Impact Lab Students Learning About Systems change and Becoming a Changemaker

On 11 November, the Impact Lab Course students participated in the third and final workshop of their three-month experiential-learning course, where they explored the complexity of making positive systemic changes. 

To kick off the session, Lucia Loposova, FSI’s Education Manager and Teaching Assistant of the course, asked the students what it means to be a changemaker. One student said, “It’s seeing yourself as someone who can take initiative to act and make the change you want to see.” 

Another student added, “As an entrepreneur, you’re solving a problem, however small it may be. I think any entrepreneur is already a changemaker.”

Understanding Systems and Change

The students identified several systems, including education, labor, energy, finance, and food. “A system is an intricate web of connections, relationships, and power,” explained Lucia. “To change systems, we have to think in a complex way, understanding the relationships and finding the levers to pull in order to change the system.” 

David Bishop, Co-founder and Director of FSI and Impact Lab Course Instructor, added, “There are layers to the systems. To tackle problems in these systems, you have to understand who and what provides power and sustenance to hold these systems together.”

Patrick Davis, former General Manager of Soap Cycling, has extensive experience leading and managing projects since the early years of the company. He emphasized the connection between starting a new project and the first step in driving systemic change: “When trying to create new projects, you have to identify the stakeholders: who are affected and what are the factors you can change?”

David then shared the 1967 Hong Kong riots as an example of social unrest that was followed by significant economic growth. He stressed the importance of understanding the context to appreciate the current situation and how social innovation can emerge when people look for solutions in difficult times. 

“The challenge is that we don’t know what’s around the corner,” David said. “In Hong Kong, I think we understand that if we want change, we have to do something ourselves. Often, the system makes people comfortable. Being a changemaker involves breaking things, which is uncomfortable, especially for those that have power.”

The Six Conditions of Systemic Problems

David introduced the students to the six conditions that keep systemic problems in place: mental models, power dynamics, relationships and connections, policies, practices, and resource flows. These conditions represent the implicit and explicit changes needed to change an entire system.

The first step to systemic change is identifying how each of these conditions sustain the problem we want to address, and brainstorming alternatives that can solve the issue. Using this model, the Impact Lab students examined the current status of Hong Kong’s housing crisis and discussed potential solutions. 

The students proposed new mental models that can drive change, such as the belief that everyone deserves affordable, safe, and dignified housing. One student noted that power dynamics exist not only in the administrative process but also within the public sphere. “Some communities can raise their voice more than others,” he said. 

Tyler Tam, a student working with GREEN Hospitality, said, “The workshop helped a lot because it sets a framework for me to follow and see how I can make my way through solving problems in the world.”

Another intern at GREEN Hospitality, Jiwoo Kim, added, “What we learned today can be applied to understanding how people act and why certain policies are there even if they aren’t very helpful for us right now. We have a better base to know what are the different levels that make up that policy.” 

“From this workshop, I learned that, sometimes, just one effective policy could improve or fix a problem,” said Mario Chandra, a student working with FSI. “I found the session very interesting, especially the discussion about public housing, because I didn’t know Hong Kong had such a similar system as Singapore’s.” 

*This blog post was drafted by Hyewon Lee, Communications and Marketing intern at the Foundation for Shared Impact (FSI) during the Fall 2024 semester of the Impact Lab Course.