Doing things differently: three lessons from system change for any organisation

Leaders across the private, public and social sectors are wrestling with transformation in a rapidly shifting landscape. The best insight often comes from those already in the thick of it, testing ideas and sharing what works.

From my work with Henry Dimbleby on the National Food Strategy I have distilled three lessons. Food system transition is a multi-decade endeavour, yet these apply just as well to organisational change, large or small.

1. Reframe the problem to reimagine an entirely different future

   Halfway through the National Food Strategy a major newspaper ran an editorial on obesity that focused on personal responsibility: exercise more, teach children to cook,

   use willpower. We reframed the challenge around the junk food cycle: a reinforcing feedback loop between profit and our evolved preference for sweet, high-fat foods. That shift created space for a bolder aspiration and a different set of solutions.

2. Add heart to head

   Incumbents benefit from how things are, which breeds resistance or inertia. I met countless people working for a better food system when progress felt impossible. What kept them going was their connection to the why. Whether a burning platform or a vivid picture of the future, it reached them at a personal, emotional level. Successful change efforts speak to logic and self-interest, and they also resonate more deeply.

3. Make it real by doing

   Complex systems rarely yield to linear plans. We learnt you cannot simply legislate good food onto a plate. Change emerged diffusely: headteachers, CEOs, product teams, hill farmers and research institutes rolled up their sleeves and tried new things. In any change process you need the head (logic, strategy, diagnosis) and the heart (belief, meaning). You also need the hands: action, iteration, feedback.