A fish is swimming along one day when another fish comes up and says “Hey, how’s the water?” The first fish stares back blankly at the second fish and then says “What’s water?” The Water of systems change: Kania, Kramer and Senge (2018) ● We are all seeking to achieve systems change. ● The “system” is made up of government policies, societal norms and goals, market forces, incentives, power imbalances, knowledge gaps, embedded social narratives, and many more. ● How do we achieve this? ● Real and equitable progress requires exceptional attention to the detailed and often mundane work of noticing what is invisible to many.
SYSTEMS CHANGE CONDITIONS ● Policies: Government, institutional and organizational rules, regulations, and priorities that guide the entity’s own and others’ actions. ● Practices: Espoused activities of institutions, coalitions, networks, and other entities targeted to improving social and environmental progress. Also, within the entity, the procedures, guidelines, or informal shared habits that comprise their work. ● Resource Flows: How money, people, knowledge, information, and other assets such as infrastructure are allocated and distributed. ● Relationships & Connections: Quality of connections and communication occurring among actors in the system, especially among those with differing histories and viewpoints. ● Power Dynamics: The distribution of decision-making power, authority, and both formal and informal influence among individuals and organizations. ● Mental Models: Habits of thought — deeply held beliefs and assumptions and taken-for- granted ways of operating that influence how we think, what we do, and how we talk.
● Explicit - our most comfortable place to work from - policies, practices, resource flows. ● Semi explicit - to transform a system we need to transform the relationships between people who make up the system - relationships, connections and power dynamics. ● Implicit - The hardest part - Changing mental models often means challenging power structures that have defined, influenced, and shaped those models historically and in the present. An evolution in the revolution….
Evolution in the Revolution… From To Management Movement building Common agenda Community aspiration Shared measurement Strategic learning Mutually reinforcing activities High leverage activities Continuous communication Inclusive community engagement Backbone Containers for change
Global Learning for Local Action Melody Barnes, John Kania, Brenda Zimmerman, Jay Connor and Paul Born Snip the video image to place here http://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/w atch Tamarack Community Summit 2015
Top 3 new ideas Chicago USA 2019 1. Belonging in a time of “othering” 2. Understanding and learning with data 3. Building Trust through community engagement
1. Belonging in a time of “othering” Mindset and mental models for community change “ The problem of - individual and systems level “Othering” is the problem of Joining a set culture as a guest = inclusion the 21st century.” transition to... john.a.powell Participating in building something we both / all own = Hass Institute belonging
The same outcome for everyone Targeted Universalism as a mindset for designing belonging strategies. The Universal is the Goal - state what the outcome is for everyone The strategy is the targeted way to get to the goal. What does everyone need to get to the universal. Change the systems and structures which discriminate against ● people based on race, age, etc, etc. Create the rules and relationships so all people can participate ● john a powell and succeed.
Targeted Universalism: 5 Steps 1. Articulate a particular goal based upon a robust understanding and analysis of the problem at hand 2. Assess difference of general population from the universal goal. 3. Assess particular geographies and population segments divergence from this goal. 4. Assess barriers to achieving the goal for each group / geography 5. Craft targeted processes to each group to reach universal goals.
2. Understanding and learning with data Thrive Opportunity for Youth Chicago - Convene and Connect ● Activate Data and research (data partnership 3 years in the making) ● Co-design solutions ● Identify seed and sustainable funding ● Failure to make progress on young people completing school progressing to College. Why? Public and community sector data partnership for understanding “summer melts” and asking students what would help. Nudge communications and Reconnect Hubs.
2. Understanding and learning with data Erikson Institute - Early Development Instrument (EDI) Research into kindergarten readiness. What’s different? Data mapping and community galleries to ● understand what the data means Why is the data different in different ● neighbourhoods. What is the story that only local people know? ● What data don’t the experts have? ●
3. Building Trust through community engagement Rethinking community engagement - learning from built environment initiative ...new conversations that can help advance engagement beyond the status quo, break out of tired patterns, and rebuild trust in decision making processes. Acknowledges that development and urban renewal have disenfranchised the most disenfranchised. Applies the equity lens to community engagement to ensure they do no harm and all people are better off as a result of local efforts.
Articulated and specific approach and expectations of leaders 1. Shift our mindset ● see value in all voices ● redefine community ● (re)build trust ● Foster Collective Learning ● Be mindful about timelines ● Commit to an action oriented process. 2. Co-design community engagement with community ● name the power dynamics ● communicate appropriately ● offer different formats 3. Enable two way communication and learning ● Show up ● Then Listen ● Be explicit about intentions Be clear about expectations ●
4. Promote Cultural Competency Meet people where they are ● ...And Be aware of where YOU are ● R-E-S-P-E-C-T - treating people the way they want to be treated. ● 5. Value Community Knowledge and Capital Seek Local Knowledge ● Compensate ● Redefine and amplify capital ● Recruit and procure locally ● 6. Seek and Embrace Multiple Viewpoints Define Diversity and Welcome it ● Reach Out to the Unusual Suspects ● Avoid Group Think ● Embrace Creative Tension ●
7. Cultivate Leadership and Advocacy Build Up Agency ● Do No Harm ● Improve Collaborative Capacity ● 8. Foster Ownership & Identity in Community Celebrate Community Identity ● Demonstrate the value of Permanent Community Assets (such as Transit, public buildings, ● kindergartens etc……) Build Ownership - local ownership and management to build up local capital, skills, etc. ● Brings us back to Belonging …
Summary : From Global to Local 1. What creates Belonging in Australian communities? 2. Progressing understanding and learning with data collaboratives and Swinburne, CSI & SoDA Lab - 3 current pilots under development. 3. Building Trust through community engagement - creating coalitions of the willing for being invited to join with communities. Do we belong?
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