Something Old, Something New ...

By Heather Cetrangolo

14 November 2023

What is 'Systemic Renewal' and how does it relate to systems change theory?

Renewal is a kind of change leadership that sits within the landscape of systems thinking. It brings something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue ...

Something old ...

Renewal is a specific kind of change and not the only kind. It is the work of rebuilding a broken system.

Change leaders aren't necessarily leaders of renewal. They may be gifted innovators or managers, building new pathways for profitability, not out of a broken system, but out of a stable one. Change leadership may also involve developing brand new initiatives outside of existing systems, such as new artistic styles, alternative schools, advocacy for those the system doesn't cater for.

Change takes all kinds of leaders, but those called to 'Renewal' stand within a system that is not only evolving, but broken. It has lost its way.

It is the government that has failed to make peace;

The SDGs that are nowhere close to achieved;

The ESG strategy that won't change a thing;

The school that most kids are failing;

The prison that doesn't rehabilitate;

The sector that has a 60% burnout rate.

Leaders of Renewal experience an unexplainable yet unrelenting desire to make a difference within their sector, by getting involved and staying involved.

The art of it isn't new; it's ancient. However ...

Something new ...

By theorising Systemic Renewal I have developed specific, evidence-based methods (or pedagogies) that enable 'the rebuild' of collective mindsets and associated structures.

Something borrowed ...

Of course, we stand on the shoulders of giants, building on critical pedagogies theorised by people like Paulo Freire, Jurgen Habermas, Henry Giroux, Bell Hooks, Peter McLaren, Michael Apple, Werner Ulrich and other action research theorists such as Kurt Lewin and Peter Senge. We also draw from modern pedagogies including experiential reflective practice, situated learning, narrative transformation and pedagogies for systems change.

Something blue ...

The bad news for 'Renewalists' is that we know the system isn't only evolving; it is broken. It isn't just learning from it's mistakes; it is reaping the results of generational wrongdoing. We are the brave ones who will stare down the barrel of history long enough to cry, and through the tears, see the way out.

I look forward to launching a podcast next Thursday and inviting all the Renewalists out there to join the Academy in 2024.

Photo by Copperpipe