Influence for Good: How highly resourced individuals could work towards positive systemic change
July 2022. Joint study by Ashoka, Catalyst 2030, Echoing Green, Generation Pledge, and McKinsey. Together with colleagues from all partner organizations, especially Paul Ziesche.
Supporting System Changers: The role of system thinking, leadership and wellbeing
January 2022. Principles and best practices from Ashoka and other organizations. Together with Michela Fenech, Luzette Jaimes, Florian Rutsch, and Georg Schoen.
Das hat System. Wie soziale Innovationen gesellschaftliche Strukturen verändern.
August 2021. Systemic change. How social innovations improve structures in society. Together with Martina Zelt
New Allies. How governments can unlock the potential of social entrepreneurs for the common good
January 2021. Joint study by Ashoka, Catalyst 2030, Echoing Green, McKinsey, Schwab Foundation, and Skoll Foundation. Together with Florian Rutsch, Katharina Wagner, Paul Ziesche and others.
May 2020. Fergal Byrne and I talk to leading social entrepreneurs about questions like: What are the benefits of working on a systems level? How can you build networks and coalitions? Available on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify.
Systemic and Empowering. Social Entrepreneurship in the Time of Philanthrocapitalism
May 2020. Five case studies that show how turning people into changemakers creates legitimacy and accountability in systems change work. Together with Alexandra Ioan, PhD, and Olga Shirobokova.
Embracing Complexity: Towards a shared understanding of funding systems change
January 2020. Joint study by Ashoka, Catalyst 2030, Co-Impact, Echoing Green, McKinsey, Schwab Foundation, Skoll Foundation, and SystemIQ. Together with colleagues from partner organizations. Initiated by Florian Rutsch and me.
From small to systemic: The multibillion-euro potential in social innovations
March 2019. Study by Ashoka Germany and McKinsey on the economic potential of social innovations. Together with Laura Brämswig and the team at McKinsey. Also available in German.
Start Tinkering, Before Building – Early Lessons from Ashoka’s AI Lab
January 2024. While the possibilities with AI are vast, Ashoka decided to start modestly, be practical, and make it fun. We focused first on AI ethics and safe prototyping to encourage experimentation. We respect our current limitations in skills and systems while investing to expand them. We believe that organizations that take these steps can start benefiting from AI today while avoiding major risks. With Daniela Matielo.
Im Werkraum der Systemveränderer
(The workroom of systems change)
September 2021. Systems change is a mindset, but it’s also a craft. The goals can be defined, the milestones can be worked on, and that work can be supported. Based on 3 examples from an Ashoka report. English translation by DeepL available here.
“Soziales Unternehmertum und soziale Innovationen in Deutschland stärken”
April 2021. Political position paper by Ashoka, CSI, euclid, and SEND. Features four ideas how the German government could strengthen social innovation without spending additional money. Together with Gorgi Krlev, Markus Sauerhammer, Christin Skiera, Felix Sieker, Veerle Klijn, and Wieteke Dupain.
Want to have social impact? Think of icebergs!
October 2020. Blog post for Germany’s leading tech / startup festival. Together with Laura Haverkamp.
Warum die Regierung gerade Sozialunternehmen helfen muss
April 2020. Op-ed asking the German government to include social ventures in their rescue packages. Together with Laura Haverkamp.
A new yardstick for leaders in the 21st Century
February 2020. Op-ed arguing for a new success metric for leaders in all sectors. Together with Diana Wells, Matthias Daub, and Katharina Wagner.
Stiftungen, lasst Sozialunternehmen die Welt besser machen! (Foundations, change your funding practices!)
January 2020. Op-ed asking for new funding practices to better support social entrepreneurs. Machine translation to English available here.
Die System-Tüftler (The Systems Tinkerers)
14 March 2019. Op-ed in DIE ZEIT / ZEIT ONLINE on the economic potential of social innovations and how we should support them.
The Multibillion-Dollar Potential Of Social Innovation
October 2019. English version in Forbes, together with Laura Brämswig and Katharina Wagner.
Which Systems Change Should You Work On?
March 2019. Case study on how to identify the right systems change goal for you.
Interview on how to support systems entrepreneurs
Social Innovations Partners President Mike Clark interviewed me for the first edition of the Social Innovations Finance Series in SIJ.
A Plea to Foundations and Philanthropists
to aim for systems change, to focus on indirect impact, and to leave room for learning and adaptation.
Working on system changes together
August 2018. Call to action for foundations to invest in systemic initiatives. With Laura Haverkamp. German version.
Adjusted English version published in March 2019 at Social Innovations Journal: A Plea to Foundations and Philanthropists.
Systems Change—Big or Small?
February 2018. To tap the full potential of a systems change approach, we should not limit our thinking to large, transformational changes. We should also include smaller, more targeted changes.
Über Mopp und Eimer
(On Mops and Buckets)
July 2017. Ambition, attitude, and way of thinking of successful systems entrepreneurs. Only available in German.
