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Waddell, Steve. 2016. "Societal Change Systems: A framework and tool to address
wicked problems." Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 52(4):422-40.
SocietalChangeSystems:
Aframeworktoaddresswickedproblems
Author:
SteveWaddell-PhD,MBA
EcosystemsLabsLead-GOLDEN
Principal-NetworkingAction:Organizingforthe21stCentury
14UptonSt.,#4
Boston,MA02118
Phone:+1(617)388-7658
Email:[email protected]
TheresearchbehindthisworkingpaperwassupportedbyAmirKhorsanioftheUniversityofManchesterBusiness
School,AnnaBirneyofForumfortheFuture,andJoeHsuehofSecondMuse.
TheauthorthanksENELFoundationforfinancialsupportthroughtheproject“Towardsanewsustainablebusiness
modelforenergycompanies”.
SocietalChangeSystems:
Aframeworktoaddresswickedproblems
Abstract
Problemsreferredtoaswicked,messy,complex,andmeta-level,bytheirverynaturerequire
involvingmultipleanddiverseorganizations.Issuessuchasclimatechange,poverty,sustainableagriculture,
andhealthcareinvolvemanyhundredsoforganizationsatanationallevel;atagloballevelthiseasily
increasestomanythousands.Emergingtheircollectivepowerintoaneffectiveforcerepresentsanenormous
organizingchallenge.Drawingfromcomplexityandglobalnetworkingknowledge,andbuildingonthe
conceptof“innovationsystem”,thisarticledevelopstheconceptof“societalchangesystem”asaframework
tosupportaddressingtheorganizingchallenge.Thisarosethroughanalysisofglobalchangeinitiatives
aimingtointegratesustainabilityconcernsintotheproductionofelectricity,whichincludedameetingof
leadersofsuchchangeinitiatives.Theactivitiesproducedrecommendationsforgreatlyenhancingchange
effortswithpragmaticstepstodevelopthesocietalchangesysteminwhichtheyareembedded.
Keywords:Transformation,largesystemschange,networks,innovationsystem,societalchangesystem,
complexity,complexadaptivesystems
1. Introduction
Theworldisawashinhugechangechallengessuchissuesaswater,financialstability,climate
change,foodsecurity,anddegradationofseas.Theworldisalsoawashinresponsestoaddressthese
challenges.Howcanthesesortsofcomplexoperatingenvironmentsofbusinessbegreatlyimprovedto
supporttheemergenceofsustainableenterpriseandeffectiveresponsestosuchchallenges?Certainly,the
commitmentofacompanyisonlyonefactor.Ifitsoperatingenvironmentisnotsupportive,thecompany
advancestowardsbecomingasustainableenterprisewithgreatdifficulty.Thisiswhatspurredthe
investigationthatproducedthisarticle.
ConsiderthecaseofSustainableEnergyforAllandthemultitudeofcompaniesworkingwithit.
SE4Allisaglobal,multi-stakeholderentityinitiatedbytheUnitedNationsthataroseoutoftheashesofthe
1
KyotoProcess.Itsweb-siteexplainsthatit“bringstogethertop-levelleadershipfromallsectorsofsociety–
governments,businessandcivilsociety”(SustainableEnergyforAll2014).Itaimstosupporttransformation
ofenergysystems,globally.ThreegoalsarearticulatedbySE4Allfor2030:
•
Ensureuniversalaccesstomodernenergyservices.
•
Doubletheglobalrateofimprovementinenergyefficiency.
•
Doubletheshareofrenewableenergyintheglobalenergymix.
Thisdescribesahugechangechallenge.Thegoalsrequiresomethingbeyondthecapabilityof
currentorganizationalparadigmsofbusiness,governmentsandcivilsocietyorganizations(nonprofits/NGOs).SE4Allisessentiallyaloosenetworkaimingtosupportcoherenceamongstalargenumberof
efforts–thedevelopmentofanoperatingenvironmentandrelationshipsthatsupportitsgoals.Currently
SE4Allismobilizingeffortanddevelopingcoherencearound“accelerators”forkeyissueslikeenergy
efficiency.Coherenceaimstoproduceconvergenceofactionamongstparticipants(Gulati2014).
CoordinationamongstallofSE4All’sparticipantsisimpossiblegiventhecomplexityoftheissuesandnumber
ofefforts.Theobjectiveiscoherencethatsupportsrealizingsynergies,addressingunproductiveduplications
ofeffort,reducingdebilitatingconflictinapproaches,andfillinggapsinnecessaryeffort.
However,theunderlyingdynamicsandstructurestoaddresssuchachangechallengeasSE4All’sare
stillpoorlyunderstoodandthereforenotintegratedintoSE4All’sstrategy.Aframeworkwouldbevaluable
thatguidescoherenceandconvergencetosupportSE4Allrealizeitsglobalsocietaltransformationgoals.
Also,toolsareneededbythoseworkingonthesechangechallenges.Sinceaddressingmanyotherhuge
changechallengesoftodayhasasimilarcoherence-convergenceneed,suchaframeworkandtoolscouldbe
ofwidebenefit.
Thisarticledescribesatwo-yearefforttodevelopsuchaframeworkandmethodology.Itbeginsby
presentingthechallengeasonetoaddressawickedproblem.Themeaningofthattermisexploredalong
withexplorationofresponsestoaddresssuchproblems.Thislaysthefoundationforunderstandingthe
challengeasonetocreateasocietalchangesystem(SCS).Thendescribedisdevelopmentofamethodology
asaseriesofstepsforthoseworkingonlargesystemschangeissuestosupportemergenceofaneffective,
coherentSCS.FinallythearticleproposeshowtheSCSandstepscanbefurtherdevelopedandapplied.
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2. FoundationsoftheApproach
WickedProblemsasSystems
SE4All’schallengeisa“wickedproblem”(Churchman1967;RittelandWebber1973),atermthat
wasrecentlydescribedaspossessingcharacteristicslistedbelow(Waddocketal.2015)andappliedto
SE4All:
•
Havingnodefinitiveboundaries,manyactors,andhighinterconnectivitywithotherproblems:thereare
literallytensofthousandsoforganizationswhoseworkishighlyrelevanttoSE4All’sgoals;
•
Requiringholisticstrategies–piecemealsolutionsdonotwork:focusingononeofthegoalswill
underminesupportforSE4All–onereasonKyotocollapsedisbecauseitdidnothingtoaddressaccessto
energy;
•
Possessingnon-linearcause-effectrelationshipsthataredifficulttodetermine:thereisamultiplicityof
connectionswithnewrolesandrelationshipsrequiredtoproducenovelactorslikeprosumerswhoare
bothenergyconsumersandproducers;thenthereareissuesofhowtheenergysysteminteractswith
otherslikefoodandwater;
•
Lackingfinalityofresolution:thereisnoultimateboundaryonsustainabilityandtheamountofenergy
used;thereisincreasinglycommonreferencetohavinganetpositiveenvironmentalbenefit,for
example;
•
Continuallyemergingpatternswherepredictabilityisimpossible:thehighdegreeofinnovationmeans
thereisnoexperience-basedpredictabilitypossible;
•
Lackingultimately“right”answers,andwherecontextualfactorsmeaneverysolutionisaone-shot
operation:differentlocationshaveuniquecombinationsoffactors–suchastechnology,sun,wind,skills,
culture–thatinfluencetheappropriatenessandviabilityofresponses;thismixturewillbecontinually
changing,aswell.
Suchadescriptionisalsoassociatedwith“messes”(Ackoff1974),meta-problems(Trist1983),
complexity(SnowdenandBoone2007)andcomplexadaptivesystems(Geli-Mann1994;Holland1992).
Withmeta-problemsTristemphasizestheinter-organizationaldomainnatureoftheissue,wherenoone
organizationcanaddresstheproblem.SE4All’sapproachisdistinguishedbythediversityandnumberof
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organizationsitisengagingglobally.Itmightbeassociatedwithothermulti-stakeholdernetworksthathave
beenemergingaroundmanyissues.LabelsforglobalexamplesincludeGlobalPublicPolicyNetworks
(Annan2000;Reinicke1999-2000),GlobalIssueNetworks(Rischard2002),GlobalActionNetworks(GANs)
(Waddell2011),andGlobalSolutionsNetworks(Tapscott2014);intheUnitedStatesthemorepopular
relevantterminologyis“backboneorganization”(KaniaandKramer2011),althoughitisnotusuallythought
ofinglobalterms.GlobalexamplesincludetheUNGlobalCompact,theGlobalReportingInitiative,
TransparencyInternational,theGlobalFundtoFightAIDS,andtheForestStewardshipCouncil.
Thesenetworkshaveakeyroleinaddressingtheirwickedproblem.InTrist’slanguage,theyare
“referentorganizations”thatsupportotherorganizationscomingtogethertocollectivelyapplytheir
resourcestoanissue.Theseare“wholenetworks…foundedbyincludingthoseorganizationsthatinteract
withoneanotherinanefforttoachieveacommonpurpose.”(Provan,FishandSydow2007)p.482The
networksareverylarge,buttheydonotcompriseanywherenearthefullarrayoforganizationsand
initiativesaddressingtheirissue.SE4All,forexample,engageshundredsoforganizations,butthesearestilla
subsetofalltheinitiativesworkingonitsgoals.TheentiretycanbethoughtofasSE4All’s“ecosystem”,a
conceptthathasrecentlygainedpopularitybecauseofthepoweritprovidesforlookingatcomplexissues
andguidingactiontoaddressthem.Introducedbybiologicalsciencesandpopularizedthroughthe
MillenniumEcosystemsAssessment(MillenniumEcosystemAssessment2005),theterm“ecosystem”
originallyreferredto:
“…acommunityoflivingorganisms(plants,animalsandmicrobes)inconjunctionwiththenonliving
componentsoftheirenvironment(thingslikeair,waterandmineralsoil),interactingasasystem.”
(Wikipedia2014)
Theterm“ecosystem”asappliedtosocialandorganizationalspheresemergedfromsocial
evolutionaryandsocialecologytheory,andworkcrossingsocialandenvironmentalconcerns.Todaythe
conceptofsocialecosystemisincommonusetorefertorelationshipsofindividualsand/ororganizations
thatareinteractingasasystem,withsystemstypicallydefinedasinter-relatedandinteractingpartsworking
toproduceasharedgoal.(Bertalanffy1968;Ostrom2009)
TheSE4Allsocialecosystemisdefinedasconsistingofallthoseorganizationsthatareengagedwith
SE4All’sgoalofsustainableenergyforall(energyproducersandthoseinvolvedinrealizingthechange–
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opponentsandsupporters).Thisecosystemhasdevelopedtoapointwherethereisbroadgeneral
agreementaroundtheworldwithSE4All’sgoals,whilenotingresistancebymanyenergysystemincumbents
andoppositionbysomesuchasAmericanpoliticians.TherealworkofSE4Allisabouthowtoeffectively
realizeitsgoals.Theecosystemconsistsofmanyinter-actinginterestswhere“ramifications(ofdecisions)for
thewholesystemarethoroughlyconfusing”(RittelandWebber1973)andwhichcanprovokeauthoritative,
competitiveorcollaborativeresponses(Roberts2000).
Theanswertothis“how”questionisinformedingeneraltermsbyworkaddressingwickedproblems
ascomplexadaptivesystems(CAS).(Beinhocker1997;Geli-Mann1994;KaniaandKrarner2013;Rotmans
andLoorbach2009)Thesearecomplexproblemswheretraditionalgoal-orientedplanninglogicmustbe
subordinatetoanemergentlearninglogicwithinterventions“fostering”developmentoftheCAS(Holland
1992)byspurring“beneficialcoherence”(Snowden2005)thatenhancessystemeffectiveness(Drucker,
DruckerandDrucker1967).EstablishingSE4Allcanbethoughtofasaresponsetoaddressan
“underorganizedsystem”(Brown1980).ThisleadstoseeingSE4All’sworkasdevelopingthesystem’s
coherence–addressingtheecosystems’potentialsynergies,redundanciesandactiongapswiththeeyeto
emergingpatternsofinteractionatahigher(moreeffectiveandtranscending)level(Levin1998).
SomekeylogicsassociatedwithCASworkare:
•
Self-organizing:Vaccumsarefilledquicklyandthereisalwayssometypeofresponsetonewneeds.
•
Emergence:Manyresponsestoaddresswickedproblemsgraduallyforminnovativepatternsof
relationshipsandstructuresthatrepresentorganizinginventions.Becauseoftheirinnovativequality,
theyareoftennot“seen”byuseoftraditionallenses(suchas“organizations”).
•
Directionalnudges:Theimpactofinterventionstoaddresswickedproblemscannotbepredictedand
theyoftenhaveunintendednegativeimpacts.Thisfavorsmultiplemodesteffortsintendedtomoveina
direction,ratherthanlargeeffortstowardsagoalinthetraditionalplanningsense.
•
Learningandexperimenting:Realizing“sustainableenergyforall”ishighlydependentoncontextand
requiresinvention.Roll-outstrategiesdonotwork.
IntermsofunderstandingSE4All,theseelementssuggestthatanalysisofrelationshipsamongst
organizationsinitsecosystemcouldprovidesomevaluableinsightabouthowtobuildonwhatisarisingto
realizesustainabilityforall,incontrasttoatraditionalplannedtop-downapproach.
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SocietalChangeSystemsversusProductionSystems
Systemssuchasonesrelatedtoenergythatprovideservicesforsocietyareaparticulartypeof
ecosystem.Theyincludethefullspectrumoforganizations,knowledgeandpracticesassociatedwiththe
service.Atransitiondescribesafundamentalchangeintherearrangementofsuchasystem(Markard,Raven
andTruffer2012);thistypeoffundamentalchangeisreflectedinSE4All’sgoals.Thisemphasison
“transition”asthewickedproblem,suggestsfurtherspecializationofthetypeofecosystemthatSE4All
requirestobeeffective.Itrequiresaspecifictypeofecosystemdefinedbythemissionofsupportinglarge
systemschange.Thisischangeof“…breadth…thatengagesaverylargenumberofindividuals,organizations
andgeographiesacrossawiderangeofsystems.…(andchangeof)depth:(largesystemschange)isnot
simplyaddingmoreofwhatexistsormakingrearrangementswithinexistingpowerstructuresand
relationships,butratherchangesthecomplexrelationships.”(Waddelletal.2015b)p.7
Canthesystembeusefullydividedintotwopartstoprovideusefulinsightsindevelopmentof
transitionpathways:thechangepartandtheproductionpart?Thisquestionarosebecausetheresearch
projectframeditsquestionas“howtogreatlyenhancetheenabling/operatingenvironmentofelectricity
utilitiestosupportemergenceofsustainableenterprise?”
AppliedtoSE4All,wecanseethatitsmissionisnottoprovideenergyservices–thatisthetaskof
utilitiesandotherserviceproviders.Rather,itsmissionistosupporteffectiveintegrationofsustainability
concerns(asexpressedinitsthreegoals)intotheactivityoftheenergyproductionsystem.Thechangeand
productionsystemshavenotjustdifferentmissions,butdistinctivecoreparticipants,logicsand
competencies.
Inelectricitythecoreproductionsystemparticipantsarefuelproviders,energygenerators,
transmissionanddistributionserviceprovidersandconsumers,withpolicymakersandothersplaying
supportingroles.Theyaredominatedbyacommercialsales,supply-demand,input-outputlogic.Core
competenciesinvolveenergytechnologiesandknowledgeandmanagementofgenerationthroughtousesof
energy.
Thechangesystemconsistsofdifferenttypeofstakeholdercomposition,logicandcompetency.It
consistsofchangeinitiativesthathavediversestakeholderleadershipandparticipation:researchinstitutes,
6
governmentagencies,non-governmentalorganizations,changeinitiativesoftheserviceproviders,andmultistakeholderorganizations.Theyareworkingwithacomplexadaptivesystemlogicthatintimatelyinvolves
participationandcollaborationamongstthesediversestakeholders,emergenceandotherCASlogicsalready
described.Competenciesareassociatedwithlargesystemschangeknowledge,strategies,toolsandmethods.
Inshort,itisaSocietalChangeSystem(SCS)forelectricity.Itsdescriptionwasafocusoftheinvestigation.
