Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a system? And what is systems change?
A system is a group of things that work together or that form an interconnecting network. Examples could include systems of government (like a monarchy or representative democracy), transportation systems that help move products across a country or continent, or education systems that ensure children learn how to read, write, and use math to problem-solve.
In each of these cases, there are many moving parts that act independently and together towards a goal, such as governing a group of people, shipping food from farms to marketplaces, or ensuring that students receive a high-quality education that can prepare them for life outside of school.
Systems change is an intentional process to try to reshape the components, structures, and functions of a system to address the root causes of social problems.
In government, systems change could try to make a government more representative of the people it serves. Transportation systems could be restructured to reduce pollution and meet climate change targets. Education systems could be remade to allow students to learn from home without stepping into a classroom, and make education more accessible to all students as a result.
2. Why does systems change matter?
When people want to address issues in society, like persuading governments to tackle climate change, poverty, or violent crime, they typically propose solutions that can have an immediate impact on a given issue. For example, people may suggest a carbon tax, building more low-income housing, or putting more police on the streets to address the above issues.
These types of solutions often do not address the underlying causes of these problems, which makes it difficult to escape a cycle of cause-and-effect. By tackling the underlying reasons for a social issue, we can break these kinds of cycles and enact meaningful change, although the impact may not be immediate and will require sustained efforts.
To better understand this, think of the problem of a burning house. By putting out a fire, you can see an immediate, positive effect, but this does nothing to prevent future fires. It does not make a house less vulnerable to catching fire, or teach people about fire prevention. It also would not require home builders to use safer, less flammable materials, even if these materials are more expensive than alternatives. While the end goal is to avoid having a burning house, there is a lot of work that has to be done before the fire starts in order to prevent a larger problem.
This example illustrates why systems change matters. The system in which a problem occurs often has to be completely changed to prevent that problem from happening again and to avoid related problems.
3. How do we go about achieving systems change?
Achieving systems change can be broken down into two parts: planning and action.
Planning often requires three important steps:
a) Learning about the system in which the problem occurs. This includes identifying who is involved in the system (their role(s) and how they interact with others), understanding what changes may need to be implemented to address the problem, and taking into account the tools and assets that are currently available.
b) Engaging people to participate. Changing a system is a big process and most problems and systems involve many different actors. Therefore, it’s really important to involve these people in the planning stages, make sure they talk to one another, and can meaningfully participate in the process.
c) Mapping the systems you want to change. Most systems have many different, moving parts that are often connected, either intentionally or unintentionally. An action in one area can dramatically impact another area, often in unexpected ways. By gaining a better understanding of how the different parts of the system are connected, you can work to avoid this and correct for unintended consequences when they inevitably happen. Mapping might not be required in all cases, but can often help in understanding how “A” affects “B”, and also how “A” can affect “Z”.
Action also has three crucial components:
a) Teamwork. One person or group can rarely change a system, particularly in a positive, impactful way. It’s essential that people can communicate, be responsive, and work together. One way this can be achieved is through a collective impact, where different groups of people can achieve more by working as a team than as individuals. To achieve collective impact, it is important for the group to:
– have a common agenda,
– have shared criteria to measure success,
– engage in actions that mutually reinforce the work of each other,
– foster continuous communication among group members, and
– develop a strong, core team that can help support, manage, plan, and coordinate over the long term.
b) Distributing leadership, so that more people have a stake in the outcome of systems change, are more engaged, and can readily communicate when something is working or not working. Centralized leadership tends to result in people being less invested in the outcomes of the work that they do, and makes it harder to adapt to changing circumstances at the local level.
c) Creating a culture of continuous learning. Changing a system is a long, arduous process. By viewing road bumps as learning opportunities and experiences to improve, rather than as failures, the team will be better suited to respond. The group will be less likely to feel discouraged, more likely to experiment with new ideas and strategies, more adaptable when issues arise, and more responsive to both internal and external feedback.
4. How pricey is systems change?
Changing a system is not usually a quick, easy feat. It can be a long process, requiring a lot of dedicated planning, communicating, and hard work, but it doesn’t necessarily need to come with a high price tag. One of the first ways that people may try to change a system is to simply throw money at a problem. If the root of the problem is underfunding, this might help quite a bit, but not if the underlying issues are in how those funds are allocated, rather than due to funding shortages.
For example, some people may be concerned about the risk of violent crime in their neighbourhoods. If the underlying reasons that people may commit crimes are due to extreme poverty, struggles with substance use and addiction, or a mental health crisis, spending more money on policing may not actually make the community safer. Often, the people that commit crimes in a community are also members of that same community. By reallocating funds from policing to social services that can alleviate poverty, assist people with addictions, and provide more and better access to mental health support, this could help members of that community, reduce violent crime in the neighbourhood, and make the community as a whole truly safer.
Systems change will have costs, including monetary, political, or even social costs, but these should not be viewed as roadblocks that prevent meaningful progress. Maintaining the status quo also has costs and requires compromises, whether or not these are considered in decision-making. In a changing system, the costs could be distributed differently and could include a privileged group making space at the table for underrepresented groups, or paying higher taxes to fund the new systems. It is important to communicate the reasons, processes, and goals that paying these costs will help achieve. Changing a system won’t happen overnight, but its lasting impacts will endure.
5. Where do I start?
No matter the size of the problem, we all have to start somewhere, and this can begin with a single conversation with a friend or neighbour.
After a problem has been identified, try to reach out to those that are impacted by the problem to start a discussion. Be sure to include people with different perspectives. This can help to identify affected community members, learn about how different parts of a system interact, and start to build a group of people that can work together.
Understanding what knowledge, experiences, and skills each person can share, and starting to organize a group of people working towards a common goal can be the catalyst for changing a system, building momentum, and beginning to have a meaningful impact.