Stanford Social Innovation Review Email: info@ssireview.org, www.ssireview.org

The Dawn of System Leadership By Peter Senge, Hal Hamilton, & John Kania

Stanford Social Innovation Review Winter 2015

Copyright 2015 by Leland Stanford Jr. University All Rights Reserved

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Stanford Social Innovation Review / Winter 2015 27

iththepassingofNelsonMandelainlate2013,theworldcelebratedaremarkablelife.ButthespotlightonMandela’saccomplishmentsrelegatedtotheshadowsmuchofthereasonthathehashadsuchalastingimpact,inSouthAfricaandbeyond.Aboveall,Mandelaembodiedasystemleader,someoneabletobringforthcollectiveleadership.Incountlessways,largeandsmall,heundertookinterventionsaimedatbringingtogethertheremnantsofadividedcountrytofacetheircommonchallengescollectivelyandbuildanewnation.

InthefourdelicateyearsbetweenMandela’sreleasefromprisonin1990andthefirstopenelection,hesupportedascenarioprocessthatbroughttogethertheformerlybannedblack political parties to work through their alternative visions for the future of SouthAfrica. Exploring their different ideologies and their implications openly and together

The deep changes necessary to accelerate progress against society’s most intractable problems require a unique type of leader—the system leader, a person who catalyzes collective leadership.,

WThe Dawn of

S y S T e m L e a d e r S h i p

B y P e t e r S e n g e , H a l H a m i lto n , & J o H n K a n i a

i

illustration by Pau l ro d g e rS

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resulted in the moderating of potentially divisive differences thatcould have ripped the nation apart, such as whether or not to na-tionalizecriticalindustries.1

PerhapsthemosttranscendentexampleofMandelaasasystemleaderwastheTruthandReconciliationCommission,aradicalin-novationintheemotionalhealingofthecountrythatbroughtblackandwhiteSouthAfricanstogethertoconfrontthepastandjoininshaping the future. The simple idea that you could bring togetherthose who had suffered profound losses with those whose actionsledtothoselosses,tofaceoneanother,telltheirtruths,forgive,andmoveon,wasnotonlyaprofoundgestureofcivilizationbutalsoacauldronforcreatingcollectiveleadership.Indeed,theprocesswouldhave been impossible without the leadership of people like BishopDesmondTutuandformerPresidentF.W.deKlerk.

Evenmore,theprocessinvitedthethousandswhoparticipatedtostepforwardinco-creatinganewrealityforSouthAfrica—and,insodoing,toembodyanancientunderstandingofleadership;theIndo-Europeanrootof“tolead,”leith,literallymeanstostepacrossathreshold—andtoletgoofwhatevermightlimitsteppingforward.

Atnotimeinhistoryhaveweneededsuchsystemleadersmore.Wefaceahostofsystemicchallengesbeyondthereachofexistinginstitutions and their hierarchical authority structures. Problemslikeclimatechange,destructionofecosystems,growingscarcityofwater, youth unemployment, and embedded poverty and inequityrequireunprecedentedcollaborationamongdifferentorganizations,sectors,andevencountries.Sensingthisneed,countlesscollabora-tive initiatives have arisen in the past decade—locally, regionally,andevenglobally.Yetmoreoftenthannottheyhavefloundered—inpart because they failed to foster collective leadership within andacrossthecollaboratingorganizations.

Thepurposeofthisarticleistosharewhatwearelearningaboutthe system leaders needed to foster collective leadership. We hopetodemystifywhatitmeanstobeasystemleaderandtocontinuetogrow as one. It is easy when we talk about exemplars like Mandelatoreinforceabeliefthatthesearespecialpeople,somehowwalkingonahigherplanethantherestofus.Butwehavehadthehonortoworkwithmany“Mandelas,”andthisexperiencehasconvincedusthat they share core capabilities and that these can be developed.Although formal position and authority matter, we have watchedpeoplecontributeassystemleadersfrommanypositions.AsRonaldHeifetzhasshowninhisworkonadaptiveleadership,2theseleadersshift the conditions through which others—especially those whohaveaproblem—canlearncollectivelytomakeprogressagainstit.Mostofall,wehavelearnedbywatchingthepersonaldevelopmentofsystemleaders.Thisisnoteasywork,andthosewhoprogresshaveaparticularcommitmenttotheirownlearningandgrowth.Under-standingthe“gateways”throughwhichtheypassclarifiesthiscom-mitmentandwhythisisnotthemysteriousdomainofachosenfew.

Today, many of us are “swimming in the same river”—trying tocultivatecollectiveleadershipindiversesettingsaroundtheworldevenwhileourlargerculturalcontextsremainfirmlyanchoredtothemythoftheheroicindividualleader.Thissearchforanewtypeofleadershipcreatesarealpossibilitytoacceleratejointlearningaboutsystemleaders.Forundoubtedlyweareatthebeginningofthebeginninginlearninghow to catalyze and guide systemic change at a scale commensuratewiththescaleofproblemsweface,andallofusseebutdimly.

