Are you trying to tackle complex social challenges but getting stuck due to due to siloed working, competition, and power imbalances?
Do you feel that traditional ways of working don’t match up to the nature of the problems you’re trying to address?
The practice of system stewardship gives some insights into what it takes to work effectively in complexity.
System stewardship is the work of purposefully nurturing healthier systems. This is about developing the conditions that help people and places to flourish. System stewards bring together actors to see themselves as a system, build trusting relationships, share power and learn and act together. Developing these conditions helps make best use of collective relationships, insights and resources to achieve shared goals.
Drawing on insights and examples of practice from across the Human Learning Systems network and beyond, we’re delighted to share our updated system stewardship resource to introduce what system stewardship is, why it’s important, alongside the practices and principles, the impact and examples.
It’s not simply collaborating… we create the conditions in which better outcomes can happen. Creating the culture, building the trust, building relationships… revealing the system to itself… Even if each individual organisation is doing some great stuff, it doesn’t add up to the changes that are needed unless the conditions are right.
– Lela Kogbara, Place Matters
System health means working towards more of what we want intentionally. We want to build everyone’s capabilities to improve system health.
– Kathleen Kelly, LocalMotion
[We work to] surface awareness of there being a system and the importance of people understanding their own role in relation to others.
– Julian Penton, Hartlepower
Contact Dawn Plimmer [email protected] to find out more by about system stewardship and how Collaborate can support you.