The idea to deliver theSystems Change and Social Impact course was seeded in 2016 when the Centre was conducting research for the Schwab Foundation with a view to write up cases on global South systems entrepreneurship. At the time business schools all over the world had very few global South cases and the Centre recognised the need to fill that gap. At the same time, mature social entrepreneurs were recognising the need to take a different approach to their work if they were to take their businesses to the next level and turn the dial on society’s most persistent problems.

Meanwhile the Centre was in its second year as lead and fiduciary partner (with Stockholm Resilience Centre, University of Victoria and Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience) on a global fellowship programme funded by Rockefeller Foundation. This content dove-tailed with the systems entrepreneurship research and the idea was born to build curriculum for a new Bertha Centre course delivered in partnership with Executive Education. This course was called Leading Social Entrepreneurship.

With each iteration the course convenors - without changing its learning outcomes - refined and fine-tuned the delivery of the course, and recognising that the fundamental take-away to be systems change and systems entrepreneurship, changed the name Systems Change and Social Impact.

The systems change and social impact executive education course draws on frameworks, tools and theories from disciplines ranging from complexity, sustainability, organisational development, political science and more. These assist people to understand their systems-of-interest and intervene towards more generative system dynamics.

Participants engage in collaborative assignments creating an educational space to experiment and explore different approaches to systems work. They are encouraged to be more self-reflective so that they’re aware of how the world affects them and how they affect the world. This process recognises that what educates people is to work together, to work with people who are different, and to develop values of respect, generosity and understanding difference.

The course is designed to prepare participants to navigate complexity and strengthen their capacity for transformative leadership and collaboration. As convenor, the Bertha Centre engages participants to engage collaboratively with power dynamics and problem-solving informed by deep personal reflection. To achieve these ends, the course draws on reflexive approaches with morning contemplation, mentorship circles and personal reflection time.