A snapshot of the emerging field of systems change

11. 10
Who’s helping to build the field
of systems change?
TABLE 1: ROLES THAT BUILD THE FIELD OF SYSTEMS CHANGE?
Germination
Seeding new
systems change
initiatives
The intrapreneur who starts
multiple systems change ventures
from within an organization,
convenes the partners, pulls in
resources and makes things
happen.
Richard Spencer at Institute of
Chartered Accountants in England and
Wales (ICAEW), Tim Brodhead at Social
Innovation Generation (SiG).
The dynamo who partners with
founders to help turn concepts
into strategy.
Reos Partners, Tim Merry of Change
Ahead, Maria Scordialos and Vanessa
Reid of Living Wholeness Institute,
JennieWinhall, The Art of Hosting
network, Sarah Schulman of
InWithForward, Practical Action,
Deloitte/The Monitor Institute/Doblin,
Charlie Ursell
STAGE ROLE
THE STRATEGIST
THE FIRESTARTER
Growth
Building,
amplifying and
accelerating the
work of the
systems change
ecosystem
The pattern spotter who creates
maps, writes articles, and shines a
light on emerging trends in the
field.
Al Etmanski, Zaid Hassan of Social Labs,
Kennisland
The creative mapper who builds
tools to make systems easier to
see.
Kumu, Thicket, Idiagram,
THE ILLUMINATOR
THE DIGITAL
DESIGNER
The connector, out in the field
meeting people in the ecosystem,
introducing fellow system change
practitioners to one another,
building platforms that keep
connections growing.
Ben Taylor of RedQuadrant, Lucho
Osorio of MaFi, Andrew Campbell of
Massive Small
THE FACILITATOR
The host who gathers groups of
systems changers togetherto
connect and learn.
Anna Birney at Forum for the Future, SiX
and its FundersNode, The SEEP
network, the BEAMExchange, Joeri van
den Steenhoven at MaRSSolutions Lab
Vanessa Timmerand BCPSI’sSystem
Change Group,RSD5,The Happening,
Tatiana Fraser, Vickie Cammack of TIP
Studio, Massive Small Collective
THE CONVENER
The hardworking leader of a
growing systems change project.
Sarah Brooks at U.S. State Department
Veteran Services,Tessy Britton at
Participatory City, Michael Field of ,
ChelseaMauldin of Public Policy Lab,
ImandeepKaur of Impact Hub
Birmingham, Chad Park of The Natural
Step Canada’s Energy Futures Lab
THE EXPERIMENTER
SOME EXAMPLE INDIVIDUALS
AND ORGANIZATIONS
DESCRIPTION
USAID

12. 11
Who’s helping to build the field
of systems change?
TABLE 1: ROLES THAT BUILD THE FIELD OF SYSTEMS CHANGE
Growth
Building
amplifying and
accelerating the
work of the
systems change
ecosystem
Conservation
Stabilizing roles
that turn
experiments into
established
cornerstones
of the field
Creative
destruction
Challenging the
status quo
Supporters who build the
capacity of existing systems
leaders to do their work better.
Academy for Systemic Change, The
Rockefeller Foundation, Systems
Changers from The Point People and
Lankelly Chase, Andres Roberts at Way
of Nature,Leaders Quest, Simon Fraser
University’s Social Innovation Certificate
program, SteveWaddell andNetworking
Action
Organizations that fund di rent
players within the field of
practice, or platforms that are
helping it to emerge faster.
The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation,
Lankelly Chase, Tellus Mater, The Big
Lottery Fund, Gulbenkian Foundation,
The Rockefeller Foundation, Ashoka,
Ontario Trillium Foundation, Suncor
Energy Foundation, Garfield Foundation,
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
Robert Bosch Stiftung Foundation
STAGE ROLE DESCRIPTION
SOME EXAMPLE INDIVIDUALS
AND ORGANIZATIONS
Systems change projects that
have moved beyond a start-up
stage to become established
organisations and can be used as
case studies.
MaRS Solutions Lab, Future of Fish, The
Finance Innovation Lab, GovLab,
Criterion Institute.
THE SHINING
STARS
Create theoretical and
practice-based research within
the field of systems change, based
at universities and learning hubs.
Derek and Laura Cabrera at Cornell
University, Charlie Leadbeater
Mulgan at Nesta, Frances Westley atthe
University of Waterloo’s Waterloo
Institute for Social Innovation and
Resilience(WISIR), The Presencing
Institute, Schumacher College, Ashoka,
The Stockholm Resilience Centre, Orit
Gal at Regent’s University, ISSS, Roland
Krupers, Enrique Martínez at Brown,
Sarah Whitel y, Cheryl Rose, Darcy
Riddell &Michele-Lee Moore, Mark
Cabaj, Grantmakers for E ctive
Organizations (GEO), International Futures
Individuals who use the platforms
they are given to talk about the
need for systems change.
Pamela Hartigan at Skoll, DarrenWalker
of The Ford Foundation, Marc Ventresca
atOxford Said Business School
THE LEADERSHIP
ACCELERATOR
THE ECOSYSTEM
FUNDER
THE KNOWLEDGE
BUILDER
THE INCUMBENT
DISRUPTOR
Programs designed to challenge
civil society organisations to start
thinking more systemically.
Smart CSO’s, Hivos, Campaign Lab,
Social R&D
THE CIVIL SOCIETY
ACTIVIST
e
Forum

