Fwd - "Seven lessons for leaders in systems change"- an encouraging list for dadamac March 13, 2011

I came across systems thinking when I was studying with the UK Open University - initially on a single unit in my foundation course, then with course names like "Decision making in British education systems", "Systems management" and "Systems organisation". In subsequent years I've found that the people I feel most "intellectually comfortable with" usually turn out be systems thinkers in one way or another.

As someone involved is some kinds of systems change I was encouraged by this essay on Seven Lessons for Leaders in Systems Change. http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/seven-lessons-leaders-systems-change

Here is a taster: A report from the field.

The first guiding principle of the Center for Ecoliteracy's framework for schooling for sustainability — Smart by Nature™ — is "nature is our teacher."

Taking nature as our teacher requires thinking in terms of systems, one of nature's basic patterns. Systems can be incredibly complex, but the concept is quite straightforward. The American Association for the Advancement of Science, for example, defines a "system" as "any collection of things that have some influence on one another." Individual things — like plants, people, schools, communities, and watersheds — are all systems of interrelated elements. At the same time, they can't be fully understood apart from the larger systems in which they exist.

Living systems have their own dynamics. Observing systems reveals recurring properties and processes. They resist change, but they also develop, adapt, and evolve. Understanding how systems maintain themselves and how they change has very practical consequences that go to the heart of education for sustainable living. Much of the Center's work over the past two decades could be thought of as applied systems thinking. As an offering for leaders engaged in systems change, we report in this piece on seven important lessons we've learned.

More at  http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/seven-lessons-leaders-systems-change

I found the seven headings encouring - they suggest that dadamac is going along on the right lines. They are:

• Lesson #1:  To promote systems change, foster community and cultivate networks.
• Lesson #2:  Work at multiple levels of scale.
• Lesson #3:  Make space for self-organization.
• Lesson #4:  Seize breakthrough opportunities when they arise.
• Lesson #5:  Facilitate — but give up the illusion that you can direct — change.
• Lesson #6:  Assume that change is going to take time.
• Lesson #7:  Be prepared to be surprised.