Innovation in complex social systems

What We Do

We help our clients address their systemic challenges. Some of our work focuses on challenges within an organisation; much of it brings together alliances of organisations to shift the way a whole system works. As our name suggests, at the core of our work is deep structural evolution: the evolution of the blueprints behind the ways our social systems function.

We design processes to facilitate collective action: from designing new systemic innovations to stewarding the organisational vessels that sustain those innovations in the longer-term, we have our eye on client-centered processes and long-term results. We work on every continent and with all kinds of organizations and alliances. We look for a diversity of representation in all of our work, systematically including the maximum range of voices from business, government, and civil society.

Our methodologies derive from the premise that creative action, if it is to be shared and sustained across a complex social system, grows from the system itself. Thus we design our work to allow stakeholders fresh views of their contexts, new entrance points for action, and finally, real relationships across former barriers to ensure new growth potential.

Reos Partners began in 2007 as a partnership of organizations whose members have long histories in the field of social innovation, some of which we’d like to share. Projects before 2007 were led by our team before they came together as Reos Partners.

Our Projects

  • Global
    2007-

    Since October, 2007, supported by the Union of Concerned Scientists, we have been supporting the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) group, a part of Climate Action Network (CAN). We have supported the REDD group in their preparation and team-building meeting leading up to the Bali UNFCCC Summit held in December 2007 and in June 2008 in preparations for work leading up to Copenhagen in 2009.

  • Merrickville, Ontario, Canada
    2007

    Canada faces a momentous challenge in making a successful transition to a high-efficiency, low-carbon economy. The purpose of the “3E” (economy, energy, environment) Initiative is to improve the quality and effectiveness of public and private action to address this challenge.

  • Bogota, Colombia
    2007

    In 2007, we started helping the Center for Leadership and Management in Bogota organize a cross-sector dialogue including leaders from the government, the political opposition, companies, trade unions, media, universities, and other civil society groups, to design and implement practical measures that they can undertake together to move the country forward.

  • Cyprus
    2007

    In 2007, we started helping co-design and deliver a multi-stakeholder Forum in Cyprus, supported by United Nations Development Programme. In 2008, we have been supporting the creation of a local governance group to support joint-actions across sectors and borders.

  • Israel and Cyprus
    2007
  • The Hague, Netherlands
    2007

    In 2007, we started helping the Dutch government's Senior Civil Service organization, the Algemene Bestuursdienst, support cross-departmental teams in implementing practical dialogue processes to address a range of critical sustainable development challenges, including adaptation to climate change, protein supply chains, and neighborhood rejuvenation.

  • Johannesburg, South Africa
    2007

    We have co-initiated and are co-leading a multi-year project in South Africa to help improve quality and quantity of care for the increasing numbers of orphaned and vulnerable children.

  • Alexandra, South Africa
    2007

    We led 30 community members of Alexandra Township outside of Johannesburg through a four-month process aiming to build their capacity for collaboration and improve their effectiveness as HIV/AIDS service providers.

  • Midvaal, South Africa
    2007

    The challenge of children orphaned by the AIDS pandemic is changing the social fabric of South Africa’s communities. Reos Partners is leading a process of designing and facilitating a change lab in the municipality of Midvaal.

  • South Africa
    2007

    The Royal Bafokeng Nation is a tribal community situated about 200km North West of Johannesburg. They own tracts of tribal land, and are relatively unique as tribal land owners, as they managed to hold on to this land throughout South Africa’s Apartheid regime.

  • Washington D.C., United States
    2007

    Since 2007, we have been helping the elected and staff leadership of the NEA, the largest professional employee association in the US, develop their business strategy for achieving their vision of “a great public school for every student.”

  • Mumbai and other cities, India
    2006

    We co-convened and co-led the formation of the Bhavishya Alliance. The convening phase ended in 2006 with a three-month, full-time Change Lab that brought together Indian government officials, company managers, and non-governmental organisation leaders to create the “Bhavishya [Future in Sanskrit] Alliance” aimed at cutting in half India’s extraordinarily high level of child malnutrition.

  • Columbus, Ohio, United States
    2005

    This project stems from a deep concern on the part of some community leaders in Franklin County regarding the state of health care.

  • Europe and the Americas
    2004-

    We co-initiated and have provided process design, organisation and facilitation support to this large-scale Change Lab—involving food system actors “from farm to fork,” including business, government and civil society leaders from Europe, North America and Latin America—aimed at creating living examples of mainstream sustainable food supply chains.

  • Houston, United States
    2003

    In 2003, we worked with The Center for Houston’s Future and a group of civic leaders—politicians, businesspeople, non-profit executives, and neighborhood activists—to develop a set of scenarios for the future of the Houston region.

  • Panajachel, Sololá, Guatemala
    1998-2000

    After the signing of the peace accords that ended 36 years of civil war, we designed and facilitated an in-depth national re-visioning process involving high level leaders from the government, the former guerillas, business, media, the church, and youth.

  • Medellin, Colombia
    1996

    In 1996 and 1997, we helped a team made up of political, business, civil society, and military leaders—including, exceptionally, representatives of all the main armed groups in the ongoing conflict—come together to envision possible futures for their country, including three different ways to end the conflict.

  • Netherlands, Australia
    1995-

    Since 1995, we have been working with various organizations within the Shell Group of Companies addressing complex business, innovation and organisational challenges. Currently we are working with senior teams in both the upstream and downtream businesses on issues as diverse as sustainable development and industrial relations.

  • Stellenbosch, South Africa
    1991

    We provided technical support to a broad group of leaders—black and white, from the left and the right, from the establishment and the opposition—who were working together to create a road map for the transition away from apartheid.