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The Art of Scaling Deep
Systems change is relational.
Many impact models are broken:
The social change sector has absorbed the business world’s growth mentality:
Scale equals success.
Bigger.
Faster.
More.
At all costs.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀?
• Programs without deep roots.
• Policies without cultural shifts.
• An obsession with measurement
Scaling Deep challenges this logic.
It’s the 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄, 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 of shifting mindsets, narratives, and relationships.
And, it is not new.
Indigenous cultures and many communities in the Global South are living in deeply relational ways.
The report authored by Tatiana Fraser of The Systems Sanctuary is clear:
Scaling Deep is key to long-term transformation.
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀
Here are five strategies:
1️⃣ 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀
𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯.
-> Inner work is often dismissed as irrelevant. But, unhealed leadership replicates harm. So, it's key to interrogate our conditioning, develop emotional resilience, and cultivate awareness.
2️⃣ 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀
𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦.
-> Systems persist because of dominant narratives. So, it's vital to challenge harmful myths, amplifying justice-centered storytelling, and rewriting the cultural scripts that uphold oppression.
3️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀
𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
-> Scaling Deep means rejecting urgency culture, moving at the speed of trust, and weaving networks of care, reciprocity, and shared power.
4️⃣ 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 & 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿
𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
-> Too often, change strategies ignore history, erase local realities, and reinforce existing power structures. Scaling deep entails redistributing—not just shifting—power, and ensuring strategies emerge from lived experience.
5️⃣ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝘂𝗹
𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦.
-> The most impactful shifts happen outside of grant timelines, institutional structures, and short-term wins. So, it's essential to abandon extractive urgency and invest in long-term shifts.
I get it:
Going deep feels too slow.
But slowing down isn’t a delay.
It is the work.
Today's systems weren’t built overnight.
They are sustained by culture, relationships, and power.
So, if we don’t work at that level, we’re just scaling broken models.
𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿?
👉 Read 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 by The Systems Sanctuary. It's packed with invaluable insights and practices!
Also:
If you want to explore scaling deep in community here is your opportunity:
Thursday, November 20 at 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Hosted by: Zebra Growth
I will be one of the speakers, so I hope to see you there!
That’s it!
In community,
Adrian
PS: Thanks for reading! ❤️ If you have questions or suggestions, I am just one email away!
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