Si London Conference Notes

After a day of recovery and reflection, I share some takeaways from this weekend's conference here in London.?

This was the fourth in a series of Si Conferences and almost one year in the making. The first one, in Barcelona in 2019, started the Si Community. Although the size of the conference has generally remained the same over the four years - 100 to 150 people - what has changed for me is the quality of connections and the growing depth and strength of the network that is forming.?

Takeaways

Here are some key takeaways for me. One theme that I picked up on was that of change only really happens when you get people out of their roles and boxes and get them to show up as people who are concerned about something, want to do something, and are ready to have honest conversations about what they can do.

As with all of these conferences, there was a great tension between the quantitative and qualitative aspects of systems innovation that came to the forefront with Tuens' presentation - with his systems dynamics model and simulations.

It was an international group with most people coming from across Europe and people joining from the newly forming Si Hubs in Barcelona, Sweden, and Berlin. This was one aspect of it that got me thinking about how we can better connect and strengthen the ecosystem here in Europe for systems innovation.

The presentations and workshops combined a great blend of ideas and case studies to keep the conversation elevated but also grounded—from the bigger ideas presented by Indy Johar and Andy Wilkins to Miranda and Mariana's more detailed and practical case studies.

The workshop room was packed - unfortunately, it was a bit small for this size of event as we were a bit overbooked - with people, stickies and ideas. Below is a workshop by Jen and Tom in which participants learned design and system thinking principles in healthcare—how to chart patient journeys and reveal leverage points for innovation opportunities. The workshop serves as a starting point to encourage participants to adopt a systemic perspective and create change toward patient-centered healthcare.

Indy's presentations - seen below - are always an occasion where one has to come prepared and hold on firmly to one's hat as he takes you on a tour of the complexities of the challenges we face and the kinds of huge changes that need to come about to meet these.

The feedback from many was about how intense the two days were and how refreshing it was to be with such a diverse group of people.

Next steps

The big takeaway for me was reigniting my faith in in-person gatherings and conferences as a pathway to develop the network and hubs.

My main concern with organizing conferences is how fleeting they are and that they take a lot of time and energy to make happen. However, this conference showed me the potential of these conferences, and I am excited about doing more next year to engage and activate the other main ecosystems in Europe.

On that note, I am pleased to let you know that we are already planning for more conferences on the mainland next year; these will likely be Barcelona, Stockholm, and The Netherlands or Germany.

Nothing is confirmed yet, but if you would like to be kept updated about future conferences and receive an email once we confirm the next one, then please join the Si Conference group here.

Updated on Future Conferences →

Thanks to all those who contributed and joined: Barbara BulcJohn MortimerAndy WilkinsZeynep Falay von FlittnerAlex FlemingGeorgia Cameron FRSA Cameron FRSAMariana MirabileNadim ChoucairNina ChampionGemma BucklandIndy JoharJen JengTom InnsLouis KleinKarima ????? KadaouiJames StauchJosiane SmithDr Victoria HerringtonCarl DaviesBenjamin P. TaylorAnna Gyllenklev ??Sara FeatherstonMiranda DixonGianne TillemaHannah H?rtwich ? Systems MapperTeun SluijsKate WolfendenChristian PirzerDilyana MihaylovaGian WieckFabian Gampp