A longstanding system operates at a point of equilibrium: the status quo. Changing it is difficult and potentially disruptive. Shifting it however, might be easier.
Student holding "System change not climate change" picket sign at "Fridays for Future" strike in downtown Milan in 2019. Photo via Shutterstock/Eugenio Marongiu
"Driving a system to a new set point requires great energy and planning; overcoming the feedback processes that preserve the existing system integrity; identifying, strengthening and accelerating positive processes that drive the system out of equilibrium; and then establishing these as positive feedback processes that maintain the new set point. This is especially true for the complex systems involved with sustainable development.
"It is also important to note that systems change on a societal scale is not a one-way game — it is not only the internal forces that need to be overcome. Rather, it’s a competitive game with others trying to drive the system — in the opposite direction — to other set points at the same time. We need to encourage and applaud efforts to drive "systems shift" for achieving sustainable development, even as we may long for complete systems change.
"Systems shift doesn’t have the sensational call to arms that "blowing up" a system has, but that’s the point. It requires long vision, quiet courage and the willingness to collaborate with anyone (friend or foe) to positively shift the system so it produces the results closer to what we want and can be sustained as a new normal on the journey to sustainability.
"We advocate for the concept of systems shift for sustainable development for two simple reasons. First, a wholesale disruption is no guarantee that our financial, social and political systems will be rebuilt or rebuilt better — the current state of global institutions and governments is not likely up to the task. More likely, such disruption could lead to shambles that disrupt further progress toward the goal. How sustainable is business in a war zone or in a war involving current supplies of energy that underpin major economies?
"Second, incremental shifts are more likely to be ingrained, and there is evidence that courageous leadership and collaboration across sectors, including business, can lead to more reliable, accepted and sustainable results." - Laura Asiala & Neil Hawkins
Article: Systems Change is Harder Than it Looks: Systems Shift May be the Answer