TheimageofthedoublehelixofDNAaroseasonewaytothinkofthechangeandproductionsystem
relationship.Ackoffobservedthat“Asystemismorethanthesumofitsparts;itisanindivisiblewhole.It
losesitsessentialpropertieswhenitistakenapart.Theelementsofasystemmaythemselvesbesystems,
andeverysystemmaybepartofalargersystem.”(Ackoff1991)p.664Theapproachdevelopedherereflects
thisthinking.Therearetwosystemswhoserespectivepowerisinterdependent.Inthatdouble-helixmodel
therearetwointer-twinnedstrandsthatcanbelikenedtothetwosystems,withthepresenceofmany
bridgesandexchangesbetweenthembeingacriticalquality.Thesebridgestakeavarietyofformssuchas
projectsandforums.Someinter-organizationalnetworksincludedinthisstudyhaveacriticalbridging
function(Brown1991;Brown2015;WestleyandVredenburg1991).Oneofthebestexamplesisrenewable
energytradeassociationsthatareactivelypromotingchangeinthesystem,andatthesametimeitsmembers
includecompaniesconventionallyproducingelectricity.
TheinvestigationintoSE4Allandsustainabilityeffortsevolvedintothepropositionthat
distinguishingbetweenthechangeandproductionsystemsproducesvaluableinsightsintoaddressing
wickedproblems.Inparticular,thefocusbecameresearchingemergentpatternsandstructuresthatwould
provideguidanceinthedevelopmentofcoherenceandconvergencetoenhancetheeffectivenessoftheSCS.
InnovationSystemsandFunctions
SE4All’sgoalsrequiretransformationofalargetechnologicalsystem.“Innovationsystems”isa
relevantconceptthatoverthepastthreedecadeshasprovenpowerfulforaddressingchallengesof
developingandintroducingnewtechnologies.Thisapproachseesthesystemasa“…widerangeoffactors,
organizations,andpoliciesinfluencethecapabilitiesofanation'sfirmstoinnovate.”(Nelson1993)Economic
growthandtechnologyarecoreunderpinningsofinnovationsystemsandassociatedpolicy(Alkemade,
HekkertandNegro2011;Geels2013;Stirling2014;WeberandRohracher2012).Socialgoalsarestillpoorly
7
integratedintothistechnologicalinnovationsystemswork.However,anincreasingnumberofobservers
claimthattechnologicalinnovationisnottheissue:therealissueishowwere-organizeandapplymore
effectivelywhatisalreadyknownintermsofphysicaltechnologies,forthesocialgood(Edenhoferetal.2011;
Sen2000;Sovacool2008;Stirling2014;Westleyetal.2011).Althoughtechnologiesplayanimportantrolein
addressingcriticalsustainabilityissuesintransitioningindustries,focusinguponthemas“theanswer”
provideslimitedanddistortedguidancetothebiggerchangechallenge.Thatchallengeincludesimportant
policy,cultural,structuralandotherissuesthattheinnovationsystemstraditiontreatsasafunctionofthe
questionofhowtointroducenewtechnologies.ThissuggeststheimportanceofseeingSE4All’sconcernas
onethatincludesacomprehensiverangeofchangeactivities,aswellastechnologicalinvention.
Bothinnovationsystemsandlargechangenetworkinvestigationshaveincludedanimportantlineof
inquiryaboutdevelopingcoherence.Coherenceraisesquestionsaboutwhatsuchsystemsandnetworks
mustdo,inordertobesuccessfulintermsoftheirownaspirations.Thishasledtodefinitionof“functions”
as“processesthatarehighlyimportantforwellperforminginnovationsystems”(Hekkertetal.2007)p.414.
Analysisofinstitutionsintermsoftheircontributionstothefunctioningofthelargersystemofwhichthey
arepart,hasalonghistory(Durkheim1966[1893];Merton1949/1968;Parsons1967).Technological
innovationsystems(TIS)workhasproducedvaluableanalysisofsystemfunctionsthatishighlyrelevantto
SE4All.(Bergek,HekkertandJacobsson2008;Bergeketal.2008;Hekkertetal.2007;Johnson2001)Auseful
comparisonofthesehasresultedinsevenfunctions.(MarkardandTruffer2008)However,thesefunctional
definitionsareassociatedwithtechnologicalinnovation,ratherthanthebroaderchangeecosystemthatisthe
subjectofthisresearch.Lookingfromabroaderchangeperspectivewithglobalchangenetworksledto
identificationofsixcriticalfunctions.(Waddell2011)
Table1summarizesthesefunctionalperspectives.ThesevenfromMarkardetal.areinitalics.The
prototypingfunctionrepresentsanadditiontoboththeMarkardandWaddellanalyses;itisaddedbecauseit
isseenasanactivitythatissocriticalthatithasbeenembeddedinMarkard’sdefinitionofTISandWaddell’s
definitionofGlobalActionNetworks.Theadvocatingfunctionisthoughtofasanaggressiveapproachto
Markard’sknowledgedisseminationstrategy;withoutapowerfuladvocatingchangefunction,activitycould
easilyresembleatraditionalbureaucraticapproach.Measuringmightalsobethoughtofaspartofthe
knowledgedevelopmentstrategy;assessingtoindicatemovementinthedesireddirectionseemscriticalfora
8
changesystem.Inanycase,thecoreconcernisthatthefunctionsarecollectivelycomprehensiveand
distinguishedinawaythatisoperationallyandanalyticallyusefulfortheensuinganalysisofSE4All’sSCSas
exploredbelow.
Table1:ChangeSystemFunctions
Function
Visioning
Guidanceofthesearch
Organizing
Function
Creatingeventsandinteractionsthatgenerateshared
understandingandvision
Creationoflegitimacy
Bringingtogetheranemergingglobalsystemofdiverse
stakeholderstogeneratecoherenceinstrategies
Resourcing
Providingresourcesforthefunctionstobeperformed.
Resourcesmobilization
Marketformation
Learning,Research,Capacity
Development
Developinganddisseminatingnewknowledgeandtools
withresearch,pilotingnewapproaches,andtraining
Knowledgedevelopment
Entrepreneurialdevelopment
Assessing
Developingindices,assessments,and/orcertification
processes
Advocating
Knowledgediffusion
Mobilizingvoiceandincreasingpressureuponspecific
stakeholderswhoareblocking(activelyorinactively)change
Prototyping
Developingexamplesofthefuture
3. TheResearchActivities
Togroundthemodelinempiricalreality,ratherthan“energy”andthewholeofSE4All’sworld,the
researchfocusedonthemorenarrow“electricitysystem”inthetraditionofPraetoriusetal.(Bauknechtand
Cames2009):theenergyproductionsystemwasdefinedasthesystemofelectricitygenerationtransmission-distribution-consumptionandmostnotablyomits(1)extractiveindustries,and(2)
9
transportation.ThefoundingconceptsofaSCSrequiringsevenhealthyfunctionsforeffectivenessdrovethe
researchapproach.Itconsistedofthefollowingactivitiesinthisorder:
1) Approximatelyonedozeninterviewswithpeopleworkingtochangetheenergysystemtorefinethinking
aboutthechallengebeingtodevelopaSCS;
2) Webcrawls(see3.1below)toproduceaninitialmapoftheSCMandalistofinitiativesforfurther
investigation;
3) Creationofasurveytooltoholdcomparativedatacollectedthroughreviewofdocuments,websitesand
interviewswith65initiatives,thatincludedinformationsuchasmissions,stakeholdercomposition,
controlstructure,majoractivities;
4) Refinementofthesurveytooltoreflectthesubsystemsandfunctions(describedbelow);
5) WebanddocumentbasedChangeProfiles(seebelow)for19initiativestotest/developtheabilityofthe
Profilestocollectcomprehensivekeyinformation;
6) ValidatedChangeProfilesfor11initiativeswithstafffromthechangeinitiatives,tofurthertestthe
Profilestructureandmakeatentativevalueassessment;and
7) A1-1/2daymeetingoftheprojectteamandfivechangeinitiativeleaderstotestthevalidityandvalueof
theconceptsandhowtheycouldbeapplied.
