Back to projects

Stories of Change: Three Horizons

The fourth film in our Stories of Change Series featuring the Three Horizons Model: Humanising Healthcare in Fife, Scotland.

Introduction

The Three Horizons framework is a simple and intuitive tool for thinking about the future. It helps groups explore systemic patterns to identify which of the dominant patterns are no longer fit for purpose, how the emerging trends can shape the future, and what visionary action is needed to collectively move us towards a viable future. In this story, we tell the story of Shine - a project born in Fife, Scotland, about using the Three Horizons framework to try and think differently about winter planning for NHS Fife.

The film

Why frameworks and stories for systems change?

We use frameworks as part of systems change practice because they help us navigate complexity. Humans are visual beings, and we like structure. We are able to understand great levels of complexity, patterns and interconnectedness in this way.

Frameworks allow us to scan a situation, bring some things to the foreground and let others slip away. To move beyond the need to know or see everything and start seeing the patterns of things that matter for the work we’re trying to do.

There are multiple frameworks in the field of systems change across the world. We’ve started to curate some of them into a series of multimedia resources we’re calling Stories of Change, hoping to make them more accessible to people working towards a sustainable future all over the world.

The resources

As part of the collaboration with the International Futures Forum and Glider, the aim of this project is to create accessible resources to co-learn and help change agents to design more systemic strategies and action. This project supports system change facilitators to introduce systemic frameworks using stories of change in history to a wider audience.

Three Horizons Facilitator Pack

This facilitator pack gives readers tools, worksheets and additional resources to host a session on Three Horizons.

Download Facilitator Pack

Webinar Recording April 2022

This webinar was recorded at the Skoll World Forum in 2022 with Bill Sharpe (author of Three Horizons), Marion Birnstill, and Laura Winn.

Watch the webinar

Special thanks to:

Bill Sharpe, Graham Leicester and Margaret Hannah at International Futures Forum; Marion Birnstill from the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, and Glider.

Discover another project

Stepping Into Systems Series

Get started on your systems learning journey with our Stepping Into Systems series, covering fundamental systems change topics and concepts.

Read more about this project

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Inquiry

Discover thought pieces on what is emerging in MEL in the field of systems change, produced from our MEL inquiry group.

Read more about this project

Investors in Change: A Funder Learning Journey

Convening people working in philanthropy and impact investing in systems change modules to accelerate learning across changemaking.

Read more about this project

Cultivating the Field of Systems Change Practice

Illuminate is a collaborative network designed to connect people committed to cultivating the field and practice of systems change towards a just, equitable and regenerative future for all.

Read more about this project

Visualising the Field of Systems Change

An affinity network of systems change practitioners and organisations that are connected by terms related to systems change practice.

Read more about this project

Stories of Change: Levels of Paradigm

The third film in our Stories of Change series featuring Levels of Paradigm from regenerative practice: Water Resilience in Mexico City

Read more about this project

Stories of Change: Multi-Level Perspective

The first film in our Stories of Change series featuring Multi-level Perspective: The Birth of Rock 'n Roll.

Read more about this project

Stories of Change: Iceberg Model

The second film in our Stories of Change series featuring the Iceberg Model: The Civil Rights Movement

Read more about this project