This document provides guidance on designing strategies for systemic change on university campuses. It discusses convening roundtables to identify challenges and desired changes. Problems are explored and categorized as simple, technically complicated, socially complicated, or complex depending on the level of agreement and certainty around the problem and solutions. Effective strategies match the problem type and engage stakeholders at multiple scales from individual to institutional. The document provides questions to analyze problems and considers how change might appear at different scales to identify leverage points within the system.

2. RECODE WEBINAR
RECODE COLLABORATE
DESIGNING FOR SYSTEM CHANGE
ON CAMPUSES

3. A Collaborative Approach
For RECODE, working collaboratively is part of
the process AND the solution to addressing
our complex, interconnected, and multi-
dimensional challenges

4. ROUNDTABLES
CONVENE: bring together a wide variety of
interested, relevant people from across the
campus system
IDENTIFY PROBLEMS: use the knowledge and
experience of these people to clearly describe
the challenges and to identify where you want
to see change

5. CHANGE STRATEGY DESIGN
EXPLORE AND CATEGORIZE PROBLEMS:
deepen understanding of the problem(s) to
help create effective strategies
FOCUS ON THE ROOT CAUSE: push group
thinking to question what’s really driving
the problems – what are the systemic
barriers that hold the problem in place?

6. EXPLORING THE PROBLEM
What kinds of problems
are you focusing
your change efforts on?

7. How much CERTAINTY?
How much AGREEMENT?
Certainty and Agreement

8. Stacey Matrix (adapted; Stacey,1996)
STACEY MATRIX
CertaintyClose to Far from
Closeto
Simple
Plan, control
Zone of
Complexity
Technically Complicated
Experiment, coordinate expertise
Socially
Complicated
Build
relationships,
create common
ground
Chaos
Identify Patterns

9. TYPES OF PROBLEMS
SIMPLE PROBLEMS
TECHNICALLY COMPLICATED PROBLEMS
SOCIALLY COMPLICTATED PROBLEMS
COMPLEX PROBLEMS

10. SIMPLE PROBLEMS
SIMPLE
If you and others are close to agreement about
the problem and close to certainty about what to
do about it, then you can categorize this problem
as SIMPLE – (not necessarily easy, but simple)
An effective strategy will require pulling required
resources together because you’re basically ready
to implement your change plans

11. TECHNICALLY COMPLICATED
TECHNICALLY COMPLICATED
If you and others are close to agreement about
the problem but far from certainty about what to
do about it, then you have a technically
complicated problem
An effective strategy will require
researching/experimenting with various action
plans to find one that will work in your context.

12. SOCIALLY COMPLICATED
SOCIALLY COMPLICATED
If you and others are close to certainty about a
plan that could solve the problem but far from
agreement on everyone getting behind the plan,
you have a socially complicated problem.
An effective strategy will require social processes
to develop relationships, facilitate conversations,
build consensus.

13. COMPLEX PROBLEMS
COMPLEX
If you are far from agreement on what the problem is all
about/caused by, and also uncertain about what to do
about it, then the problem is complex and deeply systemic.
An effective strategy will focus on revealing the
system to highlight and gain understanding of the
problem with the status quo - and empowering
the system to imagine a new reality.
Systems Change = New Rules and Relationships

14. Example: Multi-Campus Degree
IDEA: Once accepted into a Canadian University, you can
take courses from any university towards your degree.
Why doesn’t this happen now?
• Is it because there isn’t enough agreement that it’s a
problem and that something needs to change? why?
• Is it because there isn’t certainty about how to go
about making it happen; aren’t sure what to do? Why?
• What kind of problem? Is there more than one kind?

15. Good Questions for Problems
Consider the problems you’ve identified, and
ask:
• How much AGREEMENT is there (among those
you need to work with) about if
there’s a problem and what the problem
actually is?
• How much CERTAINTY is there (among
those you need to work with) about what

16. Considering SCALES in campus systems
What scales do you need to consider
in defining the problem AND when
you’re imagining change?

17. Systems have SCALES
• Individual scale
• Organizational scale
• Network scale
• Institutional scale

18. CHANGE differs ACROSS SCALES
Network or group level
A change in conversation
A change in routine
A change in resource
commitment or influence
Institutional level
A change in culture
A change in laws/policies
A change in resource
distribution/availability
Organizational level
A change in strategies
A change in procedures
A change in resource
distribution/availability
Individual level
A change of heart
A change of habits
A change of ambition
Frances Westley, University of Waterloo

19. Scale and your campus system
INDIVIDUAL: students (their parents), faculty, staff,
senior administrators, etc.
GROUP OR NETWORK: student groups, ReCode campus
network, faculty or staff associations, etc.
ORGANIZATION: Senior Administration, Faculties (Arts,
Environment, Political Science, etc), Student Affairs,
Finance, Human Resources, etc.
INSTITUTIONAL: campus culture (context specific),
academic culture(across sector), economic flows (in
and out), policies and regulations throughout

20. Using the Idea of Scale
• Is it a problem at every scale? What does the
problem look like, and what would change
look like, at different scales?
• Can you identify the scale that is ‘driving’ the
problem? What scale holds the root cause?
• What influence does the broadest scale have
on the problem you’re trying to address?
What change is required at that scale?

21. Example: Role Reversals
IDEA: Empathy Day or Week: a day or a week when
students teach to groups of faculty members.
Why doesn’t this happen now?
• What does this challenge look like at the individual
scale? Broadest institutional scale?
• What would change look like at different scales on
campus? Where is the key intervention point to
START a change process?

22. Good Questions about Scale
Where does the problem show up in your campus
system? At what scale?
Where’s the best scale to BEGIN a change process?
What would change look like at different scales?
What needs to change at the broadest scale?

23. SOCIAL INNOVATION
Changing a system problem requires change on
one or more of inter-connected, system realities:
2016-02-11
 the basic routines (how we act; what we do)
 the resources flows (money, knowledge, people)
 the authority flows (laws, policies, ‘the rules’)
 the culture (what we believe is true, right/wrong, etc)
from definition on social innovation by Frances Westley, University of Waterloo

24. Next Steps: STRATEGY DESIGN
DESIGNING SYSTEM CHANGE STRATEGIES:
• Choose a strategy to match the type of problem
• Engage with, ‘the unusual’ & ‘the opposition’ & those
who you want to ‘serve’
• Think about what system scales to focus on –
- ‘At what scale or scales does the problem live?’
- ‘At what scale or scales to work for change?’
• Engage all needed to lead change – who can best
lead which parts of your strategy? WHO to involve?

25. hackED Week
• Design an intervention that shows you are
thinking about the campus as a system
• Demonstrate what’s possible on your campus!
• Experiment with new thinking and action!
• Spark imagination across your/many campuses!
• Learn and share how to begin creating the
conditions for campus systems to change!

26. WWW.RE-CODE.CA
@LetsRECODE #LetsRECODE