Theprojectteamconsistedoffivepeople.Onehadparticularexperienceinmapping,anotherin
meetingfacilitation,athirdinelectricitysystemtransition,andthefourthinnetworks;allhadsystems
changeknowledge.Theactivitiesledtodevelopmentofamethodologyforgreatlyenhancingthecollective
powerofchangeeffortsasaSCS,anddevelopmentoftheSystemsChangeMatrixasonewaytovisually
representtheSCS.Thecomponentsaredescribedhere,buttheirdefinitionevolvediterativelyoutofthe
researchactivities.Thatistosay,anabductiveapproachwastakenofreviewingandrefiningcodingand
categoriesthatreflectsgroundedtheorydevelopment.(CorbinandStrauss2014)
3.1. TheSocietalChangeSystemforElectricity
Givenitsglobalmulti-stakeholderstatureandgoaltoprovideanover-archingplatformforchange
efforts,forexploratorypurposesthisresearchadoptedSE4All’sthreegoalsasthechangesystem’sgoals.An
enormousnumberofchangeinitiatives,networks,organizations,programs(hereaftercalledsimply
10
“initiatives”)areworkingonthesegoals.Todaymostaresupportiveofthem.Todefineamanageable
population,theanalysisfocusedoninitiativesthatmeettwocriteria:theyareglobalinoperationandmultiorganizational(i.e.:networks).Thechangesystemisunderstoodtohavedifferentlevelsofanalysis,justas
withinnovationsystems.Whilechoosingtostartbyfocusingontheglobalperspectivemayinitiallyseem
counter-intuitive,itwasdevelopedfortworeasons.Oneisthattheissueofenergysustainabilityis
increasinglyrecognizedasarequiringaglobalapproach.Nationalisacriticallevelforregulationand
marketshavevariouslevelsdependingontheiraspects.However,markets,technology,companiesand
importantchangeorganizationssuchasSE4All,InternationalRenewableEnergyAgency(IRENA)andthe
InternationalEnergyAgency(IEA)areglobal.Thesecondreasonisthatstartingatasub-globallevelalways
Box1:GlobalEnergyChangeInitiatives
Someexamplesofglobalchangeinitiativesinthechangeecosystemforelectricityare:
SustainableEnergyforAll(SEFA):launchedbytheUnitedNationstobringallkeyactorstothe
tabletomakesustainableenergyforallarealityby2030.
ElectricityGovernanceInitiative:anetworkofcivilsocietyorganizationsdedicatedto
promotingtransparent,inclusiveandaccountabledecision-makingintheelectricitysector.
MITEnergyInitiative(MITEI):pairingMIT'sworld-classresearchteamswiththebestin
industrywhoareresponsibleformovingtheproductsofthiscollaborationintotheenergymarketplace.
ICLEILocalGovernmentsforSustainabilityLowCarbonCityProgram:theworld'sleading
associationofover1,000metropolises,cities,andurbanregionsdedicatedtopromotingglobal
sustainabilitythroughlocalaction.
GlobalReportingInitiative:amulti-stakeholdernetworkwhosereportingframeworkaimsto
promotesustainabilityintheenergysector.
IRENA:anintergovernmentalorganizationtopromoteadoptionandsustainableuseof
renewableenergy.
GlobalSustainableEnergyPartnership:comprisingtheworld’sleadingelectricitycompanies
andpromotingsustainableenergydevelopment.
11
integratesidiosyncraticcharacteristicsofthatlevel,makingmodelexpansionproblematic.Ontheother
hand,aglobalapproachmustensureitisapplicabletoothergeographiclevelsanddoesnotover-generalize
toapointofoperationalirrelevance.
Thenetworkqualityincludesindustry,inter-governmental(e.g.UNagencies),civilsociety,and
multi-stakeholderinitiatives.Thenetworkconditionwasseenasappropriateforagloballevelanalysis,since
individualorganizationswillonlybeabletohavemodestimpactgloballyandmostofsignificanceare
membersofnetworks.
Insummary:thissystemdefinitionwasselectedasonethathasmanageableboundaries,but
neverthelesspresentssignificantscaleandarrayofissues,structuresandintereststhatavoidoversimplificationthatcouldproduceatheoreticallyinteresting,butoperationallyirrelevant,model.Box1
describessomeillustrativeexamplesofinitiativesmeetingthesecriteria.Therearemanysuchinitiatives,but
thetwoconditionsproduceamanageablenumber.
SE4All’sgoalsbroadenedthecategoryofinitiativesintwoways.Oneisitsfocusonaccesstoenergy,
particularlyimportantincountrieslikeIndiawheremanystillarewithoutaccess.Also,thisresearch
includedinitiativeswithaclimatechangefocus,recognizingthatelectricitygenerationisestimatedto
produce41percentofenergy-relatedgreenhousegases(InternationalEnergyAgency2010)andistherefore
renewableenergyisamajorconcernofsuchinitiatives.
Toillustratemorethetypesofchangeglobalnetworkinitiatives,somearedescribedby
categorizationbasedontheirorganizationaltypeofparticipants:
•
IntergovernmentalOrganization(IGO)ChangeInitiatives:IGOsarenetworksofnational
governments,andincludetheUNanditsagenciesandtheWorldBankGroup.
•
Non-GovernmentalOrganizationNetworks:Theseareofteninvolvedinlobbyingandinformation
sharing,butalsoinresearchandpilotprojects.TheyincludetheClimateActionNetwork,WWF
GlobalandClimateworksFoundation(anetworkoffoundations).
•
TradeAssociations:Renewableenergycompanieshaveformednetworks,suchastheInternational
SolarEnergySociety.
•
Sustainability-FocusedBusinessNetworks:Thisincludesnetworksoftraditionalplayerssuchas
electricutilitiesthathaveformedtheGlobalSustainableElectricityPartnership,andtheWorld
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BusinessCouncilforSustainableDevelopmentthathasabroaderagendathatincludesanelectricity
initiative.
•
Inter-SectoralCollaborations:TheCarbonDisclosureProjectandRenewableEnergyNetworkfor
the21stCenturyaregoodexamples.Severalnetworksfocusedonmeasurementalsoareincluded
here,suchastheGlobalReportingInitiative,whichhasanelectricutilitiessectorsupplement.
•
ResearchInitiatives:ResearchinstitutesoftenhavenetworkedresearchsuchastheMassachusetts
InstituteofTechnology’sEnergyInitiative,whichhasseveral.
Thissystemboundaryprovidedthebasisforthedatacollection.Identifyingthesetofchange
initiativesthatcanbeconsideredreasonablycomprehensivewasamajorconcern,evenwiththerestrictions
described.Aninitialsetofglobalchangeinitiativeswereidentifiedthroughwebsearchesandknowledgeof
theresearchteam.Initiatives’webaddresses(seeds)werecollectedtoconductwebcrawls,amethodology
thatidentifieswebsitesconnectedbyhyperlinksusingasoftware(www.issuecrawler.net)that“crawls”the
web.Thismethodologyhasarisenwiththeworldwidewebforarangeofinvestigations.(Rogers2010)It
producesbothvisualmapsofconnectionsandlistsofconnectedweb-sites.Thismethodforidentificationof
organizationsisparticularlyappropriateforglobalchangeissuedomainssinceanyimportantorganization
workingforglobalchangecanbeexpectedtohaveaweb-siteofrelativesophistication(anexpectationthat
doesnotnecessarilyholdformoregeographicallyconstrainedissuedomains).Theseedlistofweb-sites
producednewsitesthatmetthestudyparameters,andthesewereaddedtothelistofseeds.Thesecrawls
wererepeateduntilthelistofsitesidentifiedforanalysisusedasseedsdidnotproduceanynewsiteswithin
theparametersdefiningchangeinitiatives.
Thefinalcrawlproducedalistof213sites,notallfittingthestudyparameters.Figure1canbe
consideredamapoftheglobalSCSforenergy,althoughitdoesnotincludetheentire213sites.TheUN(but
notitsagenciessuchastheUNEP)hasbeenexcludedbecausetheUNisengagesinsuchanarrayofissues
thatitslinkscouldbeconfusinganddominating.Thecrawlsproducedalistof65initiativesmeetingthe
conditions.
ThewebcrawlonitsownprovidesinterestinginformationaboutthestructureoftheSCSglobally.
Largerdotshavemorehyperlinks.Thewebcrawlmapplacesweb-siteswiththeclosesthyperlinktiescloseto
13
eachothersimilarto“neighborhoods”insocialnetworkanalysis.Theresearchteamanalyzedthemapto
understandwhatorganizationshadincommonindifferentpartsofthemaptodevelopthesegroupings:
1) Marketers:thosefocusedonmarketexchangesandinfluencingthem(includingmembersofthe
productionsystem);
2) Enviros:thosewhoseprimaryconcernaboutenergyisitsenvironmentalimpact;
3) Efficients:thosefocusedprimarilyonenergyefficiencyconcerns;
4) Governors:inter-governmentalandgovernmentalorganizations;
5) Renewables:thosefocusedonrenewableenergyissues;
6) Advocates:thosewhofocusonadvocacyasachangestrategy;and
7) IQs:research-andscience-orientedorganizations.
