What we believe

At RE!NSTITUTE, we catalyze systems transformation through our 100-Day Challenge™ methodology and other offerings.

We define a "system" as the organizations, processes, and people interconnected around an issue.

Through our 100-Day Challenge methodology, communities themselves define the system they are working in and on in relation to the areas they are trying to improve. 

Our work and offerings are centered around creating essential enabling conditions that set the stage for system transformation, defined as altering the underlying structures and supporting mechanisms that make it work in a particular way. 

By getting an opportunity to test working with these enabling conditions, the communities and systems we work with deepen their ability to collaborate, innovate, and execute, and, in turn, produce tangible results and profound insights.

These experiences have left us in profound awe of what's possible when these conditions are put in place. 

Years of practical results led us to look for a theory that would help us articulate how our work connects to systems transformation. The Water of Systems Change model by FSG (2018: Kania, Kremer & Senge), looks at the conditions and key elements of systems change, offering a lens through which to explore the impact of our work.

In that model, the conditions that hold systemic problems in place are identified as being related to:

This model shows that systems depend on structural conditions, relationships, and mindsets. It's easier to change top-level factors like policies and resources. More complex but impactful changes involve adjusting people's roles and interactions, but truly transformative change means shifting people's perceptions and beliefs about the possibilities. This is key for building equitable systems; if we positively disrupt these models, then the system's foundations and performance change.

That’s why our 100-Day Challenge works! Our teams are supported by RE!NSTITUTE Catalysts to unpick how the system functions, to understand what elements are creating difficulties or opportunities, and then to try out new ideas to see if they can address those difficulties or build on those opportunities. With a clear, quantitative, time-bound goal in mind, the teams test and learn, trying new ideas and approaches, tracking results to identify progress against those new approaches, iterating again, and so on - for 100 days. The teams are incredibly focused on results, on achieving their goal to improve what they do for those who need it. That necessity drives them towards developing new ideas and approaches. They innovate and these innovations can be anything! A new process, a different way of working, or the introduction of a new structure or technology. 
 

At RE!NSTITUTE we recognize the importance of things we can measure, but we also know that our Challenge participants are left with a trove of intangible innovations, teams that experience enhanced collaboration, decentralized decision-making, an openness to innovation in leadership, and a better understanding of colleagues' roles across organizations. The power of our offerings is revealed to be truly transformational as it affects systems structurally, relationally, and mentally, fostering lasting change that empowers communities and redefines their way of working.