Systems Practice for Social Impact, Insights Report

Registration & Attendance

The first episode of the Systems Practice for Social Impact series organised by Development Dynamics in partnership with Food for the Hungry, Kenya took place virtually on 28th November, 2024. With the key objective of convening practitioners, novices and academics to catalyse systems practice in Kenya, the 2-hour long webinar attracted 85 Zoom registrations, of which 30-35 individuals attended. Registrations included individuals from the development, health, resilience, education, poverty and food security sectors, among others. The majority of registrations came from the Food for the Hungry and Development Dynamics teams, implying a need to diversify or restrategise the marketing of Last Thursdays webinars.

Attendees were keen to participate in the discussion through the interactive segments such as Menti polls, the Zoom chat and breakout groups. These interactions were largely driven by the proactive communication and invitation to participate by the guest speakers.

A recording of the session was uploaded to DD’s YouTube channel and has garnered 925 views as of January 2025.

Guest speakers

• Alex Mwaura Country Director at Food for the Hungry, Inc. (FH Kenya)
• Ann Karau , Program Director at Food for the Hungry, Inc. ( FH Kenya)
• Claudia Piacenza , Food Systems Lead at Wasafiri
• MaqC Eric Gitau Gitau, CEO & Principal Consultant at Development Dynamics

Highlights of the panel discussion

Why systems practice is important

The discussion emphasised some of the limitations of the traditional linear ways of thinking that are commonly practiced. Ann highlighted how it seems that things are getting worse despite our best efforts and well-intended solutions because of the inability to see the interconnectedness of issues. Importantly, she noted that systems practice should not be complicated and shared 3 fundamental concepts to consider when thinking about systems practice:

• Interconnectedness - Singular events can cause ripple effects because they are related and interdependent with others. Systems thinking helps us see the bigger picture and recognize how different elements within a system are connected.

• Limited resources - Systems practice helps you to zoom out so that you can better focus on the issue that is really creating the problem. This puts you in a better position to identify the most strategic point to intervene in resource-constrained settings.

• Complexity - Many social issues are complex because they have a human face. Systems practice is a tool that helps to make sense of complexity and provide solutions that take humanity into consideration.

Mindsets and mental models

How mindsets and mental models influence our work: Alex reinforced the idea that mindsets and mental models are central to the practice of systems thinking. There is a need to deconstruct the mindsets and mental models that have led to our ways of thinking and doing in the world, particularly those that cause or perpetuate complex problems. Systems practice calls us to shift from the linear and reductionist approach of short-term and quick-fix policies and programs to more long-term approaches. Evidence shows that many quick-fixes have unintended consequences and potentially make things worse in the long run. Systems practice, therefore, requires us to look at the root causes of wicked problems rather than simply addressing the critical events we see as symptoms of the problem.

In terms of mindsets and mental models, is there business-as-usual in social impact and development? MaqC pointed out that there is great diversity in how organisations approach social and development systemic issues. He gave the example of the Ministry of Health working and their recognition of the triple threat of HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy and Gender-Based Violence among adolescent girls in which neither of these problems exists on its own but is highly interrelated with the others. Some organisations, however, have more linear ways of dealing with organisational matters such as strategy development and workforce maintenance, calling to attention the fact that systems practice is useful not only for social issues, but also for organisational issues.

Mindsets and mental models of a systems practitioner: Claudia shared some key mindsets that are crucial to systems practice. She remarked that as much as we say the systems are broken, we need to recognise that systems are an equilibrium that works for someone, sometimes, somewhere. The underlying challenge is really to shift the powers that drive the system, which cannot go without resistance. As systems practitioners, therefore, the mindset we need to have is a readiness to face resistance. Further to that, the complexity of wicked problems makes them difficult and messy to deal with, requiring us to adopt a mindset that is comfortable with mess. Lastly, Claudia emphasised that collaboration and partnership must remain at the core of systems practice for the exercise to be effective and meaningful. She shared a powerful motto to crystallise this: “Leave your egos and logos at the door.”

Experience and case studies of systems practice

Navigating environments that are resistant to change: Alex highlighted that understanding the root cause of an issue is critical, especially because they are often embedded in cultures and community practice. Some of the resistance to change is due to perceptions of each other (within various demographics) and the? financial gains of maintaining the system. Breaking down the symptoms of issues to their root cause helps us ensure that interventions make sense and gain buy-in within the community or end-user in which they are being implemented.?

About Wasafiri’s Systemcraft framework: Claudia outlined the Systemcraft methodology that is designed to help practitioners develop actionable steps to addressing systemic issues. The methodology has 5 dimensions of change: organise for collaboration, set the direction, make it matter, change the incentives, and harness collective intelligence. The framework provides a practical, collaborative approach that goes beyond unpacking the interconnectedness of different issues theoretically.

Wins gained from using systems thinking approaches: MaqC reiterated that organisations are systems that require deliberate systems thinking approaches to be applied internally. Systems practice is, therefore, a philosophy he believes should underpin the work of any organisation to better understand themselves and the work they do. His work has focused on helping organisations make this mindset shift such that they are no longer only reacting to issues and events that affect them (such as Artificial Intelligence and the post-pandemic workstyle) but proactively seek to understand the social, technological and political structures and systems that affect their operations. This enables them to call into question the unconscious mythical beliefs they have about how things have historically worked out and will continue to work out.

Highlights from the breakout groups

The participants broke out into 5 groups to discuss the Cake, Rocket, Child tool which helps to break down the complexity of a problem. Some of the discussions were around the following:

• Using unfamiliar approaches to look at familiar problems.
• It is important to understand/diagnose the kind of problem you have before deciding how to address it.
• It is difficult to understand problems within your community/the world without understanding problems within yourself.
• Some problems can seem to be simple initially, but become complicated in the long run when addressed in isolation.
• Some complexity arises due to differing perceptions on the gravity of an issue.
• A single process can involve the 3 types or levels of problems: simple, complicated and complex.

Recommendations/Call to Action

1. Foster collective intelligence and wisdom as no singular entity has all the answers and perspectives necessary to address complex problems.
2. Remember the human faces behind the complex problems.
3. Invest in systems practice from an individual, organisational and sectoral perspective.