🌱 Changing the system, three steps at a time

I remember one of the first change projects I worked on — a service redesign that brought together frontline staff, residents, analysts, and senior leaders. We were full of ideas, sticky notes, and urgency. We mapped out a big vision for transformation.

But then came the reality.

People had different expectations. Systems pushed back. Our plan didn’t quite land. And slowly, something shifted: we stopped trying to leap forward all at once. We started making space for small, steady steps. A conversation here. A test there. A mindset shift that opened up new ways of thinking.

That’s when it clicked.

Real change doesn’t just live in glossy strategies or urgent deadlines. It lives in the quiet decisions we make every day — to listen more deeply, test more openly, and hold complexity with care.

This blog shares some of those lessons. About how blending service design and systems thinking can help us take thoughtful, collective steps — and grow change that actually sticks.

Because systems don’t change all at once.

They change one step, one story, one shift at a time.

🔄 1. Blend the experimental with the systemic

Service design offers tangible tools — prototypes, user journeys, iterative testing. Systems change provides a lens to see the bigger picture — power dynamics, cultural norms, and long-term impacts.

The RSA’s

The RSA

report, From Design Thinking to Systems Change, introduces the idea of thinking like a system and acting like an entrepreneur. It emphasizes understanding the system deeply and then identifying opportunities to innovate within it.

Try this:

• Combine user interviews with stakeholder workshops.
• Use the Double Diamond model to navigate problem spaces and solution spaces iteratively.

🧭 2. Map your interventions

Not all changes are equal. Some tweak existing processes; others aim to shift underlying structures. Adam Groves

Adam Groves

Systems Leverage Map helps visualize where interventions sit within a system.

Try this:

• Identify whether your initiative addresses symptoms or root causes.
• Assess the depth of change: Are you modifying behaviors, or altering mindsets and paradigms?

🤝 3. Build communities of practice

Change is sustained through communities. The UK’s Policy Lab emphasizes the importance of collaborative spaces where practitioners can share, learn, and evolve together.

Try this:

• Facilitate regular meet-ups or forums for stakeholders.
• Encourage storytelling to share successes and failures.

🔍 4. Prototype and research simultaneously

Prototyping isn’t just about testing solutions; it’s a research method in itself. It reveals user behaviours, system constraints, and unforeseen challenges.

Try this:

• Develop low-fidelity prototypes to gather feedback quickly.
• Use insights from prototypes to refine your understanding of the problem space.

🧠 5. Challenge assumptions

It’s easy to accept system constraints as givens. But meaningful change often requires questioning these very constraints. Camden Council’s Citizens’ Assembly on the Climate Crisis exemplifies this by involving residents directly in policy-making, challenging traditional top-down approaches.

Try this:

• Engage diverse voices to uncover blind spots.
• Facilitate sessions that question “why” things are done a certain way.

🌍 6. Redefine accountability

Traditional accountability often relies on sanctions and compliance. Alternative models, like the Lambeth Living Well Network Alliance, focus on shared responsibility and peer support.

Try this:

• Implement peer review mechanisms.
• Encourage collaborative goal-setting with communities.

🚀 Final thoughts

Blending service design with systems thinking isn’t just a methodological choice; it’s a commitment to holistic, inclusive, and sustainable change. By taking deliberate steps, engaging communities, and challenging norms, public services can evolve to meet the complex needs of today and tomorrow.

Ready to take the next step?

• Explore the RSA’s full report for deeper insights.
• Dive into the Systems Leverage Map to position your interventions.
• Join or initiate a Policy Lab in your area to foster collaborative innovation.

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but with each thoughtful step, we move closer to systems that serve everyone better.