Core Capabilities of system leaders

Thoughtheydifferwidelyinpersonalityandstyle,genuinesystemleadershavearemarkablysimilarimpact.Overtime,theirprofoundcommitmenttothehealthofthewholeradiatestonurturesimilarcommitmentinothers.Theirabilitytoseerealitythroughtheeyesof people very different from themselves encourages others to bemore open as well. They build relationships based on deep listen-ing,andnetworksoftrustandcollaborationstarttoflourish.Theyaresoconvincedthatsomethingcanbedonethattheydonotwaitforafullydevelopedplan,therebyfreeingotherstostepaheadandlearnbydoing.Indeed,oneoftheirgreatestcontributionscancomefromthestrengthoftheirignorance,whichgivesthempermissiontoaskobviousquestionsandtoembodyanopennessandcommit-ment to their own ongoing learning and growth that eventuallyinfuselargerchangeefforts.

Asthese systemleadersemerge, situations previouslysuffer-ing from polarization and inertia become more open, and whatwere previously seen as intractable problems become perceivedas opportunities for innovation. Short-term reactive problemsolving becomes more balanced with long-term value creation.And organizational self-interest becomes re-contextualized, aspeople discover that their and their organization’s success de-pendsoncreatingwell-beingwithinthelargersystemsofwhichthey are a part.

Therearethreecorecapabilitiesthatsystemleadersdevelopinorder to foster collective leadership. The first is the ability to seethe larger system. In any complex setting, people typically focustheir attention on the parts of the system most visible from theirownvantagepoint.Thisusuallyresultsinargumentsaboutwhohastherightperspectiveontheproblem.Helpingpeopleseethelargersystem is essential to building a shared understanding of complexproblems.Thisunderstandingenablescollaboratingorganizationstojointlydevelopsolutionsnotevidenttoanyofthemindividuallyandtoworktogetherforthehealthofthewholesystemratherthanjustpursuesymptomaticfixestoindividualpieces.

The second capability involves fostering reflection and moregenerative conversations. Reflection means thinking about ourthinking, holding up the mirror to see the taken-for-grantedassumptionswecarryintoanyconversationandappreciatinghowourmentalmodelsmaylimitus.Deep,sharedreflectionisacriticalstepinenablinggroupsoforganizationsandindividualstoactually“hear” a point of view different from their own, and to appreciateemotionally as well as cognitively each other’s reality. This is anessential doorway for building trust where distrust had prevailedandforfosteringcollectivecreativity.

Peter Senge is a senior lecturer and direc-tor of the Center for Organizational Learning at MIT Sloan School of Management. He is also the founding chair of The Society for Or-ganizational Learning (SoL) and co-founder of the Academy for Systemic Change. Senge is the author of the book The Fifth Discipline and co-author of the books Presence, The Necessary Revolution, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, and Schools That Learn.

Hal Hamilton is director of the Sus-tainable Food Lab and co-founder of the Academy for Systemic Change. He was previ-ously executive director of the Sustainability Institute and the Center for Sustainable Systems.

JoHn Kania is a board member and man-aging director of FSG, where he directs the firm’s consulting practice. Kania is co-author of “Collective Impact” and three previous articles in Stanford Social Innovation Review, as well as numerous SSIR blog posts.

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Thethirdcapabilitycentersonshiftingthecollectivefocusfromreactive problem solving to co-creating the future. Change oftenstartswithconditionsthatareundesirable,butartfulsystemleadershelppeoplemovebeyondjustreactingtotheseproblemstobuild-ingpositivevisionsforthefuture.Thistypicallyhappensgraduallyasleadershelppeoplearticulatetheirdeeperaspirationsandbuildconfidence based on tangible accomplishments achieved together.Thisshiftinvolvesnotjustbuildinginspiringvisionsbutfacingdif-ficult truths about the present reality and learning how to use thetensionbetweenvisionandrealitytoinspiretrulynewapproaches.

Muchhasbeenwrittenabouttheseleadershipcapabilitiesintheorganizational learning literature and the tools that support theirdevelopment.3Butmuchofthisworkisstillrelativelyunknownorknownonlysuperficiallytothoseengagedincollaborativesystemicchangeefforts.

Gateways to beCominG a system leader

Many years ago, a mentor of ours, William O’Brien, past CEO ofHanoverInsuranceCompanies,posedanimportantquestion,“Manybusinessleadersespouseidealslikevision,purposefulness,andgrow-ingpeopletogrowresults.Iftheseaimsaresowidelyshared,thenwhyaresuchorganizationssorare?”O’Brien’sanswerwassimple,“I think it is because very few people appreciate the nature of thecommitment needed to build such an enterprise.” We believe thisinsightalsoappliestobuddingsystemleadersseekingtohelpbuildcollaborativenetworksforsystemicchange.

Watching people grow as system leaders has shown us repeat-edly the depth of commitment it requires and clarified the partic-ular gateways through which budding system leaders begin theirdevelopmental journeys. These gateways do not define the wholeofthosejourneys,buttheydodeterminewhetherornottheyevercommence. Those unwilling to pass through them may say all therightthingsaboutsystemleadership,buttheyareunlikelytomakemuchprogressinembodyingtheiraspirations.

re-directing attention: seeing that problems “out there” are “in here”

also—and how the two are connected | Continuingtodowhatwearecur-rently doing but doing it harder or smarter is not likely to produceverydifferentoutcomes.Realchangestartswithrecognizingthatwearepartofthesystemsweseektochange.Thefearanddistrustweseektoremedyalsoexistwithinus—asdotheanger,sorrow,doubt,andfrustration.Ouractionswillnotbecomemoreeffectiveuntilweshiftthenatureoftheawarenessandthinkingbehindtheactions.