Figure1:Thewebcrawlmapofthechangesystemnetwork
14
Technology
Subsystem
Finance
Subsystem
TheChangeSystem
ForElectricity
(connectivetissueof
visionandorganizing)
Consumer
Subsystem
Policy
Subsystem
Service
Provider
Subsystem
Figure2:TheFiveChangeSubsystems
Understandingthesesevengroupingsasastructureunderlyingthechangesystemisuseful
informationandtheircurrentorientation.Itexplainswhotheyfeelclosestto.However,itisnotnecessarilya
structurethatisusefulforaSCS,sincemuchchangeactivityinherentlyinvolvesbringingtogetherdiverse
stakeholderstotranscendtheircurrentrealities.Amoreusefulanalysiswouldbeofwhattheyareactually
doingintermsoftheirmissionsandgoals.
3.2. FiveSCSSubsystems
Therewasaninitialexploratorysetofinterviewsandreviewofdocumentationincludingweb-sites.
Thisproducedaseconddata-gatheringframeworkthatincludedasurveystructureforgatheringandholding
dataaboutindividualinitiatives.Thesedatawerethenanalyzedwithafocusonthequestions:“Whatare
theydoing?Whyaretheresomanyinitiatives?”
Atask-basedmodeloftheSCSwasdevelopedbygoingbackandforthbetweendatacollectionwith
theorganizationsidentifiedandmodeldesign,reflectingagroundedtheoryapproach.(CorbinandStrauss
2014)Themissions,visionsandinterviewsproducedsomewaystoclassifyinitiativesintermsoftheway
theydefinedtheirgoalsandtasks.Recursiverefinementandanalysisofthedataproducedataxonomyoffive
setsofactivitiesthatincludeallchangeinitiativeactivityvis-à-visintegrationofsustainabilityintothe
electricitysystem.TheseareseenasfivesubsystemsthatcollectivelyformtheglobalSCSforelectricity,as
15
summarizedinFigure2.Thesesubsystems’boundariesarebasedon(1)distinctchangetasksidentified
throughanalysisofthechangeinitiatives’workandgoals,(2)goalsthatrequiredistinctcompetencies(e.g.
policy-writinginthepolicysubsystem,versustechnologicalresearchintheinnovationsubsystem),and(3)
distinctrolesandrelationshipsforstakeholders(e.g.governmenthasleadresponsibilityinthepolicy
subsystem).AnyonechangeinitiativeisusuallyactiveinmorethanoneoftheseSCSsubsystems:
PolicyChangeSubsystem:Thisisthepolicy-makingsystemofgovernmentalbodies,including
regulatorsandlegislatorsatthelocal,national,regionalandgloballevels.Atthegloballevel,itisdominated
bytheUNanditsagencies,theWorldBankGroup,theInternationalEnergyAgency,andtheInternational
RenewableEnergyAgency(IRENA).Otherstakeholdersengageinco-productionofrulesandpolicies.For
example,theClimateActionNetworkisparticularlyactiveinthissubsystemasaglobalnetworkofnongovernmentalorganizationslobbyingforcarbon-reducingpolicy.
TechnologyChangeSubsystem:Thissubsystemproducesnewtechnologiesandisthepointof
departurefortheinnovationsystemtradition.Itsinitiatingleadershipisresearchersandresearch
organizations;withprototypingitinvolvesgovernmentagencies,NGOs,andcompaniesthataredeveloping
newtechnologiesandinnovations.Forexample,theMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology’sEnergy
Initiativehasnumerousinter-organizationalprojectstodevelopnewtechnologies.Scalingofinnovationsis
partoftheserviceproviderchangesubsystem(below),thedistinctionbeingthatdifferentstakeholdersand
competenciesarethenengaged.
FinanceChangeSubsystem:Thissub-systemisaboutinnovatingandinfluencingfinancialmarkets
andtoolstoenhancetheflowofcapitaltosustainableelectricityproduction.Thisincludesbothpublicand
privatesectorcapital.TheWorldBank,forexample,isprototypingfinancialproductssuchasgreenbonds
andtheCarbonDisclosureProjectaimstoinfluenceinvestmentpatternsbytrackingandpublicizingcarbon
emissionsriskofcompaniesandcities.
ServiceProviderChangeSubsystem:Thisreferstotheinfrastructurethatgenerates,transmits
anddistributeselectricity.Historicallyitwouldbecloselyequatedwith“electricutilities”,bothpublicand
private.However,technologicalinnovationsimplysignificantdisruptioninthissubsystem,with
decentralizedgeneration.Leadingchangeinitiativesincludenetworksofutilities,suchastheGlobal
16
SustainableElectricityPartnershipandtheWorldBusinessCouncilforSustainableDevelopment’sElectricity
UtilitiesProject.
ConsumerChangeSubsystem:Thischangesubsystemisaboutdemandforelectricityandhowitis
used,howtoinfluenceitandconsumers’changingroleintheemergingserviceprovidersystem.This
subsystemalsoconnectstoculturalbeliefsandroutines.Strategicallyitisusefultodivideitintoindustrial,
commercialandresidentialconsumers.TheGreenhouseGasProtocolandCaringforClimateareexamplesof
globalinitiativesaimingtoinfluenceindustrialandcommercialdemand;EKOfocusesmoreonresidential.
Thisfivesubsystemmodelgivesrisetotheimportantquestion:whatholdsthemalltogether?
Sharedover-archinggoals,visionandprinciples/valuesarecommonlycorebindingmechanismsinmultistakeholdercollaborations(Gray1989),andcertainlyhaveimportantroles.Thismodelsuggeststhat
creatingsomesortofstewardingmechanismforthesubsystemstoeffectivelyinteractcouldbecriticaltothe
effectivenessofefforts.ItcanbeseenasrelevanttotheroleofSE4All,whichrefersto“fourenablingAction
Areas(that)characterizecross-cuttingmechanismsdesignedtosupporteffectivesectoralactionandaddress
existingobstacles.Theyinclude:EnergyPlanning&Policies;BusinessModel&TechnologyInnovation;
Finance&RiskManagement;CapacityBuilding&KnowledgeSharing”(SE4All2014).Thefirstthreeofthese
areanalogoustothePolicy,ServiceProviderandFinancesubsystems;thelastispresentedinthispaper’s
modelasafunction;missingistheConsumptionChangeSubsystem.
Thetheoreticalperspectivepresentedhereisthateachofthefivesubsystemsmustaddresseachof
thesevenfunctions,inordertobeaneffectivesystem.Insomesubsystemsaparticularfunctionmightbe
moreimportantorchallenging,buttheymustallbeaddressed.Forexample,thereisneedforprototyping
legislationandregulation,newtechnologies,newfinancialinstruments,newserviceprovision(business)
modelsandnewtypesofrolesforconsumers.Aswell,ataparticularmomentinachangesystem’s
developmentaparticularfunctionmightbeofmoreimportance.Forexample,theKyotoProcessidentified
problemsincreatingasharedvisionillustratedbythedeveloped-developingcountriesandotherdivides.
17
3.3. SevenChangeSystemFunctions
Asdescribedalready,sevenfunctionshavebeenidentifiedasimportantforaneffectivechange
system.Applicationtoglobalelectricitychangeinitiativesproducessomequiteclearillustrationsofthe
functionsinoperations:
•
Visioning:SE4Allisplayingapre-eminentsystem-wideroleinthis.Itiscreatingamuchbroadervision
thantheclimatechangeoneassociatedwiththeKyotoProcessbyincludingissuesofaccess.Itiscreating
coherenceamongstIGOs:theWorldBank,forexample,hascategoricallyadoptedtheSE4Allgoalsasits
own.However,everychangeinitiativehasitsownparticularfocusthatisthebasisforitsworkandis
criticalforittomobilizeaction.TheElectricityGovernanceInitiative,forexample,holdsavisionofan
electricitysectorthatistransparent,inclusiveandhasaccountabledecision-making.Issuesof
effectivenessraisethequestionaboutwhethertheindividualvisionsaresufficientlyalignedwiththe
broadchangesystemoneandtheindividualsubsystemones.
