Systems Change
The Regenerative Futures Fund wants to support work that leads to ‘systems change’. What does this mean and how can we recognise it?
What is a system?
A systems is a collection of things - people, organisations, services, products, places, organisms, cells, plants…the small parts of the system can be called elements. When these elements work together well they can make useful things happen - when the parts of our digestive system work well together, we are able to gain energy, fat and other useful nutrients from our food. When the different parts of a delivery service work well together we can send a parcel quickly to a place far away. When an ecosystem is in balance - when native plants and animals can thrive in a clean environment - it will continue to thrive without intervention.
System failures
But we’ve all had experience of things not working for us - trying to use Government payment or benefit services or planning a journey or finding the right support to maintain our health. All of these are examples of systems that were intended to help when they were initially created but they no longer reflect the reality of everyday life in 2026.
One of the impacts is that people are no longer able to live to their full potential. Another is that the systems spend more time on responding to the failures than fixing their root cause. This in turn impacts on people … and the cycle continues.
Responses of the past - fixing symptoms
When problems are highlighted, for example complaints start to rise or a calamity happens, a common response is to fix something obvious or visible - a symptom. This can support people in immediate need or stop something happening or help people who have been affected feel less angry. But the root cause remains. The invisible part of the iceberg is still there. A sticking plaster has stopped the bleeding but it won’t stop more wounds happening in the future.
We often “cling to models that no longer match reality”.
Future responses - finding and addressing the root cause
In order for complex change such as improving services or rewilding environments or rebuilding community relations or reducing emissions to occur, we can’t just fix one thing and expect change. Because these are systems - complex collections of many and varied elements, all likely to affect each other and be owned, controlled, funded, maintained, designed and built by different organisations.
So when people call for ‘systems change’ they should expect the following kinds of things to happen:
naming and describing the existing system that is no longer fit for purpose. We did this by describing our own Horizon One and naming poverty, poor education, unfair employment practices, services that don’t prioritise people…
considering the different elements inside that system - and related systems - and how they impact upon each other. This can lead us to the root cause of a problem.
working with those impacted by the system failures to consider how they are impacted by the effects of other failed systems - these are the intersections at which some people feel compounded effects. Those at these intersections are least likely to have had a voice in the past and are most important to involve in system re-design.
working with people who can help to find the best problem to solve
asking them what a future without these system failures could look and feel like?
convening different organisations and bodies within the system to consider a collaborative approach to reducing root causes
supporting people and projects who are doing work that could contribute to that future rather than prolong the models that no longer match reality.
supporting the retirement of those old models and systems as they cease to be relevant
Examples of system change work
Systemic change refers to the full overhaul of a system to create a lasting difference. While approaches may vary, this form of change typically involves modifying policies, processes, relationships, mindsets and power structures within a system to understand and fix underlying issues. Another way of thinking about it is working to fix deeply ingrained issues by fixing the root causes of an issue rather than zeroing in on its symptoms. All in all, the goal of systemic change is to create a lasting impact by adjusting the core elements that form the system. Robert Smith
Preventing gang violence by re-designing bail conditions in Nottingham
Next Generation Nottingham is a support service for young people at risk of criminal exploitation. They recognised that young people involved in gang violence who were granted bail had to sign in to a local police station at the same time each day. However, this put them at risk because rival gangs discovered this and knew when and were to attack them. Work has begun to change bail policies to reduce this risk. (source)
Changing fines for children not attending school
Parents can be fined if their children don’t attend school. The intention is to reduce non-attendance. However, caseworkers in Birmingham noticed that this was making situations worse for families already struggling financially. As a result, children were more at risk of criminal exploitation and this was increasing non-attendance. Persistent work with the council has resulted in raising awareness of this in schools and helping families to understand their rights to challenge fines. (source)
Reducing violence in Accident and Emergency medicine
When considering the violence experienced by A and E staff, the Design Council recognised that ‘The current system tries to contain the high level aggression and violence, rather than tackling the root causes and low level frustrations’. One solution tested was to improve the public’s knowledge of how A and E works and what to expect as they move through the service. This was shown to lower frustration. (source)
Mamba Car
An aspect of system change can be avoiding a symptomatic response and encouraging time and resources to be used more effectively. Nottingham Council proposed using a dedicated ‘Mamba Car’ to respond and support people found under the influence of a synthetic drug called ‘Mamba’ and in vulnerable situations . However, people with experience demonstrated this would probably be a wasted effort. By the time a response could be organised, the drug would have worn off. Other solutions were suggested and a well-intentioned, but potentially costly intervention- one with likely limited impact - was avoided. (source)
How does the RFF aim to achieve systems change?
Individual projects and organisations are unlikely to achieve whole systems change on their own. They can, however, play a significant role in changing how Edinburgh, as a city, approaches its future. Successful work will:
avoid symptomatic responses
use a systems approach instead, by calling out system failures and collaborating with others to discover and address root causes
work closely with those impacted by system failures to discover the best problems to solve.
The Regenerative Futures Fund aims to support work that will do all three and more.
MORE TO COME
Using the Three Horizons Model to map out systems change
Systems change is complex but the Three Horizons Model can help us to capture and map different elements of a system and also to create an outline plan to help change happen.
MORE TO COME
Resources
School of Systems Change learning materials
Fix Our Food 3 H videos
Young persons guide
Transforming the Yorkshire food system for people and planet