Practicing Organization Development, 5th Edition

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINERegenerative System Change

Arielle Threlkeld-Sullivan

Regenerative System Change enters the field of OD at a time of unprecedented global shifts. This chapter introduces Regenerative System Change as an intervention to help focus trans-organizational change efforts to service more abundant and thriving futures in which ecosystems are restored and honored. It introduces a living system paradigm and a case study that supports navigating change in complex adaptive systems.

BACKGROUND

The 2021 UN Climate Report’s scientific data, which was compiled from more than 14,000 research studies, presents a sobering picture: extreme weather events are becoming more frequent due to climate change, and these changes are getting worse with each new degree of global warming (Masson-Delmotte et al. 2021). We are facing what scholars are suggesting is a sixth extinction of life over the course of the planet’s history. Our current paradigm and its unintended consequences are exacerbating this imbalance, sparking ecological destruction and system distress.

An estimated $92.9 billion was spent on 28 weather and climate disasters in 2023. The cost per capita is increasing for the United States, according to data from the National Centers for Environmental Information. This indicates that the cost of the billion-dollar disasters is increasing at a faster rate than the growth of the overall population (Smith 2024). According to S&P Global ESG Raw Data, only one in five businesses ...