The scale of the challenges we currently face mean that we now need to go beyond incremental change. Only by influencing the nature of the systems in which they operate, either alone or in collaboration, can businesses create a context in which they can innovate for long-term success. This webinar explores how your brand and your business can become a system innovator – how to innovate your core business, products and services, understand your role in the wider system, as well as working to create the conditions you will succeed. View the recording of this webinar at: http://www.sustainablebrands.com/digital_learning/slideshow/brand_innovation/system_innovation_sustainable_business

1. www.SustainableBrands.com
System Innovation for Sustainable Business
Sally Uren – Forum for the Future

3. System Innovation for
Sustainable Business"
Sally Uren"
April 23rd 2014"

4. Forum for the Future"
Introduction"

5. New York!
Mumbai!
London!
Singapore!
Forum for the Future is a global non-profit that
works with business, government and others to
solve complex sustainability challenges."

6. What we do"
• Leading company transformation"
• 17 years experience working with
ambitious companies who want to
develop strategies that combine
sustainability and business success"
• Innovation coalitions"
• Bringing together groups to solve bigger
sustainability challenges - including
whole value chains – using a systems
approach"

7. #theBIGshift"
We’re on a mission to create a
sustainable future by shifting the
key systems upon which we rely"
"
Individual efforts will only take us so far "
Let’s lead the way in shaping the future"
"
"
Join us today."
Create #theBIGshift in your system."

8. Today"

9. Objectives"
• Understand how significant change happens"
• Insights into how to diagnose, pioneer and scale "
• How to be a better systems thinker"

10. A change model"
Six steps to significant change"
"

11. health burden" Loss of Biodiversity
climate change"
Water Scarcity
water scarcity" poverty"
conflict & instability"
gender inequality"
Transparency loss of biodiversity"
Human Rights
human rights"
resource scarcity"

12. 6 steps
to significant change"

13. 12
signals that a systemic problem exists"
someone decides to do something about it"1!

14. 13
root causes, different perspectives "
where to intervene"
creates a cohesive group"
2!

15. 14
working examples that demonstrate change"
people, organisations, products / services / business models, relationships, & more"
3!

16. 15
pioneering practice taken up by mainstream
tools and frameworks; supporting leaders; promoting iconic stories"
often waves of diffusion: leaders to fast followers; fast followers to mass adopters"
4!

17. 16
maintain momentum through mass communication,
mass education, removal of policy barriers…5!

18. 17
new practice is institutionalised through formal regulation"
new cultural norms or values"
pulls up the laggards"
6!

19. 6 steps
to significant change"
system innovation!

20. System innovation and scale: past examples"

21. It requires (at least) four shifts"
short term, incremental,
technical solutions"
systemic pioneering
interventions"
trying to solve it alone"
partnership and
collaboration"
philanthropy, advocacy,
campaigns"
building new, enabling
structures for market
transformation"
single, solely material
issues"
system-wide
understanding"

22. And, reframing collaboration/competition"
competitive!
(compete)!
pre-competitive!
(collaborate)!

23. Sustainable Shipping Initiative"
Growing
awareness in
industry."
"
5 SSI founding
members 2010:
BP Shipping,
Lloyd’s Register,
Maersk, ABN-
Amro, Gearbulk"
Case for
Action, 2040
Vision"
Collaborative
innovation platforms
eg financing
mechanisms to enable
uptake of new tech/ kit"
"
+ individual leadership
towards Vision"
Wider
engagement"
2040 target
impact:"
eg 90%
reduction in
CO2 by 2040
via majority of
~200k ships"
Scaling up
successful
innovations +
2013 launch
SSI body"
18 significant
industry
players +
Forum + WWF
= global"

24. M-Pesa and mobile banking"
Clear need for
better loan
rates for
Kenyans with
low or no
access to
financial
services"
High lending
fees in existing
set-up, limited
infrastructure/
bank access.
Airtime
already used
as proxy for ££
transfer"
2005 DFID/
Vodafone/
Safaricom -
strong pilot,
highly user-
friendly
product"
"
2007 launch
by Safaricom
Kenya"
"
Extended
use, eg
savings, bill
and salary
payments.
Rollout to
other
countries"
Strategic
partnership
with
Western
Union =
global
remittances"
"
2011: 17m
Kenyan
accounts = 2/3
adult population;
25% of GNP"
"
Tanzania 2013:
5 m accounts"
South Africa:
slower take-up"
Afghanistan +
India"
Enablers in Kenya: Learning from
strong pilot project; Safaricom trusted
brand + strong market share;
favourable regulatory context;
planned rapid roll-out to agents;
strong existing use of mobiles."
Barriers to scale beyond Kenya:
different regulations; adverse
responses from banks; lack of
education/ product understanding"
web.worldbank.org "
www.economist.com"
www.microfinancegateway.org "

25. Can you place your journey on here?"

26. Diagnose, pioneer, scale"

27. 6 steps
to significant change"
diagnose"
pioneer"
scale"

28. Diagnose"

30. Pioneer"

31. Pioneer"
Breakthrough innovation: management structures "

32. Scale"

33. Scale"
Types of scale"
grow"
replicate"
diffuse and influence"

34. Inspire and
enable influencers"
Communication
and behaviour
change"
Barrier removal &
institution building"
New financial
models,
measures and
standards"
Networks and
collaborations"
Incubating &
growing
entrepreneurs"

35. Six steps"
To becoming a better systems thinker"

36. 1. See the whole, not just the parts!

37. What’s the most useful boundary?"

38. What’s the most useful boundary?"

39. 2. Identify connections between different parts of the system!

40. How can we better understand "
and capture how different parts of systems interrelate?"

41. 3. Engage different perspectives!

42. How can we engage different perspectives more deeply and widely?"
• Consciously identify what perspectives are useful"
• Deeper engagement and exploration of people/behaviour"
• Wide field research"
• Data"

43. 4. Recognise that all models are wrong, but some are useful!

44. How can we be more aware of the assumptions in our maps and models?"

45. 5. Consider different time scales!

46. How can we overcome our ‘blind spots’ when it comes to long-term thinking?"

47. 6. Make effective interventions by understanding patterns in the system!

48. How can we become more ‘literate’ "
in understanding patterns that block change in systems?"

49. How can you be
a better systems thinker in 2014?"
What three things will you do differently?"

50. Thinking systematically"

52. Thank you!"

53. www.forumforthefuture.org"
Company No. 2959712 "
Charity No. 1040519 "
"
www.forumforthefuture.org"
Company No. 2959712 "
Charity No. 1040519 "
"
Dr Sally Uren"
CEO"
E: s.uren@forumforthefuture.org"
S: forumsallyuren"
T: @sallyuren"

54. www.SustainableBrands.com
Thank You
View the recording of this webinar in the SB Library