Our Framework
"Thinking In Systems"
At the heart of System Shifters is the Thinking in Systems framework, developed by scientist Donella Meadows. It’s a way of seeing the world not as isolated problems, but as interconnected systems of people, flows, feedback loops, and rules.
Every system has “leverage points” — places where a small, well-aimed shift can change the whole system. Some leverage points are technical, like fixing data flows. Others are deep and transformative, like shifting mindsets or rewriting the rules of society.
System Shifters use this framework to identify where action has the biggest ripple effect. Instead of putting out fires, we go upstream and redesign the system so the fire never starts.economy, or your startup.
Core Concepts
Stock = what's in the system (e.g. CO2, money, beliefs)
Flow = what goes in/out (e.g. emissions, income, ideas)
Leaks, delays, loops = why change is slow or backfires
Why it matters
"If you only fix the flow (plant trees), but ignore the stock (massive deforestation), you don't change the system."
The Power of Leverage
Find the right point in the system → Small change, big ripple.
12 leverage points 'How to save the World'
System Shifter Role | What you Shift | System Shifters | Iconic Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Incentive Design | Prices, taxes, subsidies that shape behavior | Matthias Diependaele | Angela Merkel - Led Germany's Energiewende via renewable energy subsidies |
Buffer Builder | Reserves like food, savings, or mental health | Werner Sels, Connie Allsopp | David Attenborough - Raised awareness on biodiversity as an ecosystem buffer. |
Flow Architect | How people, goods, or data move | Stijn Laenen, Simon Abboud, Marina Cartalis | Elon Musk - Hyperloop and Boring Company reimagine transport flow systems. |
Timing Tuner | Lags between cause and effect | Gert Van De Vijver Julia Janssen | Al Gore - Warned about delayed climate impacts with An Inconvenient Truth. |
System Stabilizer | Feedback loops that keep systems in balance | Cinthe Lemmens, Lieve Krobea, Vincent Ginis | WHO. Built herd immunity through global vaccination programs. |
Action Amplifier | Use positive loops to grow faster (or stop harm) | Tina Stroobandt, Artemis Kubala, Ilse Jaques | Oprah Winfrey - Built an influence flywheel: media → trust → audience → more media. |
Data Distributor | Who knows what, when, and how | Antoine Geerinckx, Carla Maldonado, Jorik Van den Bosch, Ludovica De Pieri, Dimitri Deheyn | Mikhail Gorbachev - Glasnost opened up Soviet information systems |
Rule Rewriter | Change the laws, norms, contracts, incentives | David Dessers | Rosa Parks - Broke unjust segregation laws, rewriting civil rights norms |
Adaptation Architect | Enabling systems to evolve and self-organize | Robert Van Hennik, Alejandro Martinez, An Lannoye, Hafiz Shariff | Satoshi Nakamoto - Released Bitcoin code enabling decentralized monetary systems. |
North Star Setter | The purpose or goal the system aims for | Ellen Van den Berghe, An Van Acker, Hande Ocak Basev | Yvon Chouinard - Rewrote Patagonia's purpose: "We're in business to save our home planet." |
Mindset Maker | Core beliefs that shape how we see the world | Filip Maertens, Thijs Wostyn Deborah Nas, Jeanneke Scholtens, Heleen van der Pijl, Miranda Berkhof, Siema Ramdas, Ermelinda Hajdaro | Galileo Galilei. Shifted the paradigm that Earth is not the universe's center. |
Paradigm Shifter | Letting go of old worldviews - and staying open | Jean-Philippe ML Schepens-Van Thiel, Jitske Kramer, Dennis Heijn, Mahault Albarracin, Will Mellors Blair | The Dalai Lama: Teaches to remain unattached to fixed beliefs |
The Movement
System change doesn’t happen in theory — it happens when people like you take action where you are. That’s why we’re inviting changemakers around the world to start their own System Shifters Chapter. A chapter is a local hub of shifters who map leverage points, design microshifts, and prove that in just 100 hours, real change can begin.
You’ll get the tools, the framework, and the global network — and together we’ll weave your efforts into a living atlas of solutions.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, activist, policymaker, or artist, you have the power to shift systems.
By 2027, imagine 100 chapters worldwide, each one accelerating transformation at the root.
The Book
What if the future isn’t broken — just waiting for us to redesign it?
System Shifters takes you inside the hidden architecture of change, inspired by Donella Meadows’ 12 Leverage Points.
Through the stories of 50 extraordinary changemakers, you’ll see how rules can be rewritten, mindsets shifted, goals reset, and paradigms transformed. From reforestation to ethical AI, from circular design to cultural renewal, these shifters prove that even the smallest, well-aimed move can ripple outward into world-changing impact.
This is not just a book to read. It’s a toolbox, a map, and a call to action. With it, you’ll learn how to spot leverage points in your own life and community—and join a global movement proving that in just 100 hours, you can help shift the world.
