We Can Change... the scope of the situation

How systems thinking leads to deeper impact

Building on this post from a few weeks back…

Part of what we will learn and practice together in ARC (aka Agents of Radiant Change) is what's called systems thinking: A way of seeing the world not in terms of isolated incidents, but in systems of interconnected parts that serve a function or purpose—even if that purpose is merely to perpetuate the system itself.

Here's a simple way to play with systems thinking:

🚨 Identify a recent/current event that's happening now in your work or in your world. For example, a key team member resigns, or you lose a new business pitch.

🖇️ Look for a pattern: Has this happened before? Is it likely to happen again? What are commonalities around multiple incidents, e.g. this team has seen other resignations or lost other pitches recently.

[This is typically where we stop. We get swept up in a sense of urgency and react to events and patterns vs. digging deeper, as systems thinking invites us to do. We have more leverage and can achieve greater impact at the next two levels:]

🏛️ See the structure of the system: What are the parts? Who are the players? How do they connect and interact to produce these patterns? You might notice that the team is understaffed, or that the pitch team doesn't know who's accountable for what decisions.

[This is where we have an opportunity to redesign elements of the structure to disrupt the pattern. Sharing information more broadly and introducing feedback loops into a process are high-leverage ways to do this.]

🧠 Recognize the paradigm at play: What are the assumptions people have about this system? What beliefs and/or values keep it running? For example, we tend to assume "this is just the way it is—new business pitches have to be stressful." The value of "hard work" and the belief that "the harder you work, the more value you create" feeds directly into unsustainable ways of working and burnout.

[If you can find a way to shift a paradigm, the system shifts with you. This is the highest leverage point there is. It's also the toughest, deepest work and takes the most time.]

Once you start to work with systems, you'll see them everywhere. And if you want to lead change of any kind, systems thinking is a core skill you'll want to cultivate.

ARC launches in just two weeks! Come join us and kick your systems thinking into high gear.