𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘾𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡, 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘆.

It's a go-to model for individuals.

But what if we re-imagined it…

• for networks

• for movements

• for communities

...working toward systemic change?

In the collective spaces, we don’t act alone (obviously!)

We act 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.

And that calls for a shift.

In both strategy and story.

So, I kept the structure of the original model.

But, I suggest the following shifts to reflect how collectives work:

The Three Circles of Collective Impact

🟢 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

This refers to internal practices, agreements, and design elements. These are crucial, because they determine the network's capacity, health and effectiveness.

Examples: Meeting design, communication norms, shared practices, Group agreements, Facilitation style, Decision rules, Onboarding process.

These are the levers within the network's hands.

🟡 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰-𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴.

This is the area of strategic engagement and relationship-building to shift societal systems. Impact here is created through partnerships, not solo acts.

Examples: Policy agenda, partner behavior, narrative shifts, funder strategy, collaboration norms, ecosystem culture, institutional mindsets, and public awareness.

These require influence, advocacy, and collective effort beyond boundaries.

🔵 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.

This is the broader systemic context that impacts the work but remains beyond our influence.

While the network cannot change these issues directly, it can adapt its strategy in response. Focusing too much energy here leads to frustration, while ignoring them leads to poor strategy design.

Examples: Global conflict, climate crisis, economic system, political shifts, border regimes, or mass media.

These are large-scale conditions that set the context.

Okay.

So, now that we’ve clarified the circles, let’s make them useful in practice.

Three Tactics for Impact Networks

Let’s make all this more actionable.

1️⃣ Strategic Planning

Map your current efforts into the 3 circles.

Your network's strategy isn't just what you do externally.

It’s also where you invest internally.

The circles can help you to decide where to spend your limited energy, capacity and resources.

The 40/50/10 Audit.

1. List every project the network currently has

2. Map each item to one of the circles

3. Adjust strategy for a resilient split:

   • 50% (Circle of Agency): Dedicated to internal collaboration norms, shared learning, meeting design, and facilitation.

   • 40% (Circle of Impact): Targeted advocacy and experiments aimed at shifting the wider ecosystem.

   • 10% (Circle of Care): Complexity foresight and horizon scanning. i.e. Not trying to solve the climate crisis, but sensing it’s impacts.

This practice stops over-investing in unreachable concerns and ensures that most energy flows into what you can impact.

2️⃣ Navigating Conflicting Priorities

Surface misalignment and identify key actions.

Disagreements often arise when members are operating from different circles.

So, when a conflict or disagreement over priorities arises, ask the group:

"Which circle does this problem belong to?"

• If Agency (Internal Process Conflict): The issue is a failure of trust, a weak decision rule, or a violated group agreement. So, pause the external work and focus on mediation or redesigning internal norms.

• If Impact (Strategic Conflict): The issue is a disagreement about the most effective lever to shift an external condition (e.g., "Should we lobby policymakers or focus on grassroots awareness?"). So, seek shared data and host an alignment workshop to clarify a shared theory of change.

• If Care (Unsolvable Worry Conflict): The issue is someone focusing frustration on a system too vast to change. So, acknowledge the Care, then gently redirect the energy back to what can be influenced.

This tactic helps to re-align on realistic action steps.

3️⃣ 𝗥𝗲-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆

Make sense of complexity together

In complex environments, it's easy to get lost or overwhelmed.

To counter this, you can try this practice:

1. Start with Concern: Explore a critical, external Signal from the Circle of Concern (e.g., "New legislation threatens our key funding stream"). Slow down to share any feelings, body sensations and though without rushing to panic or solutions.

2. Move to Agency & Impact: Shift focus to the Circles of Agency & Impact and ask: "To increase our resilience, what internal practice or partnership can we strengthen or change?" (e.g., Let’s explore alternative ways to resource our work).

This prevents complexity from becoming paralyzing. And, it ensures external conditions are met with internal capacity-building.

That wraps up the three tactics.

I am sure there are many more ways to play with this idea.

If you create one yourself, keep me posted!

That’s it!

In community,

Adrian

PS: Thanks for reading! ❤️ If you have questions, suggestions or a practical challenge, which you want me to explore, I am just one email away!

About the Systemic Shift Newsletter

Tactics, Tips & Tools for Systemic Change

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