As a nonprofit, using systems thinking places your beneficiaries as one of the fundamental elements. It also requires understanding and considering the influence of your intervention on different layers in a short- as well as long-term. As a nonprofit or philanthropic individual and concerned citizens, the important question is whether the gain of the defined beneficiaries would add up and contribute to the community and society they belong to.
It also means to consider unintended consequences as the result of the work.
Let’s clarify by an example:
An article published in Harvard Business School illustrates an example on protecting environments, explaining that land conservation organisations have worked over many decades to protect and restore endangered ecosystems and develop solutions to tackle climate change. Yet, many struggle to identify their key beneficiary.
“Is it the earth itself? The flora and fauna they seek to protect? The human beings who live, work and play on the planet? Or some combination? The question that must be asked is what is the value of each organisation in the overall ecosystem? Some preserve small or large tracts of land, others work on energy policy, some on legislating polluter behavior or destructive farming practices. Wouldn’t the organisations be more successful at achieving their own mission, if only they raised their sights to unite in addressing the cause of environmental protection? Each organisation, of course, will focus on their core mission but with a holistic understanding of how the pieces fit and if possible, even collaborating where cracks appear. Understanding and working in context is key” And being mindful of unintended consequences is a necessity to ensure true and lasting success.
The same article illustrates another example by highlighting the issue of parallel, non-coordinated efforts i n the U.S, youth development efforts. Around a million young individuals dropout of high school every year and another roughly one million graduate from high school don’t follow through with vocational or college education. This has caused a high population of unemployed or underemployed youth. There are organisations that provide educational services to the youth in need while others address their physical, emotional and psychological health.
Many of these problems are interconnected, and unless all the dots are connected, it will not be possible to make progress in a systematic fashion at scale. Figure.5 demonstrates such holistic approach in dissecting the interlinking of components that affect the primary focus. It shows the effect of this mindset on the way organisations can link their solutions to the macro-system. Nonprofits can then connect their purpose, the beneficiary context and goals to the organisation’s mission, strategy, operational model and performance measurement for a greater impact.