Current e-Journal

Catalytic Thinking Exercise:
To solve problems, stop trying to solve problems

On LinkedIn a few weeks back, this question was posed, to be addressed in part by their AI: “How can philanthropy promote equitable healthcare access?”

Their AI came up with this as its first response:

Identify the gaps
Before you decide where to direct your philanthropic resources, you need to understand the gaps and needs in the healthcare system and the communities you want to serve.

This fits with the common wisdom. Identify problems / needs / gaps, and then aim all your firepower at addressing them. Sadly, that common approach is what keeps changemakers expending enormous effort to accomplish only incremental change - a policy change here, a program change there.

Real systemic change is about much more than replacing individual structures within our communities and societies

True systems change is about changing the way things are - the whole situation, the whole field.

Filling in gaps is, by definition, incremental, taking one small action within a huge, interconnected ecosystem. It is also, by definition, reactive - focused on intervention as if intervening were the goal. Instead of focusing on the whole context (including what is possible), problem-focused efforts have us putting fingers in the holes in the dam and quickly running out of fingers.

That is the opposite of the kind of true systemic change we all deserve.

To accomplish true change, our work must answer questions beyond the immediate need. Those questions must lead us toward what is possible. Because what we pay attention to is what we will nurture and care for and work towards.

Unless something is physically impossible, it is possible.
~ The Pollyanna Principles

The path to creating a world that doesn’t need food banks and literacy groups and domestic violence shelters is to reach for what we DO want. We will then solve our problems as one among many steps towards the world we want to live in.

And that all starts with the questions that guide our work.

What could systems look like that will support healthy, equitable, humane, loving communities?

Try this:
This week’s exercise is to help you see the whole picture of what your work could make possible, where filling the gaps is just one small part of creating that healthy, loving world.

1. What is the primary problem your work is intended to address?
   Let’s start where you are currently focused. What is the primary goal of your current work? This will lead right into the powerful question…
2. If you fully accomplish that primary purpose, what would that make possible for the people whose lives are touched by your work?
   This is where you will begin to create the context of your work – the “why” behind that work.

   This question is especially powerful when, for every answer you come up with, you repeat the question: “And what could THAT make possible for people? And then, what could that next answer make possible for them?”

You might ask this about various groups. What could it make possible for a baby as they grow? What could it make possible for an elderly person? A person living on the street? A single mom? And then all the people who would be touched by their lives…?

You can now begin working towards that image as an achievable goal.

THAT is the true power of your work.

THAT is where true systems change resides.

• You might start by simply being more mindful to hold space for that image in all the work you do. That will help you see your current problem-focused work in context, gently shifting your work to become more possibility-focused, simply by holding that awareness. 
• You might use that image as the starting point for creating a community impact plan, to help you turn that vision into an achievable goal. (Check out the resource section below for more on community impact planning).
• You might brainstorm individuals and groups to connect with, to make that vision a reality. The beauty of seeing the whole context of what is possible is that it includes the work of so many other programs and groups. The people whose lives are touched by your work are also touched by so many other organizations. So start having coffee with those leaders, to explore what might be possible together. (Imagine doing a joint community impact plan with ALL those different groups!)

The first step along the path to creating true systemic change is to make the whole interconnected web of that system visible. From there, it is all about working together with all those caring individuals and groups, to turn that image of a healthy, equitable, humane community into reality.

That is why the questions of Catalytic Thinking are so powerful. They move us beyond reactivity and deficit thinking. They move us to link arms together, breaking down silos in the process. They move us to build on what is already strong in our organizations and our communities. And those are the key steps in creating the true systemic change our communities deserve.

Resources to Further Your Practice:

• WATCH: The mathematical formula for solving problems as a step towards creating what is possible. Yes, it’s actually math! Watch it now…
• READ: We all know lots of people. The magic happens when we introduce those individuals to each other. Network weavers talk about this as “Closing the Triangle.” Start at 2:16 here…
• CREATE IMPACT: Community impact planning is an alternative to strategic planning that turns your aspirations into reality. Dive in here…

Story of the Week: Catalytic Thinking in ACTION

This week’s story comes from Rhianna Charchuk in Edmonton, Alberta. Rhianna provided this wonderful example of the question, “Who will be affected by whatever we are considering?”

We were convening a group of social service providers from all sorts of organisations. There were domestic violence groups and mental health organizations, groups that assist folks with disabilities and the elderly.

When the meeting started, we were talking about the drought in our region. So I asked, “How is your work connected to this issue?”

The woman from the domestic violence group immediately noted, “When there are disasters, stress increases, and domestic violence increases.” The person from the seniors group noted the horrible effect on that population of the smoke from last summer’s fires. Everyone else told stories of how their populations were deeply affected by the drought.

One of the people in the room was from an environmental group. After the meeting, he told me, “When I talk with people in the government about this issue, they seem to think the drought only affects farmers. From this conversation, when I now talk to those government people, I can bring these stories to show them that this issue is affecting everyone.”

The questions of Catalytic Thinking are simple yet powerful. They can shift community conversations about the issues that affect us all. That is why we call it CATALYTIC!

Got a Catalytic Thinking story to share with our readers? Let us know here!