Change Signal Where Should You Intervene? Dr. Leyla Acaroglu
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Mar 25, 2026 Dr. Leyla Acaroglu, sustainability strategist and systems thinker who founded Disrupt Design, explains practical ways to map and work with complex systems. She discusses pen-and-paper cluster mapping, using tactile tools to surface hidden dynamics, and finding leverage points for real interventions. The conversation highlights iterative, grounded approaches to change in messy organizations.
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Systems Thinking Is Seeing Relationships Not Parts
- Systems thinking reframes problems as relationships and interdependencies rather than siloed parts.
- Our education trains reductionist views, hiding the deep roots and interconnections shaping outcomes.
Begin Change With A Systems Map
- Do start organizational change by creating a systems map to view the organization as an ecosystem of agents, values, and worldviews.
- Use that bird's-eye map to identify intentional intervention points like policy or hiring changes that shift dynamics.
Capture The Chaos With A Pen And Paper Map
- Do a 20-minute analog "chaos" cluster map with pen and paper and no self-censorship to capture all nodes in the system.
- Fill a large page with one- or two-word nodes (books, teachers, power, pineapples) before drawing messy connections.