What is the transformational work, personal and cultural, that's needed to create durable systems change? Not scaling "up", or "out", but scaling DEEP
From ‘Scaling Deep’ PDF
Here’s a powerful conceptual shift from Systems Sanctuary, around the notion of social/civic organisations “scaling”. This usually means a form of expansion or growth of a successful model or practice to a bigger level - scaling “up”, or scaling “out”. What would it mean, and why would you want to, scale DEEP?
They explain in their PDF:
Scaling up (influencing policy) has been considered the strategic pathway to systems change. Scaling out (spreading new models) is seen as a pathway to success. The allure of these scaling theories lies, in part, in their tangibility, and the easy way in which they can be measured.
However this focus on growth has shifted our attention away from a series of messy truths. Sometimes bigger isn’t better.
Endless growth is not sustainable and our urgency to try to fix the problem and seek solutions may be part of the crisis we are in.
One unintended consequence of this has been that another type of scale has been devalued and as a result, under-resourced. It’s a scale that values the slow steady work of deepening relationships. It recognizes the significance of context, building connections that bridge diverse communities. And it prioritizes inner work and healing as integral components of the scaling process.
We call this type of scale ‘Scaling Deep’ and we believe that adequately supporting it, and funding it, holds the greatest potential for long lasting systemic change.
They continue:
We define Scaling Deep as the deep personal and broad cultural transformational work that is required to create durable systems change…
Scaling Deep and working in the deep root systems can be the work that is invisible to the dominant systems. This work is rooted in relationships, healing, community, movement building and personal transformation.
It is challenging to measure. However, with this framing, we can point towards it, value and learn from it. We can intentionally bring it into balance with other strategies for scale.
Scaling Deep is hard to support because it lives and breathes beyond the boundaries of organizations, coalitions and policy change. This work is multi-dimensional. It exists in human experience, connection, friendship and also in mystery, and the spiritual. It is work that can not be institutionalized.
And it does require support for those who are tending to this dimension. Even if it is the point of departure.
Below is a map for the strategy, practice and methods, and anticipated transformation/change of a “Scaling Deep” approach: