How systems mapping can help you build a better theory of change

Systems maps are mostly useful as process tools, much less so as visual artefacts for outsiders who did not engage in building them. If you’ve ever been part of the process of developing a system map, you will have experienced the difficult conversations and wonderful a-ha moments that come when divergent, opposing stakeholder views finally align o

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By mapping the components of individual services (or portfolios of services) against these two axes, perhaps we can explore their relationship to systems change. To what extent are we tweaking around the edges of the existing system, versus changing the behaviour of the system itself — and how ambitious is the effort?

Alternatively, Dave Snowden recommends a vector theory of change. In this, you forget about long-term goals entirely. You start from where you are and map the system’s current dispositional state, identify a desired direction of travel, but not a final destination . If you have a broad outcome area, or options for different possible outcomes you do... See more

YOU’VE FOUND A HIGH-LEVERAGE INTERVENTION WHEN YOU can see the long-term pattern of behavior shift qualitatively in a system: when, for example, stagnation gives way to growth, or oscillations dampen dramatically. This kind of breakthrough happens most readily when you can make alterations in the structure you’ve mapped out. You either add new elem

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