My whole career has been shaped by my desire to optimize or transform the systems or organizations in which I work or consult. As far back as I can remember—even as a child—I looked at the present and could imagine something better. Sometimes I could clearly envision what positive change looked like. At other times, I could see possibilities without knowing what the transformation would truly look like. But over my lifetime, immersed in this kind of thinking and translating it into decades of work, I’ve gained extensive experience facilitating change. My clients’ successes have solidified my understanding of the essential components for transformation.
Recently, I’ve reflected more deeply on the core elements critical to systems change. I’ve always been fascinated with three disciplines: human development, organizational development, and leadership (practice and development). What I didn’t fully realize was how deeply intertwined these three disciplines are in my work on systems transformation.
Layers of systems transformation
Human development:
- How do people evolve?
- What are the mindsets, ways of being, and capacities necessary for living and working today?
- What creates conditions that are conducive to individual and collective evolution?
- How can we recognize where we are and assess the gaps in our own evolution?
- Can the organization serve as a place that accelerates the evolution of its staff?
These questions of human development affect an organization’s staff members and leaders.
Organizational development:
- Can organizations be places where both the organization and its employees thrive?
- What kind of organization creates conditions that are conducive to success?
- Which assessments and measures should we focus on to achieve a healthy, successful organization for both the organization and its employees?
- How do we recognize when an organization is effective or degenerating?
- What kind of organizational design predisposes itself to a regenerative culture?
These are questions we should focus on to strengthen our organizations.
Leadership and leadership development:
- What is leadership’s role and purpose in systems transformation?
- How can leadership behave in a way that integrates and multiplies the benefits of human development and organizational development?
- What are the developmental elements needed to become a leader who can accomplish systems change?
- What are the ways of thinking and leading that strengthen the conditions conducive to transformation?
- What are the powerful practices leaders can use to lead their organizations in a regenerative way?
These are questions we should ask to catalyze organizational leadership.
The elements of systems change
In Nature, three elements are required for plant growth: sunlight, soil, and water. If you have two of the three, e.g., sunlight and soil but not water, nothing grows. Like growing plants, creating conditions for systems change requires three elements. Human, organizational, and leadership development are all necessary for transformation.
Over my next few blog posts, I’ll unpack these elements and how I use them in my approach to systems change.
