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Finding Leverage for Systems Change—Toward a modern theory of leverage in systemic design - A talk at ST-ON

Last updated Nov 14, 2022 | Originally published Nov 2, 2022

I presented a follow-up to Leverage is Fractal, Relative, and what else? We need a theory of leverage in systemic design at Systems Thinking Ontario in mid-November: https://wiki.st-on.org/2022-11-14

To design for leverage is to identify the most powerful opportunities for innovation in systems change. In this talk, I presented a brief history on the origins of leverage theory — especially Donella Meadows’s “Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System” — and covered recent developments in designing for leverage. Then, I outlined some challenges to our current understanding of leverage, calling for a modern theory of leverage in systemic design. I concluded with some ideas on what might be addressed by such a theory.

Here’s the slides!

The discussion following the talk was exhiliarating and so productive. You can watch the talk and the discussion on Youtube.