Skip main navigation

Resilience, Autonomy, and Harmony for a 'sustainable' state

In other words, a system is sustainable when it hits the right balance between these three.

In SiD, the system-level indicators for sustainability are Resilience, Autonomy, and Harmony. In other words, a system is sustainable when it hits the right balance between these three.

Resilience relates to the capacity of a system of bouncing back after unexpected events. The Autonomy of a system has to do with its self-sufficiency, both in terms of resources and self-affirmation and governance. Harmony translates in the lack of friction, or, how peaceful a system is.

The extent to which each of these is met, and the way Resilience, Autonomy, and Harmony interact with each other, determines the overall sustainability of a given system.

Let’s look closely into each of these three in the next steps.

© 2010-2019, Tom Bosschaert, Symbiosis in Development – Making New Futures Possible

This article is from the free online

An Introduction to Systems Thinking for Sustainability: SiD Theory I

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

Reach your personal and professional goals

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now