Systems Design Lab helps social sector organizations use systems thinking and human-centered design to collaborate, innovate, and amplify their community impact. We work with technical tools, but we focus most on people. We are really good at bringing together diverse perspectives to make radical changes that lead to radical social change.
tl;dr // Leaders across the social sector are feeling stretched and searching for more human, relational ways to navigate uncertainty. We’re seeing a growing desire for clarity, trust, and partners who can hold complexity alongside them. We’re launching a study to learn what leadership feels like right now, what support people need, and how we might strengthen the ecosystem around social sector leaders. Join us for a short conversation if you want to help shape what we learn!
Everywhere we go lately, from conferences and classrooms to community gatherings, we’re hearing some version of this question: How are we supposed to lead in times like these?
The sociopolitical climate feels unstable. Organizations’ resources are diminishing. People are craving thought partnership, clarity, and hope. We’re also finding that across roles and generations, there’s a growing hunger for leadership that’s more human, more experimental, and more rooted in shared purpose. All of this has nudged us into a new inquiry as we enter a slower time of year that’s ripe for exploration.
A Changing Ecosystem
In 2026, we’re continuing our collaboration with the Barr Foundation in a new initiative exploring ways to strengthen Boston’s nonprofits. Early conversations point to a wider shift in the ecosystem: leaders are focusing on shorter time horizons and feeling pressure to deliver more with less. We’re hearing that people are really worried about the upcoming budget season. In this context, leaders want clarity, flexibility, and partners who are more than just thought partners, but who are willing to be in the messiness with them.
In October at the Independent Sector National Summit, we heard similar sentiments: trust is built through deep collaboration, responsiveness, and deep listening. We also saw people zooming out to focus on challenges at the ecosystem level, not just within a single organization. It’s pretty incredible, actually; amidst significant change, leaders are tired, but still imagining better ways to work together.
All this left us wondering: What do people actually need to feel steady and supported right now?
Signals From the Next Generation
A couple of weeks ago, we spent an afternoon with students in Dartmouth’s Engineering 15.11: Design and Education. We explored the human side of systems change by talking about what might be unsaid in conversations and how to “get on the balcony” to see the system at work. The students shared a few things in their feedback that were exciting to us:
“I could take a whole course on this.”
“How do I turn this into a career?”
“Can we spend more time with case studies and tools?”
Fun fact: Design is now the most popular minor at Dartmouth! This piqued our curiosity about the next wave of leaders entering the social sector. These students want interdisciplinary thinking; real human complexity; and work that blends creativity, strategy, and community care. Our wondering expanded: What does the future of change leadership look like if this is where people are starting? (i.e., these students are way more sophisticated in their thinking than I was at this age and stage!)
So We’re Launching a Research Project
Over the next few months, we’re exploring the future of leadership in the social sector and the ecosystem that shapes it. We are acutely aware that our old “tools,” like structured plans and system mapping, aren’t going to cut it when things are constantly in flux.
Our plan is to talk with emerging leaders who feel the effects of an imperfect system but don’t always have the permission to design improvements, and to mid-senior leaders who have the authority to act but aren’t always clear on the best move to make.
In 45-minute 1:1 chats, we’re asking questions like:
What does leadership feel like right now?
What kinds of support feel genuinely helpful?
How do people stay steady in almost continuous change?
What might a healthier, more relational capacity-building ecosystem look like?
These simple, human conversations will help us all learn how people are navigating things right now. If you’re curious or feeling the weight of change in your work, we’d love to talk. Your story can help us all see the path forward a little more clearly.
→ Sign up here.
And, of course, this isn’t research just for us. We plan to share the themes we learn here on NOTES and maybe even host some conversations in early 2026 to brainstorm around particularly interesting findings. 🤓
» It’s chilly out this morning here in Vermont. I broke free from my home office and am writing this from a cozy local cafe, sipping a pumpkin chai latte in a lounge chair. 10/10 recommend.
» 🦃 Thanksgiving hosting on easy mode: order a fully pre-made meal, pick it up the day before, live your best life. 10/10 recommend.
» I’m trying to focus on EASE lately. Can you tell? 10/10 recommend giving your nervous system a break.
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