Think Systemically
Change efforts often target the surface of problems, not the underlying systemic conditions causing local problems. Thinking systematically attends to and shifts system characteristics and their interactions, and the more effective the solutions.
Engage Diverse Partners
Diverse stakeholders hold unique perspectives on the systems, its problems, and possible solutions. Engaging diverse perspectives leads to more comprehensive understanding of the system and how to change it.
Incubate Change
Transformative change is accelerated when communities create the conditions for rapid innovation to occur across the community system. Incubating change includes fostering small actions across multiple community layers as well as leveraging systemic feedback loops to reinforce the change.
Implement Change Effectively
Great strategic designs for promoting community change are not enough; systems change efforts must also attend to how effectively their proposed strategies are carried out by assessing and building a climate for effective implementation.
Adapt Quickly
Problems facing our communities today are complex and ever-changing. Transformative change requires an ongoing, dynamic process, where understanding, learning and adapting become more important than planning. To adapt quickly, you must identify and quickly respond to emerging problems and opportunities.
Pursue Equity
In order to really shift the status quo, one must understand disparities in outcomes and opportunities. Pursuing social justice includes identifying, acknowledging, and tackling the inequities that exist.