•
Organizing:Thechangesystemrequiresorganizingofeffortandstakeholdersinwaysthatprovide
coherentaggregationofvoiceintoscaleinordertobeheard.Thechangeinitiativesthemselvesrepresent
systemorganizingfortheirparticipants.Thisisobviouslytrueforthisstudy’spopulationboundaryof
changeinitiativesthatarecollaborationsandnetworksoforganizations.Eachhasbroughtnumerous
organizationstogethertoplaytheparticularfunction.Thetradeassociationsforrenewablessuchasthe
GlobalSolarAlliance,playakeyroleinorganizingvoiceandeffortoftheiremergingindustry.However,
organizingisalsoasignificantchallengeforchangeinitiativeswithinanorganizationsuchasautilityto
playaroleinanetwork.Consumersareprobablythemostunder-organizedstakeholder,eventhough
theyhasacriticalroleinthearising“pro-sumer”world(Insights2014).
•
Resourcing:Provisionoffinancialandpersonnelresourcesissomethingthatisfoundationalforanyof
thechangeinitiativestobeabletoplaytheirrolesindividuallyandcollectively.Forthestudypopulation
ofnetworks,resourcestypicallyareprovidedbyparticipantsinchangeinitiatives;insomecases,
particularlyforNGOsandresearchwork,thisissupplementedbygovernmentorfoundationfunding.
Thedevelopmentbanksarebigfundersinthepolicyandserviceprovidersubsystems.Climateworksisa
collaborationoffoundationsfundingchangeglobally.
18
•
Learning:Thisisanabsolutelycriticalfunctiontoaddresscomplexchangechallenges,whichrequire
newwaysofthinkingaboutissuesandtakingaction.Mindsetsandcapacitiesarekeyissuesatthe
individual,organizationalandsystemlevels.Thechangeinitiativesaregenerallyinvolvedinmore
mundane,butalsocritical,learningchallengesaboutdevelopmentandexchangeofknowledgearising
fromprototyping.Forexample,REN21providesapre-eminentmulti-stakeholdernetworkforcollective
knowledgeproducts.TheWorldEnergyCouncilisamulti-stakeholdernetworkthatfocusesoncreating
events,exchangesandpublicationstorealizeanaffordable,stableandenvironmentallysensitiveenergy
systemforthegreatestbenefitofall.
•
Measuring:Manydifferentmeasuresareneededfordifferentaspects.Policymakingrequiresadistinct
arrayofmeasures,suchasthosedevelopedbytheUnitedNationsFrameworkConventiononClimate
Change(UNFCCC)onnationallevelcarbonemissions.Boththepolicyandconsumptionsubsystems
dependonstandards-settingmeasuressuchasthoseproducedbyCollaborativeLabeling&Appliance
StandardsProgram.
•
Advocating:Achangesystemrequiresadynamicthatprovidespressureandenergyforchange.The
PrinciplesforResponsibleInvestment,andtheGlobal InvestorCoalitiononClimateChangeandits
memberssuchasCERES,aregoodexamplesofadvocatingwithinthefinancecommunity;theClimate
ActionNetworkhashadanimportantadvocatingroleintheUNFCCCprocesses.
•
Prototyping:Thiscouldbeconsideredpartofthelearningfunction,butitissocriticaltochangethatit
isseparatedoutasitsownfunction.Itisusuallyassociatedwithnewtechnologies,suchasisbeing
developedwiththeMITEnergyInitiative.However,actuallytestingnewwaysoforganizing,newpolicies,
newfinancialproducts,andideastoinfluenceconsumptionareimportantaswell.TheRenewable
EnergyandEnergyEfficiencyPartnership(REEEP)focusesonprototypingbothnewtechnologiesand
financingapproaches.
3.4. ChangeProfiles
Initiatives’programsandactivitieswerecodedforsubsystemfunction.Thisproduceda“Change
Profile”dataframeworkforindividualchangeinitiatives.TheseProfilesconsistofonetableforeachofthe
fivesubsystems,whichdescribesachangeinitiative’sroleinthesubsystembyfunction.Changeinitiatives
19
areactiveinmorethanonesubsystemandmorethanonefunction.AnillustrationoftheWorldBankinthe
PolicySubsystemispresentedinTable2withcoreactivitieshighlightedingray.Ananalysisofrelevant
WorldBankdocumentswasvalidatedininterviewwithBankemployeesbyreviewingwithstafftheir
programsandreachingagreementinthewaytheywerecategorized.TheBank’sprofilesclarifiedthatits
coreworkisinthePolicy,FinanceandServiceProvisionsubsystems,withparticularfunctionsasthetable
belowillustratesforthepolicysubsystem.
Table2:WorldBankPolicySubsystem
Function
Illustration
SystemVisioning
SE4All’svisionadopted
SystemOrganizing
EncouragingnationalgovernmentsaroundSE4Allvision
Learning
Studiesforindividualcountriesandformulti-countriesonspecificissues
Powermarketstructure:revisitingpolicyoptions
Studiesaboutcountries'experiences
Energyefficiencycommunityofpractice
StatusofEnergyReport
Measuring
LeadonGlobalTrackingFrameworkforSE4All
Rankingofgovernmentsforbusinessandinvestmentre:energy
Financing
TechnicalAssistancetocountries
Energypolicyandregulatoryreform
GlobalOff-GridLightingAssociation
Regional,sector-wideplanningresourcing
Assistancetodevelopnetworkswithlike-mindedgovernments
Pricingandtariffreformassistance
Advocating
Policyadvice
Pricingtowardsmarket
Inclusive,multi-stakeholderapproaches
Prototyping
20
3.5. SystemicChangeMatrix
Testingiftheapproachdiscussediscomprehensiblewithmodesteffortandspursusefuland
operationalinsightsoccurredina1-1/2daymeetingoftheprojectteamandsixchangeinitiativeleaders.
Afterintroducingthechangeinitiativesatthemeetingandthecoreconcepts,thechangeinitiative
participantswereaskedtofillintheirownChangeProfiles.Theythenwrotetheinformationfromeachcell
onpost-itnotesandputallthesepiecesonawallwithatablethatiscalledtheSystemicChangeMatrix
(SCM);someprogramswereinmorethanonecell.ThisisawaytomaptheSCS.
Table3:TheSystemChangeMatrix(SCM)
Policy
Technology
Finance
Service
Provision
Consumption
Visioning
Organizing
Resourcing
Learning
Measuring
Advocating
Prototyping
SomeoftheSCMcellshadseveralactivitiesfromseveralchangeinitiatives,whileotherswere
sparselyinhabitedandsomewerebare.Ofcoursethiswasonlyapartialviewofthechangesystemsincefew
initiativeswererepresented.However,theexerciseraisedquestionsforparticipantsaboutoverallcoherence
andconvergence.Inparticular,itraisedquestionsaboutgapsinnecessaryactivityandthequalityof
initiatives’strategicfocus.Italsoraisedquestionsaboutoverlaps,redundanciesandcoordinationwithin
cells,whilerecognizingthatmostcellsrequiredactionbyseveralchangeinitiatives.Forexample:
•
Policy-measuringcell:TheIPCC,theUNFCCC,ICLEIandtheWorldBankareallinvolveddeeplyinpolicyorientedmeasuring.Aretherepolicymeasurescomprehensive?Sufficientlystandardized?Isthere
duplicativeeffort?Canincreasedcoordinationproducesignificantbenefit?
•
Consumption-advocacycell:RE100andtheWorldFuturesCouncilarebothdevelopingglobalnetworks
andcampaignsinthiscell;theywereunawareofthisprevioustothemeeting.Theyshouldlookfor
synergies,collaborationandcoordination.
21
Aswellasthesespecificconcerns,theparticipantsexpressedexcitementthatthematrixprovided
themwithatooltoidentifywhichchangeinitiatives,fromamongtheplethoraofacronyms,theyshouldfocus
onintheirwork;theywereabletoovercomeasenseofbeinglostatsea.Participantsdemonstratedthatthe
modelis(1)comprehensiblewithmodestcommitment,(2)providesagoodwaytodevelopavalid
comprehensiverepresentationforthemofreality,(3)holdspotentialstrategicinsights,and(4)warrants
furtherdevelopment.
Note:Themorespecificcontentofthedataisthetopicofanotherarticleandisbeyondthescopeof
thisone;thisoneaimstosimplypresenttheresultingmethodology.
