Achieve real-world sustainable social change.
Real change requires more than a map.
It’s not what systems maps are but what they achieve. As systems thinking pioneers we use maps that accomplish four aims:
Make your situation’s complexity in Einstein’s words “as simple as possible, but not simpler” – instead of as comprehensive and detailed as possible.
Design for short-term successes within a long-term strategy – instead of identify definitive “fixes” to open-ended problems.
The change you yearn to make in the world deserves a better approach—one that will lead not to short-term fixes or grand maps but to sustainable and efficacious improvement.
We partner with you for sustainable change.
Our dynamic team’s signature approach applies systems thinking, character development, and energetic recalibration for real-world social change. We partner with foundation directors, social entrepreneurs, public policymakers, municipal leaders, and corporate executives committed to social and environmental justice. We build shared responsibility and capacity for sustainable change.
Consulting
We enable organizations and multi-stakeholder groups to achieve sustainable transformations of chronic, complex problems. We create a custom approach that deepens stakeholders’ collective understanding of the issues and commitment to change. We then design a plan of action that engages stakeholders to work together towards efficacious solutions. We help you slow down long enough to accelerate sustainable change.
Capacity Building
Our applied systems thinking programs deepen change leaders’ abilities to apply systems thinking to their organization’s most pressing issues while building long-term competencies. Our high-leverage leadership program deepens the abilities of your systems change leaders to 1) work with the underlying forces that govern how complex social systems behave and evolve, 2) develop the character strengths required to fundamentally shift system-wide performance, and 3) recalibrate the pace and energy used to achieve sustainable change.
Workshops
We educate people committed to social change in the principles & tools of high-leverage. We provide engaging, interactive experiences that introduce audiences to the principles and tools of applied systems thinking, character development, and pace/energy management. All of our workshops are customized to help you address your most compelling change leadership challenges. Our team is experienced in delivering high-results keynotes, introductory workshops, and webinars.
“The unique part of David and Marilyn’s workshop was the interweaving of strategy and character. It became clear participating in the program that I as the leader had as much inner work to do on my values and motivation as I did on the ‘how’ of systems change. The combination of the two yields exponential results.”
Nancy Ortberg | Chief Executive Officer, TBC
Focus your limited resources on high-leverage actions.
We enable stakeholders to identify high-leverage interventions, develop a systemic theory of change, and establish accountabilities for implementation.
Develop character strengths for systems leadership.
We deepen your systems change leaders’ abilities to develop the character strengths required to fundamentally shift system-wide performance.
Recalibrate your pace and energy for sustainable change.
We counsel leaders to manage the pace of change so that it leads to the open-mindedness, vitality, and collaborative spirit necessary for sustainable improvement instead of wasted effort, exhaustion, and heightened conflict.
“I learned so much, particularly the difference between changing a system and leading systems change.”
Jennifer Schrand Bentley | Chair, Calhoun County 10-Year Plan to End HomelessnessDiscover the next best step for you.
In our 30-minute complimentary consultation call, we listen to your presenting issue and goals.