Roca,Inc.,isacommunityyouthdevelopmentorganizationfoundedintheBostonareain1988.Rocaworkswithyouthswhom,byandlarge,no one else will work with. Many of the organization’s staff are for-mergangmemberswhonowworkonthestreetstohelpcurrentgangmembersredirecttheirlives.4In2013,89percentofthehigh-riskyouthin Roca’s program for parolees and ex-convicts had no new arrests,95percenthadnonewtechnicalviolations,and69percentremainedemployed.Onthestrengthoftheseoutcomes,in2013Massachusettsenteredintoa$27millionsocialimpactbondwithRoca,wherebyRocawillbepaidtokeepat-riskyouthoutofprison,receivingremunerationdirectlyinproportiontothepositiveoutcomestheyachieve.5

Critical to Roca’s success has been its ability to build transfor-mative relationships with the young people it works with. It doesthisbywhatitcalls“relentless”outreachandrelationshipbuilding.

“Ourfirstjobissimplyto‘showup’forkids,”saysfounderandCEOMolly Baldwin. “The truth is that many have never had someonetheycouldcountonconsistentlyintheirlives.”

Showingupforyoungpeoplemeansusingprocesseslike“peace-keeping circles,” a Native American practice that Roca has adaptedandappliedindiversesettings,fromstreetconflictstosentencingandparolecircles.Thepracticebeginsbygettingallthecriticalplayersinanysituationintoacircleandopeningwitheachpersonsayingafewwordsabouthisdeepestintentions.Thecentralideabehindthecircleis that what affects the individual affects the community, and thatbothneedtobehealedtogether.6“Welearntolistentoeachotherinadeepwayincircles,”saysRocayouthworkerOmarOrtez.“Youseethataproblemisnotjustoneperson’sproblem,itisallourproblem.”

Developingpeacekeepingcircleshasnotbeeneasy,includingforBaldwin herself. At Roca’s first circle training 15 years ago, “Fortypeople came—young people, police and probation officers, com-munitymembers,andfriends,”recallsBaldwin.“Halfwaythroughthe opening session, everything blew up. People were screaming,thekidswereswearing,everyonewassaying,‘See!Thisisnevergo-ingtowork!’Watchingthesessionbreakdownwaswrenching,buteventually I understood how committed I was to divisiveness andnotunity,howfarIwasfrombeingapeacemaker.Iunderstoodonavisceralleveltheproblemswith‘usandthem’thinking,andhowIperpetuatedthat,personallyandfortheorganization.Continuingtoinsist,‘I’mright,you’rewrong!Theissueisyou,notus,becauseweholdthemoralhighground!’wasabigsourceofwhatwaslimit-ingourabilitytotrulyhelppeopleandsituations.”

IntheirbookLeading from the Emerging Future,OttoScharmerandKatrinKauferdescribethree“openings”neededtotransformsystems:openingthemind(tochallengeourassumptions),open-ingtheheart(tobevulnerableandtotrulyhearoneanother),andopening the will (to let go of pre-set goals and agendas and seewhat is really needed and possible). These three openings matchthe blind spots of most change efforts, which are often based onrigid assumptions and agendas and fail to see that transformingsystems is ultimately about transforming relationships amongpeoplewhoshapethosesystems.Manyotherwisewell-intentionedchange efforts fail because their leaders are unable or unwillingtoembracethissimpletruth.Baldwin’sdevelopmentasasystemleader started with her willingness to face her own biases andshortcomings(andhowtheseshortcomingslimitedRoca’seffec-tiveness in their work) and her openness to gradually setting atoneforthewholeorganization.

Today, this willingness to open the mind, heart, and will hasextendedfarbeyondthefourwallsofRocaastheorganizationhasevolvedintoacriticalinterfacebetweengangs,police,courts,paroleboards,schools,andsocialserviceagencies.Indeed,manyofRoca’simportant allies are the police departments in the communities itserves. It has been a long journey for former social activists whooftensawthecopsastheenemy.

re-orienting strategy: creating the space for change and enabling

collective intelligence and wisdom to emerge | Ineffective leaders try tomake change happen. System leaders focus on creating the condi-tionsthatcanproducechangeandthatcaneventuallycausechangetobeself-sustaining.Aswecontinuetounpacktheprerequisitestosuccess in complex collaborative efforts, we appreciate more and

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morethissubtleshiftinstrategicfocusandthedistinctivepowersofthosewholearnhowtocreatethespaceforchange.

For Darcy Winslow, the journey to becoming a system leaderbeganin1998whenshewasresponsibleforNike’sadvancedresearchdepartment and was reviewing a gas chromatograph toxicologicalanalysisthatshowed,shesays,“forthefirsttimethechemicalsem-beddedinoneofourtoprunningshoes.OurVPofproductlookedat the results—the known toxins embedded in our products andprocesses and the many chemicals that posed uncertain risks—and then surprised us, by asking what we thought he should do.Wefiguredhewasthe head ofthispart ofthebusiness andwouldknow. But after some time, we understood. The stuff that was inour products was there because of cost, function, and our designandmaterialchoices.Therealquestionbecame,‘Whocould—andshould—leadintacklingthistrulycomplexproblem?’”

Over the ensuing weeks and months came an epiphany forWinslow.“Nikecreatesproducts,”shesays.“Ourfirstmaximis,‘Itis in our nature to innovate.’ The people we had to reach were thedesigners. While Nike had about 25,000 employees at that time,there were only about 300 designers. Five to 10 percent of our de-signersrepresentedonly15to30people.Suddenly,buildinganinitialcriticalmassseemedfarlessdaunting.SoIwentknockingondoors.”

