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Leverage points / Give me a Lever and I will move the World
Give me a Lever and I will move the World
Topic: Leverage points
by Machaon, 2019 Cohort
What are a Leverage Point?#
Leverage points are areas of a system in which alterations, produce changes in other parts of the system or to the system as a whole. The concept of system leverage points is derived from the idea of mechanical leverage, whereby a lever magnifies the force applied on an object.
The concept of system leverage points was developed by Donella Meadows a pioneer of systems thinking from MIT. Meadows identified twelve different kinds of leverage points and ordered them on the basis of their differing potential to produce change in the system as a whole. Meadows proposed that some leverage points are more amendable to being acted upon but have a limited capacity to produce change (shallow) and others have significant potential to bring about transformative change but are difficult to intervene in (deep).
Meadows’ Leverage points can be categorised as relating to one of four different system characteristics: (from shallow to deep) Parameters, Feedback, Design and Intent. Each of these four characteristics relate to different types of leverage points. The concept of shallow and deep leverage points can also be more nuanced, some shallow leverage points would be transformative for the whole system if a large change was possible, but often the extent of change possible in a shallow leverage point is contingent on deeper leverage points.
Leverage Points in Action#
To illustrate the concept of leverage points in practice, we can apply Meadows’ framework to the problem of climate change and look at ways different leverage points could help us to address climate change.
Applying a subsidy to renewable energy production would be an example of a change applied to leverage point 12, a parameter. Such an intervention wouldn’t change the overall the environmental attitudes of the society or its energy infrastructure, and the kind of large subsidies that would have a deeper impact wouldn’t be possible without changes in deeper leverage points like mindsets and goals (intent).
Meadows and environmental scientists utilising her framework have recognised that a lot of attention is focused on change in shallow leverage points while the transformative potential of deep leverage points is ignored. So, let’s imagine what changes would happen if alterations occurred at a leverage point belonging to the intent category. Say the goals (leverage point 3) of the economic system were changed. Changing the goals of our economy from growth to sustainability would be a significant change that would ripple down through shallower leverage points, changing consumption patterns, energy infrastructure, subsidies, etc.
Leverage Points and Understanding Complexity#
The above example demonstrates the utility of the concept of leverage points in helping us unravel complexity because it helps us identify the kind of change we are looking for in a system and what leverage points are best suited for achieving that change.
Meadows recognised that the system of leverage points she proposed ‘was a work in progress’ and others who have utilised leverage points perspectives recognise that there are many cases of exceptions to her ordering of the leverage points and that different orderings may apply to different kinds of systems. The utility of a leverage points perspective is in its capacity as a guide towards cutting through complexity and making efficient and targeted changes in a system.
Explore this topic further#
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Leverage points in the Primer
Disclaimer#
This content has been contributed by a student as part of a learning activity.
If there are inaccuracies, or opportunities for significant improvement on this topic, feedback is welcome on how to improve the resource.
You can improve articles on this topic as a student in "Unravelling Complexity", or by including the amendments in an email to: Chris.Browne@anu.edu.au
What are a Leverage Point?#
Leverage points are areas of a system in which alterations, produce changes in other parts of the system or to the system as a whole. The concept of system leverage points is derived from the idea of mechanical leverage, whereby a lever magnifies the force applied on an object.
The concept of system leverage points was developed by Donella Meadows a pioneer of systems thinking from MIT. Meadows identified twelve different kinds of leverage points and ordered them on the basis of their differing potential to produce change in the system as a whole. Meadows proposed that some leverage points are more amendable to being acted upon but have a limited capacity to produce change (shallow) and others have significant potential to bring about transformative change but are difficult to intervene in (deep).
Meadows’ Leverage points can be categorised as relating to one of four different system characteristics: (from shallow to deep) Parameters, Feedback, Design and Intent. Each of these four characteristics relate to different types of leverage points. The concept of shallow and deep leverage points can also be more nuanced, some shallow leverage points would be transformative for the whole system if a large change was possible, but often the extent of change possible in a shallow leverage point is contingent on deeper leverage points.
Leverage Points in Action#
To illustrate the concept of leverage points in practice, we can apply Meadows’ framework to the problem of climate change and look at ways different leverage points could help us to address climate change.
Applying a subsidy to renewable energy production would be an example of a change applied to leverage point 12, a parameter. Such an intervention wouldn’t change the overall the environmental attitudes of the society or its energy infrastructure, and the kind of large subsidies that would have a deeper impact wouldn’t be possible without changes in deeper leverage points like mindsets and goals (intent).
Meadows and environmental scientists utilising her framework have recognised that a lot of attention is focused on change in shallow leverage points while the transformative potential of deep leverage points is ignored. So, let’s imagine what changes would happen if alterations occurred at a leverage point belonging to the intent category. Say the goals (leverage point 3) of the economic system were changed. Changing the goals of our economy from growth to sustainability would be a significant change that would ripple down through shallower leverage points, changing consumption patterns, energy infrastructure, subsidies, etc.
Leverage Points and Understanding Complexity#
The above example demonstrates the utility of the concept of leverage points in helping us unravel complexity because it helps us identify the kind of change we are looking for in a system and what leverage points are best suited for achieving that change.
Meadows recognised that the system of leverage points she proposed ‘was a work in progress’ and others who have utilised leverage points perspectives recognise that there are many cases of exceptions to her ordering of the leverage points and that different orderings may apply to different kinds of systems. The utility of a leverage points perspective is in its capacity as a guide towards cutting through complexity and making efficient and targeted changes in a system.