Systems change addresses the more fundamental innovations that are systemic in nature. For us, this means innovations that radically transform some of the fundamental systems on which we depend – how food is provided, healthcare, housing, or learning – according to fundamentally different principles.Systemic innovation is very different from innovation in products or services. It involves changes to concepts and mindsets as well as to economic flows: systems only change when people think, see and behave in new ways. It involves changes to power, replacing prior power holders with new ones. And it usually involves all four sectors – business, government, civil society, and the household.
There are many frameworks, approaches and models for thinking about systems change, and it looks different depending on on where you are in the world. As the societal challenges we gace become more complex, systems thinking has become more popular.
Many of our friends are partners have been working in this field for years, and we are grateful for the guidance, collaboration and inspiration in lots of our work in this space.
Key Questions
- How can systems change be applied in different regions/cultures where the language does not fit?
- What does systems change look like in practice?
- How to embed a systems lease/approach in organisations?
- How to finance systems work?
Our contribution
SIX has been working in systems change for several years – Our retreats for funders in Canada and Australia catalysed several new relationships and funder activities; we run training sessions for organisations to help them embedded systems thinking in practice and we participated in several systems change communities.
Featured work
Systems principles for a pandemic
Earlier in April, SIX wrapped up our second of two trainings with one of the largest independent grant making foundations in England. Over six months, we worked with two cohorts of individuals to explore what social innovation and systems thinking looks like in context and in practice. What were we designing for? We believe that funders and ... Systems principles for a pandemic
Making the case for foundations in East Asia to embrace systems thinking
Questions for the social sector in Hong Kong With the rapid development of East Asia in recent years, individuals and corporates are accumulating wealth. This is leading to the establishment of new foundations and making both public and private funds widely available. We have worked in East Asia for several years, our SIX colleague and ... Making the case for foundations in East Asia to embrace systems thinking
From our friends and partners
Systems Change vs. Behaviour Change (part two)
Lizzy Robinson is a Senior Program Manager and the Afghanistan portfolio lead at MAGENTA, a social and behavioural change research and communications firm. Josiane Smith manages Strategic Partnerships and Growth at the Social Innovation Exchange (SIX), a global, cross-sector network of institutions and individuals committed to social and systems change. Josiane and Lizzy connected in ... Systems Change vs. Behaviour Change (part two)
Between the institution and the individual: What works for systems change (part one)
This is Part One of a Two Part Series exploring different approaches to tackling social issues in development work and the public sector. It is held in conversation between Lizzy Robinson and Josiane Smith, who connected in Amman over their mutual fascination with social development, behaviour change and the bigger forces in society that help or hinder ... Between the institution and the individual: What works for systems change (part one)
The role of risk in funding systems change and how to manage it
Funding systems change initiatives and innovations is inevitably risky. A growing number of foundations globally are interested in funding from a systems change perspective – yet there is a simultaneous trend toward metrics-driven grantmaking and quantitative evaluation of outcomes based on technical measurement. This has translated into risk-averse grantmaking that channels funds toward ‘guaranteed outcomes.’ ... The role of risk in funding systems change and how to manage it
A foundational approach to systems change: A snapshot
Systems change. To some the word comes with a promise. A chance to create a bigger, deeper lasting impact. A shakeup, a change in the status quo. A fundamental reshuffle. To others, the idea is fraught with confusion. What is it? What does it even mean? And how do you do it? Despite the growth ... A foundational approach to systems change: A snapshot
Behaving Like a System
Collaborate launched a new report “Behaving Like a System?“ on the preconditions for place-based systems change. Funded by the Lankelly Chase, this piece of work set out to explore the preconditions for systems change in a place. It unpicks the critical behaviours and vision that makes system change more likely, more deliverable and more sustainable. In ... Behaving Like a System
Mapping Momentum
As we hurtle towards a human community of 9.7 billion people by the year 2050, coupled with new technologies and the growing challenges of our planet’s carrying capacity, there is more and more discussion of systems and how they change or are created. The post-war era has witnessed an unprecedented growth of global, national and ... Mapping Momentum
Building ecosystems for systems change
How do we collaborate to create ecosystems that support innovation for systems change? On September 5, 2014, Social Innovation Generation (SiG) and Oxfam hosted one of the final sessions of the inaugural Unusual Suspects Festival at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK office that explored: How do we collaborate to create an ecosystem that supports innovation for systems ... Building ecosystems for systems change
Permission, performance and play: shifting culture, changing systems
1. The two most important things you need to focus on if you want to use innovation to change systems and shift cultures are permission and play. The third thing is performance. Permission, performance, play – that’s the trifecta you have to pull off. It’s very hard and very rare. I was reminded of this ... Permission, performance and play: shifting culture, changing systems
‘Good’ systems, for whom?
Sarah Schulman, Kennisland – 11.04.2013 Sarah Schulman, an expert member of the SIX community with a background in Co-design processes–and a visiting scholar at Kennisland in the Netherlands–takes a long look at the systems that structure–and constrain–our lives and daily actions, as well as the processes, politics, and people that create our shared idea of ... ‘Good’ systems, for whom?
In Studio: Recipes for Systematic Change
The In Studio: Recipes for Systematic Change book explores a particular Strategic Design method that we at Sitra call the HDL Studio Model. It’s a unique way of bringing together the right people, a carefully framed problem, a supportive place, and an open-ended process to craft holistic vision and sketch the pathway towards strategic improvement. ... In Studio: Recipes for Systematic Change