aliases:
- practice-based
Practice-based approaches to systems change focus on the continuous development of practices, relationships, and capacities that enable the system to evolve over time. This approach emphasizes learning, iteration, adaptation, and ongoing engagement. It is less about achieving specific, predefined outcomes and more about creating the conditions for sustained, long-term change.
Key Characteristics¶
A practice-based approach to systems change emphasizes the importance of process, continuous learning, and ongoing engagement with the system. It values experimentation, iteration, and reflection as essential components of growth and adaptation. This approach focuses on building capacities, fostering relationships, and developing collective practices, seeing systems change as an emergent and evolving process rather than something that follows a linear or predictable path. Success is evaluated not by whether specific, predefined outcomes are achieved, but by the quality of the practices and capacities that have been developed over time.
Relevant Literature¶
- Peter Senge's "The Fifth Discipline" (1990) discusses the importance of learning organizations, where systems change comes through the development of new mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking.
- Donella Meadows’ work on Leverage Points emphasizes that the deep and systemic changes are often made by altering the structures of information, relationships, and practices that govern a system, rather than targeting specific outcomes.
- David Snowden’s Cynefin Framework: The Cynefin framework emphasizes the value of practice-based approaches in complex systems, where solutions emerge from iterative experiments and learning rather than being designed with a results-oriented mindset.
Comparison of Practice-Based and Results-Based Approaches¶
| Aspect | Practice-Based Approach | Results-Based Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Ongoing learning, practice, relationships | Predefined, measurable outcomes |
| Evaluation | Developmental, iterative, reflective | Metrics-based, goal-oriented |
| Change Process | Emergent, non-linear, co-creative | Linear, goal-driven, target-oriented |
| Complexity Handling | Adapts to complexity, uncertainty, and emergence | Simplifies complexity into measurable targets |
| Examples of Methods | Developmental evaluation, systems thinking, action learning | Logical frameworks, Theory of Change, logframes, RBA |
| Application Context | Complex systems, social innovation, place-based or regenerative work | International development, public policy, philanthropy |