leverage points

how do we change the structure of systems to produce more of what we want and less of that which is undesirable?

– Thinking in Systems

These are points within a complex system, such as an economy, an ecosystem, or a community, where a small shift in one place can produce major changes elsewhere.

– Leveraging Digital Disruptions for a Climate-Safe and Equitable World: The D^2S Agenda

Leverage points as listed by Donella Meadows in Thinking in Systems:

• 12. Numbers—Constants and parameters such as subsidies, taxes, standards
• 11. Buffers—The sizes of stabilizing stocks relative to their flows
• 10. Stock-and-Flow Structures—Physical systems and their nodes of intersection
• 9. Delays—The lengths of time relative to the rates of system changes
• 8. Balancing Feedback Loops—The strength of the feedbacks relative to the impacts they are trying to correct
• 7. Reinforcing Feedback Loops—The strength of the gain of driving loops
• 6. Information Flows—The structure of who does and does not have access to information
• 5. Rules—Incentives, punishments, constraints
• 4. Self-Organization—The power to add, change, or evolve system structure
• 3. Goals—The purpose or function of the system
• 2. Paradigms—The mind-set out of which the system—its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters—arises
• 1. Transcending Paradigms

with the caveat:

But complex systems are, well, complex. It’s dangerous to generalize about them. What you read here is still a work in progress; it’s not a recipe for finding leverage points. Rather, it’s an invitation to think more broadly about system change.

– Thinking in Systems

A process for leverage point analysis