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MIT Systems Awareness Lab

A transdisciplinary research lab studying living systems change to foster human and planetary flourishing.

How do we cultivate the conditions for meaningful systems change?

Mandala for Systems Change

An integrative approach to understanding and catalyzing living systems change through four interconnected dimensions.

Practice: What do we seek to accomplish? What is the change we want to see?
Capacity Building: What capacities do we need to develop, individually and collectively, to work toward the changes we aspire to?
Community Building: Who is the ‘we’? What communities should be engaged? What is the quality of the relational space we create
Research: What are we learning? How do we know we are learning and developing?

Living Systems Approach

We view change as a living condition–arising from organic growth, rather than mechanistic implementation. Our research focuses on the communities, conditions, and contexts that allow transformation to emerge over time.

Inner & Outer Transformation

Recognizing that meaningful change requires shifts in both tangible institutional structures, policies and behaviors and intangible mental models, values, and beliefs.

Relational Fields

Creating spaces of trust, connection, and shared purpose where individuals and communities can develop new capacities for collective action.

Integration of Practice & Research

Bridging the gap between academic inquiry and real-world application through continuous cycles of learning and adaptation between educators, practitioners and researchers.

Education

Empowering educators as leaders and designers of change

Climate

Reconnecting living systems for resilient futures

Youth

Honoring the innate systems intelligence of children

Voices from the Field

Video Playlist

8 Videos

California Impact: Compassionate Systems Leadership in Expanded Learning