Systems and Organizational Change Leadership

(by Thea Schwartz, VLI ‘24)

We began Session 4 greeted by the familiar and friendly faces of our fellow VLI cohort members in the Essex Resort parking lot. Once we were settled at our tables, Ellen Kahler, Executive Director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VLI ‘97) introduced us to systems thinking. Spurred on by her enthusiasm, we explored the Cynefin framework (obvious, complicated, complex, and chaotic systems) and the Two Loops model (dominant and emergent systems). We also learned about Farm-to-Plate and the use of Results-Based Accountability (a way of thinking and taking action to address social problems, in this case the food system).

For the remainder of the session, VLI alums and others presented on health care in Vermont. We contemplated questions such as, “Is health care a right or a product or both?” and “Is health care about well care or sick care?” We learned about the reform of Vermont’s health care system. Cohort members continued to discuss health care throughout dinner. Later that night, some opted for cribbage instead of the usual Uno.

Representatives from Senator Welch’s office kicked off Day 2, instructing us on persuasive writing, with admonishments to communicate in nouns and verbs (and then build in modifiers) and to never use an exclamation point! A panel of government officials and health care organization directors then answered our questions about Vermont’s health care system.

After lunch, Kari White of Northern Counties Health Care and Laural Ruggles of Vermont Public Health Institute started us off with an exercise that induced oodles of laughter. We circled around, cooperatively drawing portraits of each other that we then taped on the wall into a make-shift art gallery. The take-away from the exercise was that laughter and shared experience help grow community (and that some cohort members perhaps have more artistic talent than others). Kari shared with us stories of health equity projects in the Northeast Kingdom. Special guest Lila Bennett of the Journey to Recovery Community Center described the steps she took to secure a Social Detox bed in Newport, including developing community support, raising funds, working with the local hospital, and enlisting volunteers. To close the session, we stood looking at the portrait gallery we created, reflecting upon what we had learned and noting the bonds between us growing stronger.

A repeated theme throughout Session 4 that I continue to gnaw on is the concept of Vermont exceptionalism, meaning that Vermont is a tiny state that is extremely good at coming up with new approaches to social problems, and as some of the presenters expressed, is sometimes perplexed at how to best implement them. I look forward to continuing this contemplation with my cohort members in Session 5.