Systems Change

What do we mean when we talk about systems change? And what systems do we seek to change? Systems change seeks to identify the underlying cause of social, economic, environmental, political, and cultural problems by uncovering the root factors — beliefs, structures, policies, and perspectives — that keep them in place. And in power. Much like integrated medicine, it’s a holistic approach that addresses the disease, rather than the symptoms. Once dysfunctional systems are identified and dismantled, activists and community collaborators build diverse, resilient social, political, and environmental systems to take their place. In this episode, Tate Chamberlin hosts John Kania, executive director of Collective Change Lab; David Purkey, Latin American regional director at the Stockholm Environmental Institute; and San Rahi, executive vice president for Global Brand Innovation/Sid Lee as they discuss the complexity of transformative systems change, an urgent global agenda, and how love may, in fact, be all we need.