The LGA has published new guidance on a ‘systems’ approach to change
The challenges we face as a society are incredibly complex and deeply interwoven. Any issue tends to have multiple interrelated causes, and tackling these in isolation will not create lasting change.
Instead, an approach that takes account of the whole system is needed. This is often referred to as a ‘systems’ or ‘systems change’ approach.
A system is anything that is made up of different parts that are related to one another. For example, a forest – otherwise known as an eco-system – is made up of trees, soil, animals and other organisms, which are dependent on one another for survival.
A change in one part of the system influences what happens elsewhere.
Taking a ‘systems approach’ means considering all parts of a system when addressing a challenge, rather than looking at them in isolation. A ‘systems approach’ accepts complexity and looks for the (at times unpredictable) ways in which the system is connected.
Shaping Places for Healthier Lives – a grant programme launched by the Health Foundation and the LGA – set out to learn about the implementation of systems approaches to reducing local health inequalities.
Between 2021 and 2024, five council-led projects received funding and support.
Based on their hard work, tenacity and leadership, the LGA has produced a new guide setting out seven key learnings on how to take a systems approach to creating place-based change.
The first is to understand your system and decide where to focus your energy for maximum impact. Understanding your system is the first step in adopting a systems approach, before then homing in on where you can have the most impact.
Second, co-develop a clear and ambitious vision that will remain at the forefront of your work – this will be your guiding beacon.
Developing one with a range of local stakeholders is an important way of imagining a hopeful future that you can begin to move towards together.
Third, treat relationship-building as real work and spend time investing in it – systems are made up of people, and the relationships between them determines how a system operates.
Fourth, think about how to have a long-term impact – systems change takes time, so make sure your efforts leave a lasting legacy.
Fifth, experiment with ways of working that challenge traditional behaviours: embedded within a systems approach is the knowledge that the current system is not working.
Instead of adopting the same behaviours and power dynamics that created and sustain the current system, taking a systems approach must encourage the ability to test, and learn from, new ways of doing things.
Next, regularly take time to step back and reflect: systems change requires the ability to zoom out and retain sight of the bigger picture.
Regular reflection touchpoints with key stakeholders help ensure that you can adapt to emerging opportunities, understand what has worked well and what hasn’t, and take stock of wider system changes.
Finally, communicate in a way that inspires action. It can be tempting to do this by making people aware of how dire a situation is. However, the Shaping Places for Healthier Lives teams found the opposite approach to be more effective: messages of hope, positive stories and tailored communication are more likely to motivate action.
- ‘Taking a systems approach to create place-based change: seven learnings from the Shaping Places for Healthier Lives programme’ and its associated council case studies are available in full on our website.