4. Discussion
DevelopingeffectiveSCSsiscriticaltorespondtowickedproblems.Theirdevelopmentandthe
methodologydescribedherereflectLoorbach’scallforsystemicinnovation:“approaches,theoreticallyand
practically,thatseektocreateconditionsfavorabletotheco-evolutionarydevelopmentofnewwaysof
thinking,organizingandpracticingarounda(technologicalorother)alternative.”(Loorbach2014)p.40This
co-evolutionarydynamicisinherentinwickedproblems,asacomplexityofrelationshipsbetween
individualsandorganizationscontinuallychanges,newopportunitiesemergethatcanevenredefinea
challenge,andcontinualexperimentationistakingplacetodeveloprangesofusefulandappropriate
responsestoanissue.Distinguishingbetweenchangesystemsandproductionsystemswithrespectto
wickedproblemscreatesaframeworkfordevelopingcomprehensivelargesystemschangeresponseswhere
technologytakesanappropriateroleamongstotherkeyfactors.
Althoughsystemsthinkingandstrategiesarerecognizedasparticularlyimportantforwicked
problemssuchasrealizingSE4All’sgoals,acorechallengeistofindmethodologiesandtoolsthatcandevelop
systemsunderstandingandproduceoperationalizableinsights(Loorbach2007;Sengeetal.1999;Sengeetal.
1994;Waddelletal.2015a).Tothisend,awidevarietyofmappingtoolshavebeendevelopedsuchassocial
networkanalysis(BorgattiandFoster2003;KrebsandHolley2004;Sharma2011),valuenetworkanalysis
(Allee2008),mappingforclarity(Ritchie-DunhamandPuente2008;Ritichie-DunhamandRabbino2001),
webcrawls(Rogers2009;Rogers2010)andsystemdynamicsanalysis(Bar-Yam2003;Forrester1971(1995
reprint);Sterman2000).Eachhasitsparticularvalue.(Waddell2011;Waddell2016)
22
ThroughtheSCMmappingexercise,participantseasilygraspedtheconceptofachangesystemand
identifiedquestionsabouthowtheirownchangeinitiatives’actionscouldbestrengthenedbythinking
systemically.Theyalsoidentifiedtheneedtodevelopawillingnessamongstchangeinitiativestointeract
differentlytorealizethisbenefit,whichisacommoninsightarisingfromsystemsmapping(Sengeetal.2007;
TulderandPfisterer2013;Waddell2005).Thegeneraldirectionisashiftinaccountabilityfromsimplythe
goalsofachangeinitiative,tothepriorityneedsofthechangesystemaswell.
ThisarticlepresentsamethodologyfordevelopingeffectiveSCSs,withtheSCMbeingavaluabletool.
ThestepsinthemethodologyaresummarizedinTable4.Specificmethodsareidentifiedincludingones
referencedinthisarticle,butothersarealsoavailable.Althoughtheprojectbehindthisarticleendedwiththe
meetingofchangesystemparticipants,twofurtherstepswouldbeobvious.Oneistoimplementactionto
strengthentheSCSandinitiatives’changeefforts:thismayinvolveexperimentsonhowtodosomethingnot
previouslydone;pilotingtentativeanswersarisingoutofexperiments;and/orsimplyimplementingactions
ifasolutionisreadilyapparent.TheseactionstoaddressSCSgaps,realizepotentialsynergiesofeffort,andto
addressunproductivecompetitionandconflictwouldbegreatlyenhancediftheywerecategorically
accompaniedbyalearningagendaabouthowtodothis.Undertakingthisasactionlearningwouldprovidea
disciplinedimplementation,capacitydevelopmentandidentificationoflessonstointegrateintonextsteps
andwithothersfacingsimilarchallenges.(CoghlanandCoughlan2011;MorganandRamirez1983)
Table4:TheSCSMethodology
Action
Step1
Identify
universeof
actors
Possible • Webcrawl
methods • Social
Network
Analysis
• Snowball
sampling
Lead
actors
• SCS
Steward
• Experts
Step2
Identify
issuesubsystems
Step3
Map
efforts
• Recursive • Change
grounded
profiles
theory
• Systemic
Change
Matrix
• Mapping
forClarity
• SCS
• SCS
Steward
Steward
• Experts
• Experts
• SCS
members
Step4
Step5
Step6
Identify
actionsto
strengthen
theSCS
• SCS
member
action
planning
meeting
Action
implementtation
Learning
• Experimentation
• Piloting
• Project
implement
ation
• Action
learning
• SCS
Steward
• SCS
members
• SCS
members
• SCS
Steward
• SCS
members
23
ConventionalresearchrequiredinthefirsttwostepsshouldbecombinedwithengagementofSCS
membersinsubsequentstepsinanactionresearchprocess:onecharacterizedbycollectiveownershipofthe
SCSmembersandresearcherstoensuretheworkisrelevantandunderstood.(Bradbury2015)The
usefulnessofthemethodologywilldependontheconversationsandactionsitprovokes.SCSmembers
shoulddotheanalysistobuildtheirunderstandingandprovideinsightsforactionfromadeeplyinformed
perspective.Thisemphasizestheimportanceoftreatingthestepsasthebasisforariffinconjunctionwith
othermethodssuchasonesindevelopingmeetings,actionplanningandimplementing.Particularlyinaction
implementation,othermethodssupportinglargesystemschangearerequiredsuchasothersystemic
visualizationtools,dialogiconessuchasappreciativeinquiry,socialinnovationlabs,anddiagnostic
approachessuchascognitiveandcollectiveintelligenceones.Largesystemschangechallengesrequire
developmentanduseofasuiteoftoolsandmethods.
TheTableprovidesthebasisforgreatlysharpening,refiningandimprovingtheactivitydescribed
above.Forexample,themeetingofSCSmemberswashandicappedbylackofclarityofwhatcouldbe
producedbytheirpresence;amuchclearervaluepropositioncannowbemadethatdescribeshowtheir
participationcangreatlystrengthentheirchangeefforts.Aswell,themeetingcanbedesignedcategorically
aroundidentificationofactionstostrengthentheSCS,ratherthanvalidatingitasanapproachand
discoveringhowtoexplainthematrix.
AnewtypeofagentisneededtosupportdevelopmentofanSCSandthebasicshiftfromanalmost
mono-focusofchangeinitiativesononlytheirowngoals,totheneedsofthebroaderSCSandhowtheycan
contributetoitsneeds.AswellasexpertsandSCSmembers,Table4identifiesacriticalroleforSCSStewards,
aroleassociatedwithorganizationslikeSE4All.IntroducingtheSCSasaframeworkhasgreatpotentialto
sharpentheworkofsuchentities.CurrentlySE4Allisfocusedon“thematicissues”suchasenergyefficiency
asitscoreorganizingframework.Theanalysissuggestsvalueinit:
•
FramingtheworkasstewardingthedevelopmentoftheSCS:Thisclearlymovestheworkfrom
involvementinanywayintechnologyandtheproductionsystem,tofocusentirelyonrelationshipsand
flowswithintheSCSinwaysthatreflectcomplexsystemlogicsofself-organizing,emergence,directional
nudges,learning,andexperimentation.
24
•
Organizingactivitiesaroundsubsystemsthatareidentifiedabductively:ForSE4Allthiswouldmean
creatingfivecoreactivitiesaroundthefivesub-systems.Althoughotherhistoricworksuggeststheseven
activitiesarethesameforanySCSissue,thesub-systemsmaybedifferentandwillrequiredefinition.
•
Creatingon-goinganalysisofthehealthoftheSCSandstuckpoints:Theseanalysescanhelpidentify
highleveragepointstosupportcoherencetoguideaction;forexample,theymayidentifyaspecificSCM
cell(e.g.consumption-resourcing)orfunction(e.g.advocating)thatneedsattentionandactioncanbe
takenwhichbringstogetherthoseworkingonthestuckpointstofreethemup.
•
Accessinganddevelopingcompetenciesinlargesystemschange:Framingthechallengeasachangeone
bringstheneedforchangecompetenciestothefore.Thisincludessuchthingsashighcompetencyin
scenariodevelopment,generative,participatoryandothermeetingprocesses,conflictresolution,social
media,mapping,andbigdatamanagement.
