Slowing down to speed up — Time to take action!
Part Three:
So far in this blog series we’ve covered why we decided to carry out an organisation-wide systems change listening exercise and shared our findings. This period of reflection was valuable on so many levels. Not only did it enable to us to gain deep insights but the process itself helped us connect with colleagues, build new relationships and bring greater clarity to what systems change means to at The Children’s Society.
Ella Saltmarshe speaking at the System Innovation Initiative 2022 learning festival discussed the power of connecting to emotions and values when sharing stories of change and it really resonated with us. The listening exercise enabled us to connect with colleagues based on our shared values and passion for improving the lives of young people. It’s what made the conversations powerful and allowed colleagues, who may have initially been hesitant or unclear about systems change, to see that even though we have different roles, we are all connected — working to create a fairer society for young people. Really that’s the essence of systems change at The Children’s Society and something we can all sign up to!
With our purpose and passion feeling clearer than ever, it’s now time to take action. In order to build a solid foundation our first steps have focused on bringing clarity and demystifying systems change.
What is systems change?
Demystifying systems change was a strong theme throughout our listening exercise. During every interview colleagues talked about language needing to be more inclusive and accessible. They also wanted to understand the organisational narrative on systems change, being clear on what systems change means for The Children’s Society, so this can be fully embraced by all staff and shared with external partners. Working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation we have agreed a shared definition of what we mean by ‘a system’ and then what ‘systems change’ means to The Children’s Society. Our aim was to use accessible language and terms that could be understood by all.
We then built on these definitions by creating a systems change resource pack to provide a more detailed narrative of what we mean by systems change. It covers the organisational journey so far, the enabling conditions for change, how systems change links to our organisational strategy, key questions to consider before starting a piece of systems change work, and practical examples of change in action.
The resource pack is just the first step; relationships remain a key focus. We experienced first-hand the power of relationships, and how foundational there they are, so wanted to ensure that they remain at the centre of our approach. Our six-weekly community of practice (CoP) has proven a great way to make connections and continue to build relationships across work areas. Colleagues from across the organisation are invited to attend, it’s a completely open membership. Our number one priority is creating a safe space for people to be curious, ask questions, make connections and learn from each other. We ensure the content of the CoP is decided upon and created by its members. Themes chosen so far have included: service design, evaluating systems change and campaigning for change.
We are sharing regular stories of systems change to bring the work to life, showing how change happens at different levels of the system. The template is available for anyone at The Children’s Society to use so we are encouraging our colleagues to share their stories too.
My brilliant colleague Donya has also launched Roots Change Podcast which aims to make systems change more accessible. She is interviewing professionals and young people who are inspiring communities and sharing their stories of change. You can listen to the first episode all about cultural competency here.
This is just the beginning! There lots of other exciting work evolving from the listening exercise, including plans for an in person conference so watch this space! We will continue to share openly through this blog series as our journey continues.
We are always keen to connect and talk all things systems change so please get in touch helen.dudzinska@childrenssociety.org.uk and Donya.lamrhari@childrenssociety.org.uk