13. 12
Who’s
?
Working to transform big systems like
food, finance and energy that need to shift
to create a sustainable world.
The eLab, Sustainable Food Lab, Food Secure Canada,
Canopy, the Transition Network, the Energy Futures
Lab, B9 Shipping, The Forestry Lab, Global Alliance for
Food Security, Operation: Eat Right, The Ecofiscal
Commission, Clean Energy Canada, The Great Lakes
Protection Fund, Inclusive Food Systems at Scale:
CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION
SUSTAINABILITY
From pioneers of civic innovation, to those
redesigninggovernment services, this
group work on a wide set of issues from
prison reform to mental health.
GovLab, Public Policy Lab, PCOInnovation Hub, Smart
Justice Network, Toronto Atmospheric Fund, Alberta
CoLab (authors of A Field Guide to Systems Change),
Collaborate, Redquadrant, MindLab.
PUBLIC SERVICES
Working systemically to shift our health
systems.
RobertWood Johnson Foundation,WellAhead, Russell
the NHS, The Leading Causes of Life.
HEALTH
Systemic innovation at a city, town or
neighbourhood level.
The Participatory City Lab, City Catapult, Lucie et
André Chagnon Foundation, CityStudio, Living Cities,
Cities for People, Toronto Atmospheric Fund, 00,The
Massive Small Collective, Gorka Espiau and The Young
Foundation’s Amplify program, Ontario Trillium
Foundation
PLACE-BASED
Pioneers helpingto evolve the professions
to meetthe needs of people and planet in
the 21st Century.
Engineering Change Lab, AuditFutures, Ashoka U,
RECODE, The Comms Lab, BOND, START, IFAC,
Tamarack Institute, Innoweave, The Intersector Project,
Systemic Design Research Network, Partnership
Brokers Association
THE PROFESSIONS
Support for systemic intrapreneurs
embedded in mainstream business.
Volans, SustainAbility, Business Intrapreneur’
Networks, Aspen, ImpactSquared, BMWFoundation,
Schwab, Society for Organizational Learning, the
Natural Step, BSR, SCiO, FSG, Network for Business
Sustainability (NBS)
BUSINESS
Reinventing education at every level. Michele Kahane at The New School, The Innovation
Unit, Education Pioneers at Kennisland, RECODE,
AshokaU, Education Design Lab.
EDUCATION
From the world of development this group
explores the role of market systems in
reducing poverty.
Oxfam, Aspen Institute’s ANDE, The Springfield
Centre, Mesopartner, DIFID, USAID.
MARKET
DEVELOPMENT
Systems change projects designed to
question and rebuild our economic and
finance systems.
The Next System Project, The NEONNetwork, The
Capital Institute, The Finance Innovation Lab, Tellus
Mater, ALT/NOWat the ntre, BCorp, Big
Society Capital, Global Social Impact Investment
Steering Group (GSG)
FINANCE &
THE ECONOMY
Impact Hub DC
helping to build the field
of systems change
TABLE 2: WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGES ARE THESE LEADERS TACKLING?
Gundry at
SOME EXAMPLE INDIVIDUALS
AND ORGANIZATIONS