With the report in hand, Winslow simply showed the resultsto designers and asked what they thought. “You could tell withintwo minutes if the person was stirred up to do anything,” saysWinslow. “If they weren’t, I moved on. If they were, I asked for asecondmeeting.”

SoonWinslowwasbringingtogethergroupsofengageddesignersandothersinrelatedproductcreationfunctions,andanewnetworkstartedtoemerge.“Ifyoutellagreatdesignersomethingisimpos-sible—like you cannot make a world-class running shoe withoutglues—theygetveryexcited.Itisthechallengethatengagesthem.”Withintwoyears,about400designersandproductmanagerscon-vened for a two-day summit where leading sustainability expertsand senior management explored together the concept of designforsustainability.AmovementwasbornwithinNike.

Today,Nike’seffortshavespurredcollectiveleadershipthrough-out the sports apparel industry on waste, toxicity, water, andenergy.Forexample,theJointRoadmapTowardsZeroDischargeofHazardousChemicals,ajointinitiativeofGreenpeace,Nike,Puma,Adidas, New Balance, and others, aims to systematically identifymajortoxinsandachievezerodischargeofhazardouschemicalsintheentiretyofthesportapparelmanufacturingindustryworldwide,startinginChina.7(WinslowleftNikein2008andisnowmanag-ingdirectoroftheAcademyforSystemicChange.)

Weareallonasteeplearningcurveinunderstandingthisgate-way of creating space for change, but it seems to be crucial notonly in initiating collaborative efforts but in what ultimately canarise from them. A few years ago, one of us co-authored an articledescribing five conditions for achieving progress at a large scalethrough a disciplined approach to collaboration called “collectiveimpact.” 8 Today as we research and observe effective collectiveimpactinitiatives,whatstandsoutbeyondthefiveconditionsisthecollectiveintelligencethatemergesovertimethroughadisciplinedstakeholderengagementprocess—thenatureofwhichcouldneverhavebeenpredictedinadvance.

Systemicchangeneedsmorethandataandinformation;itneedsreal intelligence and wisdom. Jay Forrester, the founder of thesystemdynamicsmethodthathasshapedourapproachtosystemsthinking, pointed out that complex non-linear systems exhibit“counterintuitive behavior.” He illustrated this by citing the largenumber of government interventions that go awry through aim-ing at short-term improvement in measurable problem symptomsbutultimatelyworseningtheunderlyingproblems—likeincreasedurbanpolicingthatleadstoshort-termreductionsincrimeratesbutdoesnothingtoalterthesourcesofembeddedpovertyandworsenslong-termincarcerationrates.9Anothersystemsthinkingpioneer,Russell Ackoff, characterized wisdom as the ability to distinguishtheshort-termfromthelong-termeffectsofanintervention.10Thequestion is, How does the wisdom to transcend pressures for low-leveragesymptomaticinterventionsariseinpractice?

SystemleaderslikeBaldwinandWinslowunderstandthatcollec-tive wisdom cannot be manufactured or built into a plan created inadvance.Anditisnotlikelytocomefromleaderswhoseekto“drive”theirpredetermined change agenda.Instead, system leaders work tocreatethespacewherepeoplelivingwiththeproblemcancometogetherto tell the truth, think more deeply about what is really happening,exploreoptionsbeyondpopularthinking,andsearchforhigherleveragechangesthroughprogressivecyclesofactionandreflectionandlearn-ingovertime.Knowingthattherearenoeasyanswerstotrulycomplexproblems, system leaders cultivate the conditions wherein collectivewisdomemergesovertimethrougharipeningprocessthatgraduallybringsaboutnewwaysofthinking,acting,andbeing.

For those new to system leadership, creating space can seempassiveorevenweak.Forthem,strongleadershipisallaboutexecut-ing a plan. Plans are, of course, always needed, but without open-ness people can miss what is emerging, like a sailor so committedtohisinitialcoursethathewon’tadjusttoshiftsinthewind.Evenmore to the point, the conscious acts of creating space, of engag-ing people in genuine questions, and of convening around a clearintention with no hidden agenda, creates a very different type ofenergyfromthatwhicharisesfromseekingtogetpeoplecommittedto your plan. When Winslow went to the designers, she went withbasic data and a big question, “What do you think about this andwhatshouldwedo?”Hersuccessinbuildinganextraordinarynet-workofcollaborationandsharedcommitmentover15years,whoseripples are still spreading, started with this basic shift in strategy.System leaders understand that plans and space are the yang andyin of leadership. Both are needed. But what is needed even moreisbalancebetweenthetwo.

Practice, practice, practice: all learning is doing, but the doing needed is

inherently developmental | Bringingtogetherdiversestakeholderswithlittle history of collaboration, different mental models, and differ-entandevenapparentlycompetingaimsisahigh-riskundertaking.Goodintentionsarenotenough.Youneedskills.Butskillscomeonlyfrompractice.Everybodywantstoolsforsystemicchange.Buttoofewarepreparedtousethetoolswiththeregularityanddisciplineneededtobuildtheirownandothers’capabilities.

