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Systems Planning Made Simple

Kevin and Sandy at the whiteboard.

At Trepwise, planning often takes place with the representatives of one organization—a group dedicated to charting its strategic direction and path toward achieving long-term goals. Organizational planning involves several voices, from an organization’s leadership to its staff, primary beneficiaries, and partners. Those closest to an organization or most affected by its work are critical to shaping a clear strategic vision. But what about challenges that are so large, complex, or systemic that they require multiple organizations, a coalition, or a collective to work together? For these challenges, systems coordination or planning allows us to work with clients to maximize impact for larger groups or causes.

We’ve covered approaches to systems change in a previous insight, and since then, we’ve had more experience working with frameworks that help simplify our work at the systems level. In this post, we’ll introduce you to Guiding Stars, Near Stars, Leverage Points, and some learnings on intentionally engaging voices along the way.

Guiding Stars and Near Stars

Before envisioning a path forward, it’s critical to understand where we want to end up. In the initial stages of systems coordination, we focus on developing systems visions and outcomes. One way to describe these concepts are guiding stars (vision or aspirational state for the system) and near stars (desired outcomes within a specific time frame). Defining our collective vision at the outset provides a clear direction, making it easier to decide what we seek to learn through discussion or research, the strategies to help realize our goals, and how we might measure the success of our efforts.

Source | Systems Practice Workbook

At this stage, Trepwise will also engage the planning body around the areas or people within the system where we could effect the most change. Near Stars can guide this step, as you can prioritize where within the system you’d like to see desired outcomes. A systems map, a visual representation of a system, its parts, and how they interact, is another tool used at this stage.

A well-designed systems map ensures you understand the context of the system for which you are designing solutions or interventions before working to change it. The example above highlights the interaction between students and how community members within and outside the school system support them. In this example, the guiding star or vision would center around how we want the high school experience to change for students specifically. This example suggests that we should have near stars that relate to the families, teachers, principals, and the local school board to ensure we can monitor the success of our desired outcomes for each group. 

However, understanding how groups interact in a system is essential. The example above shows how the various groups provide love, information, or even funding to each other, which could also inform the interventions we design to change the system. But how do we know which interventions are most impactful?

Leverage Points

In a more complex system, strategies can have varying levels of impact. If interventions are not applied appropriately, we may not realize the change we wish to see. Leverage Points help to ensure that we don’t boil the ocean and are the pathways that we feel are best suited to help reach our desired state. First defined in Donella Meadows’ 1997 paper, Leverage Points are “places within a complex system (a corporation, an economy, a living body, a city, an ecosystem) where a small shift in one thing can produce big changes in everything.” The framework highlights how choosing the proper leverage points can change an entire system. We can compare Leverage Points to hypotheses, as they indicate how we believe engagement at various levels in a system could create a much more significant impact.

Source | Innovation Unit: Meadows’ Leverage Points

The example above shows how leverage points depicted furthest away from the system can be the most effective at shifting it, just as pulling a lever furthest from the fulcrum can lift the heaviest weight. However, they are also the most difficult to change, and the higher the leverage point, the more resistance there is to change it. For instance, physical events (furthest to the left in the picture) are the easiest to change but are the least sustainable. Conversely, conscious/mental models are the hardest to change but most sustainable.

A combination of well-placed leverage points can combine to shift an entire paradigm but should be monitored and readjusted throughout plan development and implementation to gauge their collective impact. Hypotheses in the scientific method must be tested to confirm their validity, and the same goes for leverage points. Systems planning helps us navigate which potential leverage points are most effective and could be the most lasting. Just as an acupuncturist can target a few points with needles that can release tension throughout your body, the right leverage points can help a coalition create the world they wish to see.

Who Are We Changing the System For?

Throughout a systems coordination effort, we consistently ask ourselves who, how, and to what end. Regardless of a collective or coalition’s expertise, a system comprises many players who require engagement to change it. Continuing to interrogate the lens through which we view a systems planning effort will ensure that we are working towards change in service of those most impacted.

Our planning processes often start with a discovery phase, and given the expansive nature of systems planning engagements, this process takes many months. As we move out from the core planning group, engaging subject matter experts and research often follow, but eventually, we will test our assumptions about how to change a system on those closest to it. As a highly collaborative youth-centered process, the NOLA Youth Master Plan became more powerful when we engaged the voices of New Orleans youth. Similarly, our work with the Whole Health Louisiana Initiative addressed childhood adversity in Louisiana. It has culminated in a statewide intervention to convene healthcare practitioners who are central to facing this challenge around childhood adversity and the resources or support they need to mitigate it within their agencies.

Even with frameworks that simplify planning, the strength of the “Trepwise Way” lies in the people on whom we center our approach. We embrace the opportunity to work with clients and those they serve on the most significant challenges as we strive towards our vision of thriving communities where good ideas spread. Find out more about our services, or connect with us here to learn how we can support you at the organizational or systems level and maximize your work’s potential.