Developed by Donella H. Meadows (Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System, 1999).
Ranks the places to intervene in a system, from adjusting numbers up through rules, goals, and mindsets, showing which changes matter most.
When to reach for it
When choosing where to spend scarce influence in a complex organization or market, and adjusting the numbers keeps failing to change outcomes.
How it runs
- Map the system: its stocks, flows, loops, and rules.
- Place each candidate intervention on the twelve-point ranking.
- Favor the higher points where they are feasible.
- Expect higher points to be slower and more contested.
- Combine low and high points where the case calls for it.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System, The Sustainability Institute; a shorter nine-point version ran in Whole Earth in winter 1997, 1999