ThisiswhysystemleaderslikeBaldwinandWinslowneverstoppracticing how to help people see the larger systems obscured byestablished mental models, how to foster different conversationsthatgraduallybuildgenuineengagementandtrust,andhowtosense

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emerging possibilities and help shift the collectivefocusfromjustreactingtoproblemstoreleasingcollectivecreativity.Thepracticeisinternalandexternal,anditrequiresdiscipline.

Fortunately, a rich set of tools has emerged from diverse fieldsoverthepastfewdecadesfordevelopingthesecoresystemleader-ship capabilities. The tools that matter have two functions: theyproducepracticalbenefitsandtheyaffecthowpeoplethinkandseetheworld.AstheinventorBuckminsterFullersaid,“Ifyouwanttochange how a person thinks, give up. You cannot change how an-otherthinks.Givethematooltheuseofwhichwillgraduallycausethemovertimetothinkdifferently.”

Whatfollowsareexamplesofafewofthesetoolsandhowtheycanbeappliedtodevelopeachofthecoreleadershipcapacities.

Tools for seeing the larger system. Tools that help people see thelarger system integrate the different mental models of multiplestakeholderstobuildamorecomprehensiveunderstanding.Oftenthisstartswithsimplequestions,likeWinslow’s“Doweknowwhatis in our product?” For educators, it might be “What happens forthe child when she or he is outside of school?” Systems mappingcan be used to extend this inquiry by helping stakeholders build avisualpictureoftherelationshipandinterdependenciesbeyondtheboundariestheynormallyassume.

For example, in an initiative focused on improving children’sasthmaoutcomesinDallas,asteeringcommitteecomposedofdoctors,hospitaladministrators,communityagencies,insuranceproviders,thecityhealthdepartment,faithbasedorganizations,built-environmentexecutives, philanthropists, and public schools worked together tomapoutthesystemofchildren’shealthofwhichtheywereallapart.Leadersoftheeffortagreedupfrontthattheyneededallthesediffer-entviewsofchildren’sasthmainordertodevelopafullperspective.It was also clear, as the group engaged in initial dialogue, that eachperson’sperspectiveonthecausesofpoorasthmaoutcomes,andthesolutionstoproducebetteroutcomes,wasdifferent.

Thesystemsmapthegroupdevelopedhelpedallinvolvedtoseetheentiresystembetter,andforeachprofessionaltoseeaspectsaf-fecting children’s health that were less evident in their own work.Eventually, the group created what it called the “asthma wellnessequation,”whichtranslatedinsightsfromthesystemsmapintoanillustration that knit together the science of asthma triggers, thepracticesofasthmamanagement,andtheleadershipoffamiliesandcommunityincreatingsupportstructuresthatpromotedasenseofefficacywithinasthmaticchildrenthemselves.(Toseeacopyoftheillustration, go to www.ssireview.org.) This map especially helpedclinical professionals to put in perspective the often-overlookedinfluenceoffamilyandcommunityonasthma,notjustclinicalin-terventions.Italsohelpednon-clinicalactors,suchasschoolsandpublic housing administrators, see more clearly how their actionslinkedtothosewithinthemedicalcommunity.11

Tools for fostering ref lection and generative conversation. Toolsthat help foster reflection and generative conversation are aimedat enabling groups to slow down long enough to “try on” otherpeople’sviewpointsregardingacomplexproblem.Thesetoolsen-ableorganizationsandindividualstoquestion,revise,andinmanycases release their embedded assumptions. Examples include thepeacekeeping circles used by Roca and the dialogue interviewsconductedbyWinslow.

Twoothertoolswehaveoftenseenusedbysystemleadersare“peershadowing”and“learningjourneys.”12BothtoolshavebeenusedtobuildtheSustainableFoodLab,anetworkofmorethan70of the world’s largest food companies and global and local NGOs(half NGOs, half companies) working together to make “sustain-able agriculture the mainstream system.” Starting in 2004, withOxfam, Unilever, and the Kellogg Foundation asinitial conveners,ateamof30seniormanagersfromfoodbusinessesandsocialandenvironmentalNGOsspenttimeineachothers’organizationsandtraveledtogethertoseeaspectsofthefoodsystemtheyhadneverseen. Corporate executives visited farmer co-ops and social activ-ists saw the operations of multi-national food companies. “Thisalmostneverhappensinournormalbusyfocusontasksandresults,”says Andre van Heemstra, a member of the management board atUnilever and the founding Lab team. Gradually, as business andNGOpartnersgottounderstandoneanotherbetteraspeopleandasprofessionals,thecognitivedissonancebetweenthembecameless,and the power of their differing views grew. “We do see the worldverydifferently,andthatisourgreateststrength,”saidacorporateparticipantaboutayearintotheprocess.TodaytheLabhasbecomeapowerfulincubatorforcollaborativeprojects,suchascompaniesand NGOs learning together how to manage global supply chainsforlong-termreliabilitybasedonthehealthoffarmingcommuni-ties and ecologies. Practices like Learning Journeys are regularlyincorporatedintoprojectsandgatherings.

Embeddedintoolslikepeacekeepingcircles,dialogueinterviews,peer shadowing, and learning journeys is a disciplined approachto observation and deeper conversations called the “Ladder ofInference.”13Systemleaderscommittedtopracticingwiththelad-der learn to pay better attention to how their often unconsciousassumptions shape their perceptions, from what data they noticeand do not notice to the conclusions they draw. The ladder alsoprovidesareorientationpathforshiftingbehavior,fromassertingsubjective assumptions as reality, to identifying what facts peopleactuallyhaveandthereasoningbywhichtheyinterpretthosefacts.Winslowcallsit“anessentialtoolforthedeeperlisteningthatbuildsnetworksofcollaboratingchangeleaders.”

