Systems Change: A Survey of Program Activities

"This publication describes systems change activities in practical and concrete terms to underscore the significance of systems change efforts and to demonstrate how this critical work can be better recognized, encouraged and more explicitly supported. The publication begins by briefly presenting a framework for understanding the range of systems change goals and strategies undertaken by sector initiatives. The body of the publication describes the results of a survey of sector initiatives that explored the range of systems change activities they pursue, and provides examples that illustrate systems change work in practice. The publication concludes by discussing common challenges that programs face as they attempt to develop capacity to pursue systems change activities, document the outcomes of these activities, and finance this type of work.... industry practices, education and training systems, and public policy.... Other important sources of data used in this publication include findings from more than 60 in-depth telephone interviews with sector initiative leaders, and roughly a dozen site visits" (p.2-3). The system change profiled in this report can be used for workforce, education, and other public program planning and policy making. (Abstractor: Author and Website Staff)

Changing Public Policy Systems • The most frequently cited activity was using outcomes to demonstrate the effectiveness of workforce investments, with 84 percent of respondents indicating that either they or a partner did this. Methods included conducting and publicizing research, using outcomes, organizing business or community leaders, and organizing workforce providers: (p. 4-13). (Abstractor: Author and Website Staff) Systems Change Work is Integral to Sector Practice • Most of the survey respondents (92 percent) indicated that systems change activities are a priority. In addition, the majority (73 percent) indicated that their initiative is in an appropriate position within their target industry to conduct systems change activities. • A slight majority of respondents (52 percent) report that they do not have appropriate staff capacity and skills to engage in systems change activities. And while almost half (48 percent) of respondents indicated agreement that their funding is flexible enough to support systems change activities, it is important to note that only a small proportion of respondents in this group stated this strongly. And only 18 percent of respondents reported that they have sufficient levels of funding to engage in systems change activities. • Respondents’ initiatives target a wide variety of different industry sectors, with about 60 percent reporting that they work in health care, manufacturing or construction trades. The most frequent industries targeted are health care, manufacturing, and and construction. Changing Education and Training Systems • A large majority of survey respondents indicated that their initiative had been involved in activities designed to influence or help educational institutions change the way education services are designed and delivered. Respondents were asked whether they engaged with their educational partner(s) in any of a specific set of activities. Changing Business Practice • Large percentages of respondents indicated that their initiative has been involved in activities designed to influence business practices.... While fewer respondents indicated that they strive to create change in business or industry practices than did those responding that they work to change education and training system practices, the overall level of activity was still quite high. Changing Public Policy Systems • The most frequently cited activity was using outcomes to demonstrate the effectiveness of workforce investments, with 84 percent of respondents indicating that either they or a partner did this. Methods included conducting and publicizing research, using outcomes, organizing business or community leaders, and organizing workforce providers: (p. 4-13). (Abstractor: Author and Website Staff)

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2008
• Author(s): Conway, Maureen; Blair, Amy; Gerber, Allison
• Organizational Author(s): Workforce Strategies Initiative, The Aspen Institute
• Funding Source: Ford Foundation
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by:
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies