How do we move forward in an uncertain world?

A systems entrepreneur recognises that whatever their interests and various areas of expertise, they are moving forward into an unknown world. Linear plans and structured approaches only get you so far and only in particular circumstances. What do you do when you hit a block, encounter the systems immune response or uncover the unknowable?

Systems entrepreneurs develop ways of thinking about and acting in the world to ensure it is fit for future generations that transcend specialisms and single disciplines. The best way to do this is to work on the challenges and learn as we go. This blog shares reflections as I travel my own version of this journey.

I first came across the idea of systems entrepreneurs while looking at entrepreneurialism in the public sector. In Move fast and fix things I described them as someone who

…creates outcomes that citizens value. They know how to develop a rich understanding of the issue in all its complexity and bring the entrepreneurial mindset to tackle it. In doing so they act as a broker, collaborator, re-framer of problems, surfacer of ideas, champion of what works, challenger of the status quo, navigator of barriers to change… they are aware of the inherent tensions between making a case for, and facilitating, change whilst simultaneously making a case for, and delivering, stability. 

I think systems entrepreneurs are ready to challenge what they thought they knew, to retrain, to supplement knowledge in one area with knowledge from others, to be continuously learning and engaging others. They recognise that things become interesting when you combine insights from multiple sources and disciplines. It is not for nothing that so many Nobel prize-winning scientists are also experts in artistic fields.   

Imagination is also cultivated by the systems entrepreneur. It is, of course, a uniquely human characteristic yet one traditionally undervalued by mainstream education and society which preaches conformity and slave-like devotion to working hard for others’ benefit, trapped as we are in the largely extractive ‘techno-industrial economic complex’.

We dream. We imagine better ways of doing things, of alternatives both grounded in the practical and liberated in exotic flights of fancy.  The status quo, manifesting in the ways we do things as individuals, in our organisations and across society, is a weight pushing us down towards conformity that we actively resist through imagination of its alternatives. 

I am driven by a love of learning and a desire to combine ideas from different disciplines and perspectives to address the societal challenges of our day. I develop concepts that might offer new insights on long-standing and emerging issues and work collaboratively to test them out in practice. This professional and personal enquiry follows my thesis that the way we conceive of, organise and deliver responses to societies’ biggest challenges are no longer fit for purpose. We’ve prioritised the individual over the collective, humankind over nature, efficiency over effectiveness and richer places over poorer ones. We’ve compounded structural and geographical inequality locally, nationally and globally. 

I don’t think the extent to which society promotes and rewards individualism and competition is healthy nor a fundamental part of who we are as a species. I’m a ‘we’ person who believes in collaboration and cooperation and that shared challenges need collective responses. I think this is a central characteristic of the systems entrepreneur. We know that complex challenges need a team around them.

Change Strategist.

My career hasn’t followed that linear path of steadily accumulating more and more knowledge and experience about a specific issue, field or context. I’ve always been lucky enough to follow my instincts and develop knowledge and experience that attract my interest and found myself in spaces where I can develop and test ideas. My personal journey has led me to seek settings in which I can contribute to a better world by improving and redesigning systems, processes and ways of doing things; at the heart of my approach is a desire to not settle for the status quo, but to actively seek opportunities for improvement. 

My writing is published in this blog and under the research pages of my site. I love to share my learning and insights, which I have grouped under twelve categories that together represent an overview of my areas of knowledge and expertise.

Expect musings and provocations on people, places, processes, policy, organisations and systems. There’s a lot here; so I’ve listed below a dozen articles I’m particularly proud of:

• On outdated public services
• On the quality of our lives (part 2)
• On the need for mainstream investment in our communities
• On developing my change framework
• On transitions and loss (part I)
• On when collaboration makes for the best competition
• On public services taking the long view
• On bearing witness to social change (this the eulogy I gave at my Nan’s funeral)
• On local government: abolition, emasculation or rejuvenation? (part 1)
• On the biggest issue you never knew you cared about
• On commissioning in complexity
• On hybrid working and human nature (part 1)
• On paying attention

Policy + Practice Papers. Some articles explore issues that warrant more than a single blog; I’ve brought these together into single long-reads. It’s a bit easier to get into the content, which I hope rewards the time spent engaging with my insights and ideas. You can find them here.

Do reach out if you want to chat about any of the issues I write about or if you would like me to give a presentation, run a workshop with you and your team on any of these issues, or write an article for you.

Above all, keep exploring the opportunities for change.