Agilists4Planet 2.0 - Leverage Points: Most impactful places to intervene in a system

Here’s the thing: Intent and good will is not equal to actual impact to make systems we want to intervene to function differently. There is a lot of good willing people already moving and actioning with a higher purpose to make the world a better place, and our agile community have learned a lot from the complex adaptive systems we have been working already (teams and organizations) and nonetheless the challenges at society and world level and are much bigger and complex. To stand on the shoulders of giants in this session we are to go deeper on a systems thinking's concept called Leverage Points, places to intervene in a system that will help understand how to focus our good will and energy and have higher chances to make systems we care about function differently.

1. Leverage Points:
Most impactful places to
intervene in a system

Speaker:
Diego A. Gil
Agile Coach Chapter Lead at Rimac Seguros
In Light’s founder
Agilists4Planet 2.0

2. Identify
Problem
Gather Data
Evaluate
Alternatives
Select
Solution
Implement
Open-Loop (aka Predict and Plan) Thinking
Agilists4Planet 2.0

Ref: inspired in John Sterman’s “Introduction to Systems Dynamics: Overview” MIT video and the
Michael Hamman’s book “Evolvagility: Growing an Agile Leadership Culture from the Inside Out”

3. Goals
“Side
Effects”
Goals of other
Agents
Actions of
Others
“Side
Effects”
Feedback-Loop (aka Sense and Response) Thinking
Agilists4Planet 2.0

Ref: inspired in John Sterman’s “Introduction to Systems Dynamics: Overview” MIT video and the
Michael Hamman’s book “Evolvagility: Growing an Agile Leadership Culture from the Inside Out”
ResponseSense
Actions
State of
the
System

4. Complexity Science Timeline
1940-1950s
2
01
8
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Book poster: “El mundo de las ciencias de la complejidad: Un estado del arte” by Carlos Maldonado & Nelson Gomez
Agilists4Planet 2.0

5. Complexity Science Timeline
1940-1950s
2
01
8
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s
20241937 2001
Today
Complexity
Science
Began
Agile
Manifesto Last
23 years
Norbert
Wiener
Systems
Theory
Cyber-
netics
Last
87 years
Ludwig von
Bertalanffy

Book poster: “El mundo de las ciencias de la complejidad: Un estado del arte” by Carlos Maldonado & Nelson Gomez
Agilists4Planet 2.0

6. Agilists4Planet 2.0

1- ACT
understanding the type
of leverage points most
impactful in the system

7. Agilists4Planet 2.0
Donella Meadows’ Leverage Points
CONSCIOUS
MENTAL MODELS
SYSTEM
STRUCTURES
PATTERNS OF
BEHAVIOUR
PARAMETERS
& EVENTS
TRANSCENDING
PARADIGMS
PARADIGMS
GOALS
RULES
SELF-
ORGANIZATION
STRUCTURAL
ELEMENTS
FLOWS
BALANCING
FEEDBACK
LOOPS
REINFORCING
FEEDBACK
LOOPS
DELAYS
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
01
HIGHER IMPACT LEVERAGE POINTS LOWER IMPACT LEVERAGE POINTS
Deeper leverage points have
higher transformative impact,
but are harder to design for
Most interventions are
designed around these
leverage points
SYSTEM
Places to Intervene in a System
(in increasing order of effectiveness)
BUFFERS
Copyleft:
Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov

8. Agilists4Planet 2.0
Donella Meadows’ Leverage Points: Parameters & Events
CONSCIOUS
MENTAL MODELS
SYSTEM
STRUCTURES
PATTERNS OF
BEHAVIOUR
PARAMETERS
& EVENTS
TRANSCENDING
PARADIGMS
PARADIGMS
GOALS
RULES
SELF-
ORGANIZATION
STRUCTURAL
ELEMENTS
FLOWS
BALANCING
FEEDBACK
LOOPS
REINFORCING
FEEDBACK
LOOPS
BUFFERS
DELAYS
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
01
HIGHER IMPACT LEVERAGE POINTS LOWER IMPACT LEVERAGE POINTS
Deeper leverage points have
higher transformative impact,
but are harder to design for
Most interventions are
designed around these
leverage points
SYSTEM
Places to Intervene in a System
(in increasing order of effectiveness)
Copyleft:
Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov

9. Impact of ‘El Niño’ phenomenon
Agilists4Planet 2.0

Global phenomenon
TEMPERATURE VARIATION NUMBERS
Affected regions
Deaths
Wounded
Victims
Homes Affected
Bridge Affected

10. Increasing the value of the buffer
Case Study: Bulubulu Project in Ecuador
Agilists4Planet 2.0

Deaths by El Niño phenomenon Damaged homes in Peru and Ecuador
PERU
ECUA-
DOR
PERU ECUADOR
Destroyed homes in Peru and Ecuador
PERU
ECUADOR
Damaged roads in Peru and Ecuador
Damaged roads
PERU ECUADOR

