Training

System Leaders are the change agents that disrupt and transform systems: they spark collaboration, create shared buy-in, engage diverse actors, foster a spirit of innovation, and leverage moments of uncertainty and turbulence to incite new opportunities. GKI is committed to building the next generation of systems leaders to lead in the world of complexity.

What is the Systems Innovation Mindset?

“Systems thinking” and “Innovation thinking” are often treated in isolation because they have emerged from different schools of study and practice. We argue that pursuing innovation in complex systems beckons for a hybrid of the two. To achieve any level of scale-up, scale deep or scale-out requires a multifaceted understanding of systems and the opportunity to collaborate within them. The approaches in our methodology invite stakeholders within the systems to participate in a cohesive, facilitated systems-thinking and innovation thinking experience that activates collective consciousness and action.

Systems Thinking

The ability to see more clearly how things unfold over time and [to better understand] the web of interconnections within which we live and act (Senge, 2015)

Innovation Thinking

The ability to generate new ideas by approaching problems or existing practices in imaginative, novel ways (Glasspool, 2002)

Systems Innovation Mindset

What are the essential skillsets for systems leadership?

Systems leaders create a ripple effect in the system, mobilizing others, building connections, and influencing through their networks. They involve as many people’s ideas, talents, energies, and expertise as possible to foster reflection and generative conversations to shift from reactive problem solving to co-creating solutions for the future. It is through this collaborative muscle that they can have a deeper and more meaningful impact. Based on extensive research, GKI has identified the following 9 essential skill sets of systems leaders.

Foster Collaborative Learning

Encourage all actors to understand the system.

Spark Innovation

Inspire others in the system to design, test, and implement new solutions to their challenges.

Encourage Empathy

Better understand and engage actors with different roles, motivations, and challenges.

Understand Complex Relationships

Make it easier for diverse actors to find new partners within the system.

Foster Collaborative Design

Create safe environments for actors to experiment with new approaches that engage other systems stakeholders.

Develop Systems Facilitators

Create problem-solving networks that spark the movement of information across the system.

Guide Systems Thinking

Identify the political, social, cultural, economic, and historical factors that exert influence on the system.

Analyze Change

Understand how the system shifts over time in ways that may impede or advance the change sought by Systems Leaders.

Encourage Preparedness

Develop plans that are comprehensive, consistent, simple to follow, and encourage action by Systems Leaders and broader systems stakeholders.

Client Testimonies

We facilitated a three-part training for tenure-track Faculty Fellows, introducing new tools and approaches for building collaborative partnerships. The trainings focused on the application and refinement of skills in three focus areas: (1) framing the challenge and positioning research for action; (2) constructing a research pitch to gain the support of potential stakeholders and partners; (3) designing a strategic network to support research efforts and translate insights into actions (sometimes called “translational research”). The sessions were distributed across several months, allowing for the time between sessions for Fellows to immediately apply some of the skills learned to their research and refine them to meet their individual needs.

Virginia Tech

Cultivating Skills to Translate International Research into Global Impact

We partnered with the Polaris Project, one of the US’s leading organizations working on human trafficking, to develop its organizational capacity to apply systems thinking and tools to its strategy and daily work. GKI conducted a 4-day immersive Sprint using specific tools (e.g., causal loop diagram, stakeholder mapping, incentive mapping) to shift their analysis towards systems thinking of sex trafficking and labor trafficking. The Sprint was followed by 6-months of coaching to validate and fill gaps in their systems maps as well as training for select staff members on systems mapping software platforms to codify and share the outputs of this process. Polaris has institutionalized this systems thinking and methodology into its strategy and has created several maps since our engagement.

Polaris Project

Systems Mapping & Sprints

We facilitated an immersive three-day workshop with 74 staff members from 20 countries. to develop USADF’s capacity for systems thinking and spark a cultural shift in how it addresses and responds to challenges it seeks to address. We worked with the global leadership members to identify the culture of their organizational future, systems, and collaboration techniques to support their shift from siloed thinking, and mental models toward a more integrated approach to problem-solving and collaboration across partners.

United States Africa Development Foundation (USADF)

Building a Culture of Collaborative Innovation

For more information on how we can support your organization’s capacity development or coaching needs, email [email protected].