1. WHAT IS A SYSTEMS APPROACH?

2. IN THE NEWS Drug busts increase drug-related crime
“Get tough” prison sentences fail to reduce fear of violent crime
Homeless shelters perpetuate homelessness
Job training programs increase unemployment

3. WHAT DO THESE STORIES HAVE IN COMMON?

4. COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF “FAILED” SOLUTIONS
They:
Address symptoms not underlying problems
Are obvious and often success in short-term
Produce short-term gains that are undermined by long-term impacts
Create unintentional, negative consequences
Mask our own responsibility for recurrence
Source: Bridgeway Partners

5. FIXING NOW VS. IMPACT OVER TIME
When you are confronted by any complex social system … with things about it that you’re dissatisfied with and anxious to fix, you cannot just step in and set about fixing with much hope of helping. This is one of the sore discouragements of our time.
If you want to fix something you are first obliged to understand … the whole system.
-Lewis Thomas

6. A SYSTEM IS Many parts Doing different things Working together
Focused on a common goal

9. CONVENTIONAL VS. SYSTEMS THINKING
CONVENTIONAL THINKING
SYSTEMS THINKING
The connection between problems and their causes is obvious and easy to trace.
The relationship between problems and their causes is indirect and not obvious.
Source: Bridgeway Partners

10. CONVENTIONAL VS. SYSTEMS THINKING
CONVENTIONAL THINKING
SYSTEMS THINKING
Others, either within our outside our organization, are to blame for our problems and must be the ones to change.
We unwittingly create our own problems and have significant control or influence in solving them by changing our own behavior.
Source: Bridgeway Partners

11. CONVENTIONAL VS. SYSTEMS THINKING
CONVENTIONAL THINKING
SYSTEMS THINKING
A policy designed to achieve short-term success will also ensure long-term success.
Most quick fixes have unintended consequences. They make no difference or they make things worse in the long run.
Source: Bridgeway Partners

12. CONVENTIONAL VS. SYSTEMS THINKING
CONVENTIONAL THINKING
SYSTEMS THINKING
In order to optimize the whole, we must optimize the parts.
In order to optimize the whole, we must improve relationships among the parts.
Source: Bridgeway Partners

13. CONVENTIONAL VS. SYSTEMS THINKING
CONVENTIONAL THINKING
SYSTEMS THINKING
Aggressively tackle many independent initiatives simultaneously.
Systems change is the product of a few key, coordinated changes sustained over time.
Source: Bridgeway Partners

14. WHEN TO USE SYSTEMS APPROACH
The problem is chronic and has defied people’s best efforts to solve it.
Diverse stakeholders find it difficult to align their efforts, despite similar intentions.
People are working on many disparate initiatives at the same time.
Promoting certain solutions (e.g. best practices) comes at the expense of engaging in continuous learning.

15. THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH
Building better programs or organizations
Building better programs = making better musicians

16. THE SYSTEMS APPROACH
Bringing players together to form an orchestra, which creates a symphony

17. SYSTEMS APPROACH TO HOMELESSNESS
Current approach is program-driven
Each program
Selects its target population
Establishes its own criteria and outcome measures
Result:
Some good programs, but many people unserved
Resources not coordinated
Lack of accountability

18. SYSTEMS APPROACH TO HOMELESSNESS
A systems approach is not just program-level collaboration but systematic coordination to use all resources better
Shares a common vision
Sets clear goals, and has the means to measure them
Recognizes the role of each part in contributing to the results
Holds each component accountable
Makes change over time

19. KEY ELEMENTS OF A SYSTEMS APPROACH
Use research to inform decisions and design
Gather data on results and impact
Create services that work for clients, not programs that work for providers and funders
Always keep in mind the Big Picture

20. ROLE OF PHILANTHROPY

21. KEY ROLES FOR FUNDERS Leader/convener Capacity builder
Strategic investor
Advocate

22. LEADER/CONVENER
Bring public and private parties together to address the issue jointly
Often seen as neutral party
Speak what is unspoken: costs, turf, failure
Help generate a shared vision
Get commitment to an ongoing process

23. DON’T IGNORE OTHER AGENDAS
ROLE
YES
AND …
Elected official
Permanent housing with support services and jobs are important.
This takes a long time and it’s expensive – and the community has other immediate needs.
Business leader
It’s important for everyone to have shelter.
Our primary concern is homeless people downtown who hurt business.
Source: Bridgeway Partners

24. DON’T IGNORE OTHER AGENDAS
ROLE
YES
AND …
Shelter director
Giving people shelter is humane.
The more beds we fill, the more money we get.
Health Care for Homeless director
Homeless people need basic health services outside of the ER.
We have to compete with other providers for limited funding.
Source: Bridgeway Partners

25. DON’T IGNORE OTHER AGENDAS
ROLE
YES
AND …
Affordable housing advocate
All people need permanent housing first.
We need to attract people who can afford to pay for housing.
Donor
We are committed to helping homeless people.
Our board wants to help people now.
Source: Bridgeway Partners

26. DON’T IGNORE OTHER AGENDAS
ROLE
YES
AND …
Concerned citizen
No one should be homeless and shelters provide a humanitarian solution.
I don’t want homeless people living near me. My tax money should go to more pressing problems.
Homeless person
Permanent housing gives me ongoing security.
My community is other homeless people. I don’t know that I can make it in the “mainstream” world.
Source: Bridgeway Partners

27. KNOWLEDGE/CAPACITY BUILDER
Provide information on successful models/best practices
Help collect and analyze local information and data to establish goals
Build the system and program capacity to implement change

28. STRATEGIC INVESTOR Fund the collaboration and data collection
Make program investments in keeping with agreed upon goals and outcomes
Seed proven activities/ approaches that are new in the community
Be patient and persistent
Use philanthropic dollars to leverage change!

29. ADVOCATE Use position to raise awareness of solutions
Point to opportunities to expand and leverage public resources
Call for accountability
Support small successes within a long-term context
“Neutral party” status lends credibility
With elected officials
In the media
With the business community