11. Increasing the value of the buffer
Case Study: Bulubulu Project in Ecuador
Agilists4Planet 2.0

Deaths by El Niño phenomenon Damaged homes in Peru and Ecuador
PERU
ECUA-
DOR
PERU ECUADOR
Destroyed homes in Peru and Ecuador
PERU
ECUADOR
Damaged roads in Peru and Ecuador
Damaged roads
PERU ECUADOR

12. Agilists4Planet 2.0
Donella Meadows’ Leverage Points: Patterns of Behaviour
CONSCIOUS
MENTAL MODELS
SYSTEM
STRUCTURES
PATTERNS OF
BEHAVIOUR
PARAMETERS
& EVENTS
TRANSCENDING
PARADIGMS
PARADIGMS
GOALS
RULES
SELF-
ORGANIZATION
STRUCTURAL
ELEMENTSBALANCING
FEEDBACK
LOOPS
REINFORCING
FEEDBACK
LOOPS
BUFFERS
DELAYS
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
01
HIGHER IMPACT LEVERAGE POINTS LOWER IMPACT LEVERAGE POINTS
Deeper leverage points have
higher transformative impact,
but are harder to design for
Most interventions are
designed around these
leverage points
SYSTEM
Places to Intervene in a System
(in increasing order of effectiveness)
Copyleft:
Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov
FLOWS

13. Information flow applied to business
Case Studies
UBER TESLA
Safety Score Safety Factors
Hard Braking
Aggressive Turning
Unsafe following
Excessive Speeding
Late Night Driving
Unbuckled Driving
Agilists4Planet 2.0

14. ¿Why does it work?
The behavior economics pioneers got an answer
Daniel Kanheman
Nobel Prize in Economics 2002
System 2
Slow,
deliberate,
conscious
System 1
Fast,
intuitive,
automatic
Richard H. Thaler
Nobel Prize in Economics 2017
Nudge Theory:
Small changes can influence
our daily decisions to improve
our wellbeing

Agilists4Planet 2.0

15. Agilists4Planet 2.0

2- UNDERSTAND
the patterns of behavior
(archetype) present at
the system that you’re
analysing

16. System Archetype: Limits to Growth
Agilists4Planet 2.0

Efforts Performance Limited Action
Constraint

17. Agilists4Planet 2.0
Donella Meadows’ Leverage Points: System Structures
CONSCIOUS
MENTAL MODELS
SYSTEM
STRUCTURES
PATTERNS OF
BEHAVIOUR
PARAMETERS
& EVENTS
TRANSCENDING
PARADIGMS
PARADIGMS
GOALS
RULES
SELF-
ORGANIZATION
STRUCTURAL
ELEMENTSBALANCING
FEEDBACK
LOOPS
REINFORCING
FEEDBACK
LOOPS
BUFFERS
DELAYS
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
01
HIGHER IMPACT LEVERAGE POINTS LOWER IMPACT LEVERAGE POINTS
Deeper leverage points have
higher transformative impact,
but are harder to design for
Most interventions are
designed around these
leverage points
SYSTEM
Places to Intervene in a System
(in increasing order of effectiveness)
Copyleft:
Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov
FLOWS

18. “System structure is the source
of system behavior. System
behavior reveals itself as a
series of events over time.”
Thinking in Systems: A Primer
Donella Meadows – Thinking in Systems
Agilists4Planet 2.0

19. System Archetype: Accidental Adversaries
A’s Actions
in B’s
favor
B’s Actions
in A’s
favor
A’s
Success
B’s
Success
A’s Fixes to
Improve A’s
Success
B’s Fixes to
Improve B’s
Success
A’s Unintended
Obstruction of
B’s Success
B’s Unintended
Obstruction of
A’s Success
Agilists4Planet 2.0

20. Goals applied to business: Creating Shared Value
Agilists4Planet 2.0

21. Agilists4Planet 2.0
Donella Meadows’ Leverage Points: Conscious Mental Models
CONSCIOUS
MENTAL MODELS
SYSTEM
STRUCTURES
PATTERNS OF
BEHAVIOUR
PARAMETERS
& EVENTS
TRANSCENDING
PARADIGMS
PARADIGMS
GOALS
RULES
SELF-
ORGANIZATION
STRUCTURAL
ELEMENTSBALANCING
FEEDBACK
LOOPS
REINFORCING
FEEDBACK
LOOPS
BUFFERS
DELAYS
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
01
HIGHER IMPACT LEVERAGE POINTS LOWER IMPACT LEVERAGE POINTS
Deeper leverage points have
higher transformative impact,
but are harder to design for
Most interventions are
designed around these
leverage points
SYSTEM
Places to Intervene in a System
(in increasing order of effectiveness)
Copyleft:
Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov
FLOWS

22. Agilists4Planet 2.0

3- INTEGRATE
multiple perspectives.
Especially those
opposing perspectives
to your own
(polarity management)

