At the first Inspire & Connect Event of Competence Training Institute Frank Uit de Weerd and Inge Dijksman welcomed participants in their land of Systems Inspired Leadership. Together they explored practical ways to apply ORSC principles and System Dynamics and leveraging the collective wisdom and attuning to what is naturally emerging.
In this article Frank shares three resources to help you navigate change in a more systems-inspired way.
At the first Inspire & Connect Event of Competence Training Institute Frank Uit de Weerd and Inge Dijksman welcomed participants in their land of Systems Inspired Leadership. Together they explored practical ways to apply ORSC principles and System Dynamics and leveraging the collective wisdom and attuning to what is naturally emerging. Systems inspired change is rooted in the belief that we are part of an interconnected, intelligent field that holds the answers we seek, provided we learn how to access it as part of a dynamic and evolving process.
The prevailing approach to change remains top-down, driven by leaders who assert they have the answers rather than drawing on the collective insight of all involved. This "systems blindness" disregards valuable information, leading to suboptimal solutions, unintended consequences, resistance, disengagement, and unproductive conflict. Approaches that once worked in predictable and stable environments are no longer adequate in today’s complex and uncertain landscape.
In the sections that follow, we share three resources to help you navigate change in a more systems-inspired way. We hope they will serve you and your organization on your journey!
A model that helps you track the systemic evolution in a group, team, or organization
In their book Creating Intelligent Teams (2014), Anne Rød and Marita Fridjhon introduced the iterative phases of systemic evolution. They propose that human relationship systems evolve through four interconnected but distinct phases: Meet, Reveal, Align, and Act (MRAA). This model offers a powerful framework to identify the current phase of a particular system and determine the next steps. It emphasizes that change is an organic, step- by-step process in which systems evolve at their own unique pace.
Meet is about connecting to where the relationship system is, rather than where you think they are or should be. A check-in provides a powerful starting point for a meeting, offering a space to gauge where everyone stands. Simple questions like “How is everyone doing?” or “What needs to be said before we move on?” help create a fuller picture of the group's state and help people to become present. Too often, individuals dive straight into their own agendas, neglecting to attune to what is alive within the team.
Reveal is about creating awareness of what is going on in a relationship system. It is about taking a reflective view on what is or has been happening. This can be as part of a quarterly performance review (e.g. what are we learning as a team from this data?). It can also be in real-time moments, e.g. “I notice there is silence, what is going on?” The key to effective revealing is neutrality - avoiding interpretations, judgments, or imposing one's own views. The intent is to initiate further exploration to give birth to new awareness and insights.
Align is about co-creating a way forward based on shared understanding. In relationship systems, alignment is often found in small steps rather than in big leaps, as it takes time to get everyone on board. While this process may feel slow, it ultimately leads to more sustainable outcomes. As the saying goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” In organizational settings, there is often a leader or committee that take the final decision. This is a practical and effective way to move forward, provided all views have been listened to and considered.
Act is about putting a plan in action and taking steps forward. Actions must be sufficiently specific and concrete to ensure the team moves in the desired direction. Without the foundational work of meet/reveal/align, actions risk being misaligned or lacking true ownership. If actions are aligned, they lead to meaningful and lasting progress.
The elegance of the MRAA model lies in its universal applicability. It can be observed in larger arcs, such as an annual team review, medium arcs like quarterly evaluations or a 1-day workshop, smaller arcs like dealing with a specific agenda point in a meeting, and even mini arcs that surface within the dynamics of a single moment.
MRAA IS EVERYWHERE EVERY TIME
By adopting this lens, you gain a deeper capacity to facilitate the natural flow of what is trying to emerge, enabling you to tap into the inherent wisdom of the relationship system and accelerate systemic evolution.
Reflective questions:
Navigating Divergence and Convergence
A practical application of Meet, Reveal, Align, and Act (MRAA) is navigating divergence and convergence processes in meetings.
Meet is the starting point. This is about getting everyone present in the meeting, aligning on the session’s objective, and establishing a shared way of working. For instance, if the goal is to launch a product or service into a new region or country, this phase ensures everyone is on the same page about this objective. [Please note that a mini MRAA cycle is present in this step: in this meet phase, new things are revealed that require alignment, after which the team can move on!]
Reveal occurs in the divergence phase. It is about hearing everyone’s ideas and exploring them to get all the information on the table. This is the land of “I”: by voicing your deepest truth, you contribute most to the collective. It is crucial that everyone feels safe enough to express their ideas and ask (the “stupid”) questions. Often, the most powerful ideas appear when it requires courage/guts to speak up.
Align happens in the convergence phase. Here all ideas are being considered and weighed on their pros and cons. It is the place of productive dialogue and conflict, sorting out what is the best way forward for the team or organization. This is the land of “We,” where individual perspectives give way to collective decision-making. The key question is: What is trying/wanting to happen in the system? Clarity on decision-making processes is essential—whether by the leader, a committee, voting, consensus (everyone agrees), or consent (no one disagrees, everyone can live with it). In our experience, it often works best to adopt a step-by-step approach, going for the “minimal viable edge” to ensure that everyone is on board.
Act is the outcome of the convergence phase, where decisions translate into concrete next steps, setting the stage for the next MRAA cycle.
It is acknowledged that this process is, in practice, not so linear; there will be many mini-MRAA arcs present. Still, we hope this overview provides you with a useful frame to make your meetings more conscious and effective.
Effective leadership is crucial for working with Systems Inspired Change. If you are interested in evaluating your leadership skills based on Systems Inspired Leadership competencies, take this free assessment. This assessment is featured in the book Systems Inspired Leadership (English copy & Dutch copy), an international bestseller by Frank Uit de Weerd and Marita Fridjhon.
Frank Uit de Weerd is an organizational psychologist and executive coach specialized in supporting leaders, teams, and organizations in their quest to become truly high-performing and value creating in an ever more complex and rapidly changing world. Frank has over twenty-five years of experience in a large, corporate organization where he made an international career in human resources with assignments in the Netherlands, UK, Belgium, Gabon, and Malaysia. Frank is senior faculty member of CRR Global, trainer of the ORSC relationship systems approach, and supervisor of the ORSC certification program. Frank is a well-known speaker and first author of the book “Systems Inspired Leadership”.
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