Tools for shifting from reacting to co-creating the future. Buildingthecapacitytoshiftfromreactingtoco-creatingisanchoredinre-lentlesslyaskingtwoquestions,Whatdowereallywanttocreate?andWhatexiststoday?Thiscreativetension,thegapbetweenvisionandreality,generatesenergy,likearubberbandstretchedbetweentwopoles.Helpingthemselvesandothersgenerateandsustaincre-ativetensionbecomesoneofthecorepracticesofsystemleaders.

Oneapproachembodyingcreativetensionthatwehaveseenhelplarge,multi-stakeholderinitiativesistheAppreciativeInquiry(AI)Summit. An initiative begun in 2010 used an AI Summit to bringtogether police, grassroots advocates, courts, probation officers,stateagencies,privateagencies,educationinstitutions,healthcareproviders,andphilanthropytoreformtheNewYorkstatejuvenilejustice system.14 At the outset, few thought it possible to get thisgroup of 20 stakeholders to agree (one group was actually suinganother). But no one had ever brought them together for real dia-logueandtoexplorethevisionstheymightshare.

Tostart,peoplewereencouragedtocollectivelyimaginethat“Therates of recidivism in New York state have become the lowest in the

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nation … and the New York state juvenile justicesystemhasbecomeamodelforothercommunitiesacrossthenation.”Buoyed,almostmiraculously,bycollectivelyimaginingthedimensionsofthiscom-pellingfuture,thegroupeventuallywasabletoagreeontwogoalstheycouldworktogetheron:improvingpublic safety and effectively rehabilitating youthswhowereinvolvedwiththestatejusticesystem.

Withintenmonths,thegrouphadturnedthosegoalsintoafull-fledged reform plan. A year later, components of this reform planwere adopted by the governor, passed into legislation, and rolledout in communities across the state. Today, three years into thereforms, New York has 45 percent fewer youths in the custody ofthe state juvenile justice system, without any increase in crime.15Many of those initially involved cite the AI Summit as a seminaleventthatturnedthetidefrompeopleholdingontopastrealitiesinto a network of organizations and individuals excited about amorecompellingfuture.

This example illustrates something we have seen again andagain.Thebasicideaofshiftingfromproblemsolvingtocreatingis not complicated, but the impact can be immense. “As manag-ers,weareallgoodproblemsolvers,”saysWinslow.“Butitiseasyto get so caught up in reacting to what we don’t want and com-pletely fail to tap the heart and imagination of people’s genuinecaringforwhattheydowant,andtousethisenergytotranscendthe ‘us versus them’ mindset.” We have also seen that nurturingthecollectivecreativeapproachhappensmostreliablyinconcertwith helping people see the larger system, fostering reflection,andhavingdifferentqualityconversations—eachofwhichisalsobolsteredintheAISummit.

Last, system leaders are ever mindful of the composition andcharacter of groups practicing with learning tools like those above.Toolsbecometrulydevelopmentalonlyinthehandsofpeopleopentotheirowndevelopment.Butyoucanalsohaveopengroupswhohavelittlepowertotakeaction,justasyoucanhavepowerfulgroupswithlittleopenness.Nogroupisperfect.Thisiswhysystemleadersneverstopworkingatthefineartof“gettingtherightpeopleintheroom.”

Guides for movinG alonG the path

Clearly the path to becoming a system leader is not a simple jour-ney.Asinanydauntingundertaking,itisusefultohaveafewsimpleguidestokeepinmind.

learning on the job | Growingasasystemleaderisaprocessthatneverends,andtobesuccessfulitmustbewovenintotheworkit-self. Although training and other episodic interventions can help,theyaremostusefulwhenembeddedinaworkculturethatfostersongoing reflection and collaboration. Most organizations are con-sumedbythetasksathand.Othersspendlargeamountsofmoneyonstaffdevelopmentwithlittlereturn.Themissingelementisoftenaclearvisionforhowtheworkitselfbecomesdevelopmental.Thismeans employing models of change that weave together outcome,process, and human development—made operational via embed-deddevelopmentalpracticeslikeRoca’speacekeepingcirclesortheSustainableFoodLab’slearningjourneys.

Balancing advocacy and inquiry | All change requires passionateadvocates. But advocates often become stuck in their own views

and become ineffective in engaging others withdifferentviews.Thisiswhyeffectivesystemlead-erscontinuallycultivatetheirabilitytolistenandtheirwillingnesstoinquireintoviewswithwhichtheydonotagree.Leadingwithrealinquiryiseasytosay,butitconstitutesaprofounddevelopmentaljourneyforpassionateadvocates.Ascollaborativenetworksgrowinsophistication,theylearnhowto

institutionalize thebalance ofadvocacy and inquiry. For example,the Sustainable Food Lab has a great many passionate advocates.Recognizingthatpassionateadvocacycanputothersonthedefen-sive (even though they may agree with what is being advocated),theLab’sNGO-Businesssteeringcommitteedeclaredthatallma-jor meetings would be “no pitch zones,” safe spaces for thinkingtogetherratherthanaplacewherepeoplecomeseekingtoengageothersintheirownagendas.