Inundertakingthiswork,anSCSStewardcanalsobringattentiontoshiftingprioritiesandstructures
oftheSCSsubsystems.DiscussionatthemeetingofelectricitySCSleaderspointedoutthatthesubsystems
boundariesarechangingwithrespecttothedistinctionsbetweenconsumersandserviceprovidersthatthe
modelhadtotakeintoaccount.Thechangesystemfocusbroughtuptheoverarchingissueofthetraditional
productionsystembeingresistanttochangeforavarietyofreasons,andthatresilienceandadaptivecapacity
(i.e.:on-goingchangecapacity)arekeyqualitiesthatthechangesubsystemsmustencouragetheproduction
systemtodevelop.TheSCSframeworkalsoraisedquestionsabouthowthesystemschangeapproachcan
dealwiththeissuesofpowerinitsmanyformsthataSCSStewardshouldhelptoaddress;thisisoftena
sourceof“stuckness”thatusuallydemandscollectiveactionbychangeproponents.Anadditionalquestionis
abouttheroleofstakeholdersineachcell–isthearrayandnumberofstakeholdersnecessarysufficiently
engagedforthecelltobeeffectivelydeveloped?
Thesequestionsaboutgenerationofcoherenceandconvergenceleadtodiscussionbymeeting
participantsaboutthenextactionsfordevelopmentoftheSCMasaSCStool.InthatmeetingtheentireSCM
atthegloballevelwasthefocus.However,someothercategoriesforactionemergedwheretheSCMand
partsofitcouldbeusedtosupportcoherenceandconvergence:
25
1) Bygeography:Regional,nationalandsubnationaljurisdictionsandeco-regionscanbethebasisfor
applyingtheanalysistoimprovechangeefforts.Giventhenationalleveliscriticalforelectricitysystem
change,itappearsaparticularlyappropriateleveloffocus.
2) Bysubsystems:Lookingacrossthefunctionsofasubsystemcouldhelpdeepensuccessofaparticular
subsystem.
3) Bychangeinitiative:ParticipantssawvalueinapplyingtheSCMtotheirownactivitiestosharpentheir
ownstrategyandpriorities.
4) Bychangeprojectortechnology:Issuessurroundingaparticularactivitysuchasacross-boundary
transmissionlineoradoptionofadecentralizedenergygridcouldbenefitfromtheSCMapproach.
5) Bycell(s)withintheSCM:Therecouldbevalueintakingonaparticularfunctionwithinoracrossone
ormoresubsystems.Forexample,whoisdoingmeasuringinthepublicpolicyandfinancesubsystems?
Collectivelyarethemeasuringactivitiescomprehensive?Aretheirissuesofintegrationand
comparability?
Thedivisionintocellsisbestusedtoclarifyrolesandidentifykeyleveragepointsforaction.The
SCMshouldalsobetestedwithissuesinadditiontosustainableenergy,sincethereisgoodreasontobelieve
thatthechangesystemstructuresarenotgeneric.Aswell,differentissuesandatdifferentmomentsina
changechallenges’life,differentsubsystemsorevencellswouldbelikelymoredemandingofattention.
Additionally,theSCMhaspotentialtobeusedacrossscales,whichwouldmakeitusefulforthoselookingat
changechallengesgloballyaswellasmorelocally.
WhiletheseSCMdivisionscanbeuseful,itisimportantnottoforgetthatthepowerofSCSand
accompanyingmethodologymustbeconsideredasawhole;takingapartofitandfocusingjustonthatpart’s
performancewilldolittletostrengthenthesystemasawhole.
5. Conclusions
DevelopingSCSsinthetraditionofcomplexadaptivesystemsisapowerfulconcepttoaddress
wickedproblems.SCSsreflectthedistinctionthatGeelsmakesbetween”innovationsystemapproaches”and
“systeminnovation”.(Geels2013)Callingforchangesystemsdevelopmentisveryalignedwithnumerous
callstofocusonthedevelopmentofresilienceandadaptivecapacityasaresponsetoclimatechangeand
26
uncertainfutures.(BensonandGarmestani2013;Berkes,ColdingandFolke2002;Folkeetal.2005)This
articlebuildsonsomeinsightsfromthattradition,butreframesthefocusasdevelopmentofaSCStoaddress
significantchallengesofcoherenceandconvergenceamongstchangeefforts.
AmethodologyfordevelopingpowerfulSCSsconsistsofsixstepstodescribetheSCS,identifyactions
inresponsetotheresultinginsights,andimplementthoseactions.Theseprovidethebasisforchangeleaders
tounderstandtheirparticularroleintheSCSandenhancetheircontributiontoitspowertorealizechange.
Changeleadersmustbeableto“see”thesystemandtheirroleinit,andtherearevariousmapping
methodologiestosupportthis;anewonedevelopedhereespeciallyforSCSisthesocietalchangematrix.It
shiftsfocusfromasinglechangeinitiative’sefforttotheneedsoftheSCS;italsoshiftsanindividualchange
initiative’ssenseofaccountabilitytotheprioritiesofthesystemandhowachangeinitiative–givenits
particularresources,competenciesandrelationships–canbestcontributetothosepriorities.
Tosupportandrealizethepotentialvalueofthisshiftalsorequiresrefinement–indeed,invention–
ofSCSStewards.Thereisneedforanagentwithsystemlegitimacy,powerandcompetencytonurtureand,
whenappropriate,pushchangeinitiativestoaddresstheSCSneedsforarobust,coherentsetofactions.The
SCSStewardroleistocreatespaces,encountersandsupportingrelationshipsbetweenchangeinitiativesto
seeandaddressgapsineffort,unproductiveduplicationandcompetition,andpotentialsynergies.The
opportunityandpriorityofthesewillshiftasaSCSdevelopsandthechangematures.Thisisnotabout
coordination;therearemanytoomanychangeinitiativesinanysignificantSCSforthat.InLoorbach’s
typologyoffourtransitionmanagementactivities,theroleofSCSStewardslikeSE4Allisinstrategicand
reflexiveactivities,withsupportfortacticalonesandlittleroleinoperationalactivities.(Loorbach2010)The
linearco-ordinationoftacticalandoperationalactivitycanariseoutofSCSStewardinterventionsthat
supportsmallgroupsofchangeinitiativestodiscoverandimplementnewwaysofacting,drivenbynotjust
theirowninitiatives’goals,butthepriorityneedsoftheSCS.
Theseideasshouldbetakeninthecontextofcomplementaryworkaboutactionforlargesystems
change(Waddell2016;Waddelletal.2015b),transitionmanagement(Loorbach2010;Rotmans,Kempand
Asselt2001;RotmansandLoorbach2009)andcollaborativeproblem-solving(AustinandSeitanidi2012;
Gray1989;KaniaandKramer2011;Sengeetal.2007).Incontrasttoindependentinitiatives,projects,
organizations,andinstitutions,developingchangesystemsrequiresthedevelopmentofbridging
27
organizations,learningsystems(SnyderandWenger2004),andcollaborativespacesandnetworks.(Brown
2015;Hassan2014;Tapscott2014;TulderandPfisterer2013;Waddell2011;Westley,GoebeyandRobinson
2012)Thesestructuresaimtosupportemergenceofspecificcoordinatedconvergentactionamongstchange
initiativesthatshareatask,butthefocusoftheSCSStewardisonthebroader,loosergoalofcoherence.
SupportingemergenceofaneffectiveSCSisataskthatrequireslong-termandsubstantialeffort.In
essence,SCSsalreadyexistinanyissuearena,buttheyareofvariousstagesofdevelopmentandlackidentity.
RenderingtheSCSmanifestanddevelopingitsidentitythroughactionstocreatecoherenceandconvergence
holdpromisetogreatlyimprovetheeffectivenessoflargesystemschangeefforts.Tothisend,theSCMcanbe
avaluabletool.However,thepowerofSCSStewardsandtheirassociatedconceptsarestillinearlystagesof
validationanddemonstration.Theyneedtomovetotheirownprototyping,andthisrequiresenhancingthe
actionresearchstrategytodeveloptheworkincollaborationwithchangesystemstakeholders,primarilythe
changeinitiatives.
ImplicationsforThoseAddressingWickedProblems
1) Toaddresswickedproblems,holdcentraltheconceptsofSocietalChangeSystemdevelopment,
coherenceandconvergence
2) Withrespecttoanyissue,anSCSalreadyexists,representedbyeffortstoaddresstheissue.Givingit
consciousnessandsupportingitsdevelopmentarekeytaskstoaddressawickedproblem.
3) DevelopSCSsubsystemsaroundtheimperativesidentifiedinyourparticularissueSCS.
4) UnderstandaSCS’ssuccessisrelatedtotheabilitytorealizesevenfunctions:visioning,organizing,
resourcemobilization,learning,measuring,advocatingandprototyping.
5) ToadvanceanSCS’sdevelopmentactintermsofthesixstepmethodology,drawonarangeofmethods,
andundertakeconventionalandactionresearch.
28
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