Tool: Leverage Areas and Interventions
What is it, when to use it, why is it beneficial to do so
Leverage areas are specific points or areas that are often not obvious within a complex system, where a small shift or well-focused intervention can produce a disproportionately large, lasting, and transformative change in the system's overall behaviour. A systemic intervention is a strategy or hypothesis for how change may be shaped or created that has the potential to influence and shift the dynamics of the system.
We can’t intervene everywhere, so by prioritising high potential leverage areas that either amplify positive signals for change, or reduce the power of strong adverse dynamics, we can create the conditions for change.
Identifying leverage areas and systemic interventions allows us to identify high potential impact areas that, when shifted, would create catalytic or step changing effects within the system towards the desired future. It is the “so what” subsequent step to the systemic problem analysis phase, when you can start brainstorming what exactly is it that you could do to transform the system.
Below you’ll find the tool template you can use straight away, along with a Tool Cheat Sheet to support you as you work through it. We’d love to hear how it lands in practice - feel free to share any feedback or questions with us.