engaging people across boundaries | We are often most comfort-ablewiththosewithwhomweshareacommonhistoryandviews.Butoperatingwithinourcomfortzoneswillneverleadtoengagingthe range of actors needed for systemic change—whether it is thepoliceforRocaorthemultinationalfoodcorporationsfortheNGOfoundersoftheSustainableFoodLab.Thoughalwayschallenging,reaching across boundaries can have immense payoffs. “Innova-tion often only comes from seeing a system from different pointsofview,”saysWinslow.

letting go | Systemleadersneedtohaveastrategy,buttheoneswho are most effective learn to “follow the energy” and set asidetheir strategy when unexpected paths and opportunities emerge.In the Sustainable Food Lab there are many companies that havebecome leaders who had little prior commitment to sustainableagriculture until artful system leaders helped them see a biggerpicture.Inonecase,aninternalcorporateadvocatefor“pro-poor”businesspracticeshadmadelittleprogress.Whenshetalkedtohervicepresidentabouttheplightoftheruralpoor,hewassympatheticbut responded that this was the work of charities, and she shouldreach out to their corporate foundation. A colleague pointed outher boss’s deep concern about the long-term supply of importantproducts and the implicit alignment with her concerns. When sheshowed the vice president how the company might be unable tosource critical foodproductsif itdidn’t investinthe well-beingoffarmingcommunities,hesaid,“Whydidn’tyoujusttellmethatifwedon’tdothesethingswewon’thaveproductontheshelf?”To-day,thecompanyisagloballeaderinsustainablefoodsupplychaininnovations.“OnceIcouldletgoofmyadvocacyforthepoor,”shesays,“Idiscoveredhowtohelpmybusymanagersseetheprobleminawaytheycouldgettheirhandsaround.”

Building one’s own toolkit | The variety of helpful tools and ap-proaches available today is large and growing, and system leadersshouldbeknowledgeableaboutwhatisavailable.Inourwork,toolsweuseregularlycomefromavarietyofplaces,includingafewmen-tionedhere:the“fivedisciplines”approachtosystemsthinkingandorganizational learning, Theory U and Presencing, AppreciativeInquiry,ImmunitytoChange,Roca’speacekeepingcircles,andtheChangeLabsandscenarioplanningofReosPartners.16Recently,sev-eralofushavestartedaprocessoforganizingthesetoolstoprovidean integrated tool kit for systemic change.17 But it is important to

Visit ssireview.org to learn more about system leadership.

3 “System leaders for Sustainable Food” article

3 illustration of a “systems map” show-ing those involved in treating asthma

Stanford Social Innovation Review / Winter 2015 33

rememberthatbuildingatoolkitismorethanjustputtingarrowsin your quiver. It is about learning, over time, through disciplinedpractice,howtobecomeanarcher.

Working with other system leaders | Growingthecapabilitiestobe-comeamoreeffectivesystemleaderishardwork.Itneedstohappenindifficultsettingsandunderpressuretodelivertangibleresults.Itisnaïve,evenforthemostaccomplishedsystemleader,tothinkthatshecandoitalone.Weknowofnoexampleswhereeffectivesystemleadersachievedbroadscalesuccesswithoutpartners.Youneedpartnerswhoshareyouraspirationsandchallengesandwhohelpyoufacedifficultchangeswhileyoualsoattendtoyourownongoingpersonaldevelopment—balancingtasktimewithtimeforreflection,action,andsilence.Youneedtoengagewithcolleagueswho are at different stages in their own developmental journeys.And you need help letting the unexpected emerge amid urgencyandtimepressure.Connectingwithotherswhoarealsoengagedin this journey can help lighten the load and foster the patienceneeded when organizations or systems seem to be changing at aslowerratethanyouyourselfarechanging.

dawn awakeninG

We believe system leadership is critical for the times in which wenowlive,buttheideasbehinditareactuallyquiteold.About2,500years ago Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu eloquently expressed theideaofindividualswhocatalyzecollectiveleadership:

Thewickedleaderishewhomthepeopledespise.

Thegoodleaderishewhomthepeoplerevere.

Thegreatleaderisheofwhomthepeoplesay,“Wediditourselves.”

The real question today is, Is there any realistic hope that asufficient number of skilled system leaders will emerge in time tohelpusfaceourdauntingsystemicchallenges?Webelievetherearereasons for optimism. First, as the interconnected nature of coresocietal challenges becomes more evident, a growing number ofpeoplearetryingtoadoptasystemicorientation.Thoughwehavenot yet reached a critical mass of people capable of seeing that asystemicapproachandcollectiveleadershiparetwosidesofthesamecoin,afoundationofpracticalknow-howisbeingbuilt.

Second, during the last thirty years there has been an extraor-dinary expansion in the tools to support system leaders, a few ofwhichwehavetouchedoninthisarticle.Wehaveobservednumer-ousinstanceswherethestrategicuseoftherighttool,attherighttime,andwiththerightspiritofopenness,canshiftbyanorderofmagnitude the ability of stakeholders to create collective success.With the right shifts in attention, networks of collaboration com-mensurate with the complexity of the problems being addressedemerge,andpreviouslyintractablesituationsbegintounfreeze.

