SYSTEMIC CHANGE

Designing beneath the surface

WHAT IS SYSTEMIC CHANGE AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?

For most businesses being efficient, productive, and applying cost savings are fundamental. So, creating a system that finds the root cause of problems should be a no-brainer. Organisations that work in a systemic way already consider their legacy, the impact of their work, and the imprint they leave behind. But it is important now, more than ever, to design more businesses like this, because as we go forward financial gain will no longer be the only key driver for growth and success. 

So what is the approach and where does creative thinking come in? 

WHERE we START. 

Forget what you already know! Or some of it at least. We like to reimagine the preconceived ideas of the client-agency relationship and its working practices.

ASK A SIMPLE QUESTION

“WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?”

FOLLOW UP ON THE RESPONSE WITH

"WHY"

AND KEEP ASKING WHY.

AT EACH LEVEL YOU WILL GET CLOSER TO THE ROOT CAUSE.

We apply this practice to design.

Designing in a systemic way is not to follow a brief you are given, but to interrogate and challenge the pre-existing parameters you are working in. Opening-up a problem in this way is the path to discovering how real change can be actioned in your business. 

Design is not just what your business looks like, design is how it works. Taking this approach and prioritising design thinking at the highest level, we work to create opportunities to identify how each component part of an organisation’s structure are interconnected. Through a big picture lense, we can then zoom between macro issues (product offering/logistics) and micro issues (messaging/content) connecting the dots to create the right solutions.

Through this journey new perspectives and marginalised viewpoints are brought together to design more deeply, and more meaningfully, whilst expanding the results that can be achieved. 

NAVIGATING BARRIERS TO CHANGE

Change takes a desire, commitment and an investment of time and budget. There’s no denying that.

But sustainable design does not have to come at the cost of other measures of success – if done right. Upfront investment can be offset by cumulative gains over time. The very nature of systemic design is to find efficiencies, saving costs through smarter uses of materials, transportation, logistics, service, consumption, and disposal. It’s business dependent of course but change will allow your organisation to work smarter.

The prospect of change, by its very nature can be daunting, especially if you are slow to react or adopt. Teams can be built in-house, outsourced, or comprised as a hybrid. Led by the right expertise it will guide you through the process and establish confidence with stakeholders.

If your team is outsourced, embed them into your business. Treat them as a partner, not a supplier for a better and more effective working relationship and outcomes.

Systemic change is about discovery of the new, the never been done before, with this comes a level of uncertainty. The commitment and faith come from shared goals you are working towards, shared knowledge, and a conviction of shared achievement.

WHY IT’S RELEVANT TO YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS? 

This isn’t a nice to have. Sustainable and responsible business practices will become a necessity, through legislation, taxation, and for the future of human civilisation. The very principles of capitalism are changing. As we move forward the success of your business will not just be measured by financial gain, but rather on the impact it has and the imprint it leaves behind.

As we all work to preserve our natural world, its most powerful philosophy is true to us all, adapt or die. Those adopting a systemic change approach are already seeing the benefits of sustainable business practices - tangible ethical results of less waste on the ground and reduced C02 in the air.

Those who aren’t are standing still.

Get in touch if you need to help future-proofing your business with systemic design thinking. We’ll help you create change for good. 

“THE UK GOVERNMENT HAS LEGISLATED TO CUT EMISSIONS REACHING NET ZERO BY 2050 IN LINE WITH THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT”

GOV.UK