This tool is designed to help you visualise a system that you are seeking to effect change in through your investment portfolio.
As you complete the exercise, you will build a picture of the ingredients in a system that maintain its stability and functionality over time – and consider the niches (alternative practices) that might challenge the status quo in the future.
It will help to surface interconnected system elements that affect your investment strategies, such as:
- how different components influence one other, such as policies, behaviours and technologies
- hidden patterns, such as bottlenecks, relationships and unintended consequences
- collaboration and complementary actions with other actors through identification of shared interests
When you have finished this tool, the Multi-level theory of change (Investor version) can be used to understand how you can intervene with investments to help create sustainable change.
Acknowledgements
Inspired by: tools in the EIT Climate KIC Visual toolbox for System Innovation by Cristian Matti and Javier de Vicente (including the socio-technical systems tool, pentagonal problem and actor tree) and the application of these tools by TIPC members and partners at the 2019 Transformative Innovation Learning Journey, led by Sarah Schepers; also the work of the Latin American and Caribbean HUB for TIP.
The Deep Transitions Lab investor version builds on a version for individual use created and tested by members of the Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium and the Network of Coaches for the TIP Resource Lab.
Our thanks to Elzemiek Zinkstock for the original design of the tool and to Naz Costante for further design on the investor version.
Citation
Ghosh, B., Shaw, V., Steinmueller, E., Zinkstock, E., Laurence, N. and Kanger, L. (2024). Pentagonal map for system analysis (investor version). Deep Transitions Lab. Available at: https://www.tipresourcelab.net/resource/tool-pentagonal-map-for-system-analysis-investor-version
Facilitators Instructions
Important: Copying the tool
This resource is a locked Master version of the tool. To use it, you will need to duplicate it to your own Miro account.
How to duplicate the Board
- First, make sure you have your own Miro account. Researchers may be able to access a free educational plan for staff at educational institutions
- Copy the Board by clicking on the main menu next to the title
- This will open another board with ‘Copy’ in the title
- Rename the tool and save the URL
How to use this tool
This tool is for working online It has been tested with groups during the development of the Lab.
Read Applying the pentagonal map in a finance context for an example on how to adapt for face-to-face use.
