The Case for Smaller, More Humble Systemic Interventions

In this interview Odin Mühlenbein, talks about the economic potential of systemic changes, barriers for achieving them, and how Lord of the Rings can inform impact strategies.

Mühlenbein is a partner at Ashoka Germany and lead of the systems unit at Ashoka Globalizer. He’s also the co-author of a recent report, From Small to Systemic, which looks at the multi-billion euro potential in social innovation.

"I have nothing against these grand ambitions, but I think we are limiting ourselves when it comes to the potential of systems thinking and system change work if we only look at these huge changes. And in fact, even the big changes I think can only be achieved by tackling smaller systemic issues in the right sequence in a clever way."