The Fractal Change Initiative
Introducing a patterning approach to scaling Transformations to an equitable and Thriving world.
Despite decades of effort, society is not transforming at the rate, scale, speed, or depth required to address today’s global polycrisis. Progress on climate change, biodiversity loss, and global inequality remains too slow, fragmented, and insufficient.
The recent IPBES Transformative Change Assessment tells us that fundamental, systems-wide shifts in views, structures, and practices are urgent, necessary, and challenging – but possible.
Yet we are still struggling to shift the deep social and cultural patterns underlying the degradation and exploitation of people and nature and reinforcing the barriers to transformative change, including the perception that we are separate from nature.
We need a different approach
The Fractal Change Initiative is an experiment in scaling conscious, creative, and collaborative change - or what we refer to as "quantum social change" - by intentionally cultivating patterns that embody relational values such as equity, integrity, and care.
Quantum social change is anchored in four foundational propositions.
- People are a powerful source of transformative change
- Fractal agency is a fundamental driver of transformation
- Small actions can contribute to systems change when they embody and enact transformative values and principles
- The potential for transformative change exists at every moment. You matter more than you think!
At a time when familiar ways of thinking, acting, and relating are proving insufficient, quantum social change invites us to rethink how we engage with transformative change, recognizing our capacity to shape it and working collaboratively to realize new possibilities.
From ripples to fractals
A fractal approach to scaling is based on a simple idea: transformative change does not scale primarily through size, reach, or replication. It scales through coherent patterns that reflect and embody healthy, positive values adapted to context yet relevant to the whole.
These patterns interact and form relationships that stabilize as cultural norms, social structures, and sustainable systems.Rather than emphasizing growth and expansion or relying on ripple effects, a fractal approach to scaling focuses on generating self-similar patterns across contexts and levels.
Three fractal dimensions
The Fractal Change Initiative is guided by Karen O’Brien and cCHANGE in collaboration with global partners. It is developing, applying, and evaluating a fractal approach to scaling transformative change through three interconnected dimensions:
Partners
The initiative is led by Karen O’Brien, Co-Founder and Research Lead at cCHANGE. Karen is an internationally recognized expert on transformations to sustainability and co-chaired the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment. In 2021, she was co-recipient of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award for Climate Change for pioneering contributions to understanding climate adaptation.
She is a member of Academia Europaea, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
At its core, this initiative is developing communities of practice that experiment in different contexts, learn together, and share insights that contribute to patterns of transformative change for a just and thriving world.
We are inviting philanthropists, funders, organizers, practitioners, and citizens to be part of this Fractal Change Initiative. Please get in touch if you are interested in discussing how we can work together to enact, enable, and support equitable and ethical transformations.
