching. Lessons from this previous project need to be taken further, and the issue should be broadened from “design thinking” to “systems thinking” and sociotechnical systems understanding.
Purpose (outcome)
The purpose of the project is to strengthen students’ ability to handle wicked problems by developing teaching methods that allow them to practise their sociotechnical systems understanding.
Project results (output)
The project will deliver the following concrete results:
- Inventory of relevant “best practice” methods for training sociotechnical systems understanding.
- Proposed teaching methods (exercises, modules, and courses).
- A workshop with relevant Master’s programme directors, programme directors, and course coordinators (see below).
- Further developed teaching methods (exercises, modules, and courses).
The project may lead to the introduction of new courses, modules in existing courses, and exercises that can be used in courses within the Master’s programme Integrated Product Design (TIPDM), as well as modules or exercises in other Master’s programmes at KTH e.g., Technology-based Entrepreneurship (TTBEM), Sustainable Energy Engineering (TSEEM), Industrial Management (TINEM), Sustainable Digitalisation (TDIGM), Interactive Media Technology (TIMTM), and Sustainable Urban Planning and Design (THSSM).
Time plan
Start date: 2026-03-01
End date: 2026-12-31
Project documentation
If you have a KTH ID, you can read the documents when logged in:
- Poster: The project’s first poster (in Swedish) will be available at the ”Storträffen” meetup autumn 2026
- Project directive (Swedish): Projektdirektiv_FrU26_2626-ITM_SociotekniskSystemförståelse.pdf