Last, there is a broad, though still largely unarticulated,hunger for processes of real change. This is undoubtedly why apersonlikeMandelastrikessucharesonantchord.Thereisawide-spread suspicion that the strategies being used to solve our mostdifficultproblemsaretoosuperficialtogetatthedeepersourcesofthoseproblems.Thiscaneasilyleadtoasenseoffatalism—aquietdesperationthatoursocial,biological,economic,andpoliticalsys-temswillcontinuetodrifttowardchaosanddysfunction.Butitcanalsocausepeopletobemoreopentoseekingnewpaths.Compared

toevenafewyearsago,wefindthatmanytodayareexploringnewapproaches that move beyond the superficial to ignite and guidedeeper change. Organizations and initiatives like those describedinthisarticlehavesucceededbecauseofagrowingawarenessthatthe inner and outer dimensions of change are connected. As ourawakeningcontinues,moreandmoresystemleaderswhocatalyzecollectiveleadershipwillemerge.n

Notes

1 AdamKahane,Solving Tough Problems,SanFrancisco:Berrett-Koehler,2004.

2 RonaldHeifetz,Leadership Without Easy Answers,Cambridge,Mass.:HarvardUniversityPress,1994.ExploredinthecontextofsocialchangebyoneofusinthearticlebyRonaldHeifetz,JohnKania,andMarkKramer,“LeadingBoldly,”Stanford Social Innovation Review,Winter2004.

3 Goodsummariesofthesystemsthinkingandorganizationallearningtoolscanbefoundinthefollowingbooks:PeterSenge,ArtKleiner,CharlotteRoberts,RichardRoss,andBryanSmith,The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook,NewYorkCity:Doubleday,1994;PeterSenge,ArtKleiner,CharlotteRoberts,RichardRoss,andBryanSmith,The Dance of Change,NewYorkCity:Doubleday,1998;andPeterSenge,NeldaCambron-McCabe,TimothyLucas,BryanSmith,JanisDutton,andArtKleiner,Schools that Learn,NewYorkCity:Doubleday,2013.

4 Withlessthan5percentoftheworld’spopulation,theUnitedStateshasmorethan25percentoftheworld’sprisoninmates,andincarcerationratesarewildlyuneven:accordingtotheUSDepartmentofJustice,almostoneinthreeAfrican-Americanmencanexpecttogotoprisoninhislifetime,comparedto16percentofHispanicsand6percentofwhites.

5 Inthepayforsuccessprogram,someportionofthe$45,000peryearitcoststhestatetoincarcerateapersongoesbacktoRocaforreductionsinprisontime.Iftheyfailtokeepenoughoutofprison,theylosemoney.Iftheysucceed,theymakemoney,whichtheywillusetoexpandthenumberofyouthstheycanserve.Itisasimpleidea,butithasneverpreviouslybeenimplementedonthisscale.(Boston Globe,September,2013).

6 http://www.restorativejustice.org/university-classroom/01introduction/tutorial-introduction-to-restorative-justice/processes/circles

7 http://www.roadmaptozero.com

8 JohnKaniaandMarkKramer,“CollectiveImpact,”Stanford Social Innovation Review,Winter2011.

9 Similarproblemsafflictmanyfoundationstrategies,whereithasbecomefashion-abletofocuson“accountabilityformeasurableoutcomes,”typicallytobeachievedwithinarbitrarytimeframesdictatedbythefoundationratherthanthesystemicrealityofthesituationathand.

10 RussellL.Ackoff,“FromDatatoWisdom,”Journal of Applied Systems Analysis,1989,vol.16,pp.3-9.

11 Ofthemanyapproachestosystemsmaps,wefavorthosethatcomefromthesystemdynamicsmethodsthathelpidentifykeycausalrelationshipsandhigh-versuslow-leverageinterventions.SeeJayW.Forrester,Collected Papers of Jay W. Forrester,SanJose:PegasusCommunications,1975;andJohnSterman,Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World,NewYorkCity:McGrawHill,2000.

12 Formoreondialogueinterviews,peershadowing,andlearningjourneys,seeOttoScharmer,Theory U,SanFrancisco:Berrett-Koehler,2008,andwww.presencing.com

13 SeeSengeetal.,op.cit.

14 DavidL.Cooperider,DianaWhitney,andJacquelineM.Stavros,Appreciative Inquiry Handbook,secondedition,Brunswick,Ohio:CrownCustomPublishing,2008.

15 NewYorkStateDivisionofCriminalJusticeServices(DCJS):UniformCrimeReportingandIncident-BasedReportingSystem,ProbationWorkloadSystem,andDCJS-OfficeofCourtAdministrationFamilyCourtJD/DFCaseProcessingData-base.NewYorkStateOfficeofChildrenandFamilyServicesdetentionandplace-mentdatabases.

16 PeterSenge,BryanSmith,NinaKruschwitz,JoeLaur,andSaraSchley,The Neces-sary Revolution,NewYorkCity:Doubleday,2008;PeterSenge,The Fifth Discipline,NewYorkCity:Doubleday,revisededition,2006;OttoScharmerandKatrinKaufer,Leading from the Emerging Future,SanFrancisco:Berrett-Koehler,2013;Cooperider,Whitney,andStavros,op.cit.;RobertKeganandLisaL.Lahey,Immunity to Change: How to Overcome it and Unlock Potential in Yourself and Your Organization,Cambridge,Mass.:HarvardBusinessPress,2009;AdamKahane, Transformative Scenario Plan-ning,SanFrancisco:Berrett-Koehler,2012.

17 Sofarwehaveidentifiedmorethan130differenttoolsusedinsystemicchangeprocesses(www.academyforchange.org).