Leverage Points
Meadows defines “leverage points” as “places in the system where a small change could lead to a large shift in behavior" (Meadows, 144). Meadows encourages scholars of all disciplines to use “systems thinking” because “systems thinkers” understand the interdependencies within systems and can identify the dominating goals of the system, even if they remain unstated. “Leverage points” then become important in critical systems analysis because they are points of change.
Meadows observes that leverage points are often counterintuitive because systems are so complex. However, she provides a "work in progress" to begin thinking about leverage points (147).
Leverage Points (In descending order)
12. Numbers – constants and parameters such as subsidies, taxes, standards. Meadows provides the national debt as an example. She notes that changing the system is often focused on taxes, but that this is like "arranging deck chairs on the Titanic." More substantial changes to the system need to be made to keep it stable; numbers are important, but they may often not be the most important thing (149).
Leverage Points (In descending order)
12. Numbers – constants and parameters such as subsidies, taxes, standards. Meadows provides the national debt as an example. She notes that changing the system is often focused on taxes, but that this is like "arranging deck chairs on the Titanic." More substantial changes to the system need to be made to keep it stable; numbers are important, but they may often not be the most important thing (149).
11. Buffers – The sizes of stabilizing stocks relative to their flows. Although buffers can provide time to change the system or even leverage to change the system, a buffer that is too large will make the system in flexible (150).
10. Stock-and Flow Structures – Physical systems and their nodes of intersection. However, because physical systems are hard and slow to change, they rarely make effective leverage points (151).
9. Delays – The lengths of time relative to the rates of system changes. However, delays are often inflexible. Meadows notes, "There is more leverage in slowing the system down so technologies and prices can keep up with it, than there is in wishing delays would go away" (152).
8. Balancing Feedback Loops – The strength of the feedback relative to the impacts they are trying to correct. For example, eating well is a balancing feedback loop for being healthy. However, balancing loops may also weaken the system they're a part of; Meadows provides the mass media as an example of a system that weakens democracy.
7. Reinforcing Feedback Loops – The strength of the gain of driving loops: These are forces of growth in the system. An epidemic is a reinforcing feedback loop, but eventually a balancing feedback loop will catch up to it or it will destroy itself. Often, these loops are reinforced by policies which simply leads to more problems; by taming these loops, effective change can be made (for example, through progressive instead of regressive tax laws).
6. Information Flows – The structure of who does and does not have access to information: Meadows provides the compelling example of a Dutch home with a thermostat in the front of the house. With the thermostat where everyone could see it, instead of in the basement, the family was more conscious of their energy consumption and used less energy than families whose thermostats were in their basements. This leverage point is important because it provides people knowledge about the systems that affect them.
5. Rules – Incentives, punishments, constraints: The rules are the boundaries of the system, what is allowed within the system. Meadows observes, "If you want to understand the deepest malfunctions of systems, pay attention to the rules and to who[m] has power over them" (158).
4. Self-Organization – The power to add, change, or evolve system structure: Self-organization (as in DNA) can be a powerful system. However, self-organization can also pose a threat if systems become infatuated with their own culture and don't evolve or adapt.
3. Goals – The purpose or function of the system: Changing the goal changes the purpose of the whole system, making it a powerful point of leverage.
2. Paradigms – the mind-set out of which the system–its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters–arises: Paradigms are "the shared idea in the minds of socirty, the great big unstated assumptions" (Meadows, 162). Systems are rooted in paradigms, but changing paradigms is hard. Creating a new model of a system and continually voalizing why old paradigms are wrong creates an opportunity for changing them eventually.
1. Transcending Paradigms: Perhaps the only thing more important to changing a system than changing paradigms is to transcend paradigms and exist outside of them.
8. Balancing Feedback Loops – The strength of the feedback relative to the impacts they are trying to correct. For example, eating well is a balancing feedback loop for being healthy. However, balancing loops may also weaken the system they're a part of; Meadows provides the mass media as an example of a system that weakens democracy.
7. Reinforcing Feedback Loops – The strength of the gain of driving loops: These are forces of growth in the system. An epidemic is a reinforcing feedback loop, but eventually a balancing feedback loop will catch up to it or it will destroy itself. Often, these loops are reinforced by policies which simply leads to more problems; by taming these loops, effective change can be made (for example, through progressive instead of regressive tax laws).
6. Information Flows – The structure of who does and does not have access to information: Meadows provides the compelling example of a Dutch home with a thermostat in the front of the house. With the thermostat where everyone could see it, instead of in the basement, the family was more conscious of their energy consumption and used less energy than families whose thermostats were in their basements. This leverage point is important because it provides people knowledge about the systems that affect them.
5. Rules – Incentives, punishments, constraints: The rules are the boundaries of the system, what is allowed within the system. Meadows observes, "If you want to understand the deepest malfunctions of systems, pay attention to the rules and to who[m] has power over them" (158).
4. Self-Organization – The power to add, change, or evolve system structure: Self-organization (as in DNA) can be a powerful system. However, self-organization can also pose a threat if systems become infatuated with their own culture and don't evolve or adapt.
3. Goals – The purpose or function of the system: Changing the goal changes the purpose of the whole system, making it a powerful point of leverage.
2. Paradigms – the mind-set out of which the system–its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters–arises: Paradigms are "the shared idea in the minds of socirty, the great big unstated assumptions" (Meadows, 162). Systems are rooted in paradigms, but changing paradigms is hard. Creating a new model of a system and continually voalizing why old paradigms are wrong creates an opportunity for changing them eventually.
1. Transcending Paradigms: Perhaps the only thing more important to changing a system than changing paradigms is to transcend paradigms and exist outside of them.
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