23. Integrative Thinking

“Integrative Thinking: The ability to
face constructively the tension of
opposing ideas and, instead of
choosing one at the expense of the
other, generate a creative resolution
of the tension in the form
of a new idea that contains
elements of the opposing ideas but
is superior to each" - Roger Martin
Agilists4Planet 2.0

24. Complexity

Agilists4Planet 2.0

25. Value Memes \
Researchers
Graves (Beck)

Robert
Kegan
Torbert ,
(Joiner)
Ken Wilber Frederic Laloux
2nd
Tier
Integral Holistic:
Turquoise
Wholeview
(Turquoise) Self-Transfor
ming Mind
Alchemist
(Global)
Integral
(International)
(Nation)
[Hinted at, but not named]
Integral Integrative:
Teal
Flew Flow
(Yellow)
Strategist Evolutionary (Teal)
1st
Tier
Postmodernism:
Verde
Human Bond
(Green) Self-Authorin
g Mind
Individualist
(Industrial)
(Empire)
Mental
(Adv-agrarian)
Pluralistic (Green)
Modernism: Naranja
Strive Dive
(Orange)
Achiever Achievement (Orange)
Traditional: Ambar
Truth Force
(Blue)
Socialized
Mind
Expert /
Diplomat
(Early State)
(Agrarian)
Mystic
(Village)
(Horticultural)
Conformist (Amber)
Warrior: Red
Power Gods
(Red)
Instrumental
Mind
Opportunist Impulsive (Red)
Tribal: Magenta
Kin Spirits
(Purple) Impulsive
Mind
Impulsive
Magic (Tribes)
(Foraging)
Insufficient complexity to form
an “organization” as such
Archaic: Infrarojo
Survival
Sense (Beige)
Archaic

Consciousness Spectrum (5 main research)

Agilists4Planet 2.0

26. Complexity = We are ALWAYS bias

Green

Red

Infrared

Ambar

Orange

Magenta

Agilists4Planet 2.0

27. We need to learn to manage our “triggers”
to integrate opposing perspectives
Triggers
“The amygdala at the emotional
center instantly sees and hear
everything that happens to us
and is trigger to fight, flight or
freeze in response”
Daniel Goleman
Logic
Reasoning
Problem Solving
Listening
Empathy
Agilists4Planet 2.0

28. Polarity Management, Barry Johson

Greater Purpose
Deeper Fear
Left Pole Right Pole
-List the
Upside Benefits
of Left Pole
-List the
Downside Result
of only focusing
on the Right Pole

-List the
Upside Benefits
of Right Pole
-List the Downside
Result of only
focusing on the Left
Pole
-List Actions
(levers, metrics,
owner, due date) to
sustain the upside
benefits from both
poles
-List the metrics to
early warn and
minimize the
downside results of
both poles
Agilists4Planet 2.0

29. Polarity Management: Individual AND Community

Ref. Polarity Management: Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems, Barry Johnson
Individual
(Capitalism)
Community
(Socialism)
Freedom and Uniqueness

Individual Creativity
Individual Initiative

“Rugged individualism”
Equality and Connectedness
Community synergy and
creativity
Community cohesiveness and
support comunitario
“What is best for the most”
Inequality and Isolation
Loss of community and
creativity
Loss of community
cohesiveness and support
Individual selfishness and
neglect of the community
Loss of Freedom
and Sameness
Excessive conformity
Loss of individual creativity
Loss of individual initiative
Community selfishness and
neglect of the individual
Agilists4Planet 2.0

30. Agilists4Planet 2.0

4- The world needs more people capable of
integrating their lights with others to tackle the
most complex problems our world.
JOIN.

31. Wake Up Call
"Systems are causal, they generate forces which produce
outcomes consistently , not randomly, not accidentally,
consistently, that by large most people, maybe in many
cases nobody actually wants. And the reason I say this, is
kind of the heart of the hole matter, for those of us who
are busy working and trying to improve things in the
world, well, we always have this question kind staring us in
the face: are we working at a level, at a depth, at a kind of
fundamental change level, that really will cause the
systems that prevail to function differently or are we just
coping with the problems, and helping people cope with
the problems"
Peter Senge

Agilists4Planet 2.0

32. We are not alone
Agile Sustainability Initiative
Agilists4Planet 2.0

Agilists4Planet

33. Summary
1- ACT understanding the type of leverage
points most impactful in the system
2- UNDERSTAND the patterns of behavior
(archetype) present at the system that
you’re analysing
3- INTEGRATE
multiple perspectives. Especially those
opposing perspectives to your own
(polarity management)
4- The world needs more people capable
of integrating their lights with others to
tackle the most complex problems our
world. JOIN.

34. Leverage Points:
Most impactful places to
intervene in a system

Contact me at:
[email protected]
Diego A. Gil
Agilists4Planet 2.0

Thanks!