Practice Makes Perfect
Reflecting on Two and A Half Years of Systems Practice
It all started in spring 2020 when I completed the Systems Practice course by the Omidyar Group hosted by Acumen. It is a well-curated, engaging and intense course which led me into a new learning universe! Since then, my interest in and fascination with systems thinking has grown exponentially making it a passion, and a profession.
Following the Systems Practice course, I completed a number of other courses — Systems Dynamics Modelling and Analysis, Leading from the Emerging Future, Introduction to Systems Innovation and Designing Resilient Regenerative Systems, amongst others, read books on the topic, joined learning circles, and attended talks and conferences. I was then ready and excited to put these new skills into practice as part of the systems mapping offering at ReImagined Futures, the consultancy I co-founded.
Our first project was an experimental systems map on the global food system, undertaken in partnership with 2N Management. It was fascinating to see how our thinking started to shift during the process, it was hard to not think systemically when applying this methodology!
Since that first systems map, I have had a chance to refine and develop our systems practice over a number of iterations and learning opportunities. I adapted and improved the methodology, mastered Kumu — the mapping tool, and trained an amazing global team of systems practitioners who are now delivering systems maps and facilitating conversations on a variety of complex challenges for organisations from the public, private and non profit sectors. Some of our most interesting systems practice projects include:
- A Catalan Food System Map in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture at the Government of Catalonia, Spain;
- A Systems Map on Chronicity and Dependency in Bages in partnership with the University Foundation of Manresa, Spain;
- A Systems Map on the Challenge of Macro-Plastic Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea in partnership with the Center for Agro-Food Economics and Development, Spain;
- A Systems Map on Transformative Innovation Within the Knowledge Sector in Catalonia in partnership with the Government of Catalonia, Spain (available only in Spanish);
- A Systems Map on the Humanitarian System for Children in Situations of Crisis in partnership with the Moving Minds Alliance, UK (still in progress).
We are learning so much with every project and are humbled by the interest and support we have received. I’ve tried to summarise some of our most interesting insights and learnings across the following three categories:
Outcomes:
“Systems thinking is a discipline for seeing wholes. It is a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things, for seeing ‘patterns of change’ rather than ‘static snapshots.” Peter Senge
1.The systems map itself is an invaluable deliverable which helps all key stakeholders make sense of the complexity of the challenge they are involved in/trying to tackle and to create a shared understanding of the current reality and interconnections between the elements in the system. It helps them understand that it is these interconnections which determine the behaviour of the system — not only the nature of the elements. The map is also a fantastic communication tool — first, it brings people together for a constructive multi-stakeholder dialogue; second, it is a helpful visual which supports the core team in communicating the complexity of the challenge they are working on to external stakeholders.
2.The biggest value of the systems practice is the practice. Involving a core team that works closely with us during the whole process (often lasting 6 or more months) and a large number of stakeholders in focus groups, interviews and workshops is probably the best systems thinking training we could ever lead! The exposure to systems thinking theory and the endless practice of it really builds skills and capacity within everyone involved.
3.The systems map is just the first piece of the systems practice puzzle. It is what allows us to identify leverage points (points in the system where a relatively small intervention can create a significant impact) and align them with the strengths of the organisation in order to create a leverage hypothesis which serves as a starting point for a theory of change and strategy development.
Methodology
1.Before we start a systems practice we evaluate what level of stakeholder engagement is most relevant and needed in order to fulfil the purpose of the project and achieve its objectives. There are 3 levels of stakeholder engagement that help categorise the type of practice needed:
- A highly participatory systems practice which engages a large number of stakeholders across all stages of the process and uses their input as the main information source for the map.
Benefits: Highly engaging, stakeholders feel ownership of the process and are more likely to use the map for future decision-making.
Drawbacks: The process can take a lot longer and the final result is not based on expert information but more on lived experience.
- A hybrid systems practice which engages stakeholders in certain steps of the process and it also incorporates expert input from published research, interviews and focus groups.
Benefits: It is engaging but not overwhelming for the stakeholders and the map reflects their input. The expert input makes the map more robust.
Drawbacks: Stakeholders participating only in one or two steps of the process might not be able to make sense of it or fully understand the map.
- Internal systems practice which is based mostly on input from the core team in the client organisation and published resources which they share with us.
Benefits: It can be particularly useful as an internal sense-making process which lays the foundations for a strategy redesign. It is a relatively fast process as it doesn’t require too much coordination of different stakeholders.
Drawbacks: The map might not be inclusive of all perspectives and lived experiences due to the lack of diverse input and feedback.
2.Systems practice is a step-by-step and iterative process. You cannot jump from step 1 to step 5 without going through steps 2, 3 and 4, as each step adds unique value making the subsequent step so much more insightful. Shortcuts are tempting but the more we work in this field, the more we know that they are never a good idea. This is usually the biggest battle with clients who want accelerated timelines.
3.The systems practice methodology we follow is based on the school of systems dynamics and it includes causal loops (feedback loops) at its heart. An important tip to share here is that you should first build all feedback loops individually and only then connect them in the first draft of the map! The temptation to start connecting loops as you go is hard to resist but if you do that it will make it impossible to construct the whole map afterwards.
Practicalities:
1.Familarise yourself with Kumu properly before you begin. It is a fantastic (free!) systems mapping tool but you should definitely watch some of their tutorials before starting. Using the advanced editor is not as scary as it might seem to none-coder eyes. Check the code of some other maps you like and copy bits of it to your test map to see what happens if you want to accelerate your learning.
2.Systems practice is not a one person job! We always work in a team of 3–4 people as it is simply impossible for one brain to cope with this level of complexity. The combination of 3–4 brains also makes our systems practice process so much more thorough and also fun!
3.You will need to work really closely as one core team with 4–5 people on the client side. This is probably the most important relationship you need to work on for the success of the systems practice.
These are just a few of ReImagined Futures’ highlight learnings so far and we continue to learn more and more with every project. It feels like the more we practise, the more our learning capacity expands.
Do get in touch if you would like to find out more about our systems practice work. We are always happy to share more and explore how systems practice might enhance your organisation’s ability to tackle complex sustainability challenges.
LinkedIn and email: info@reimaginedfutures.org
