Small wins, big thanks: Reflections from the Birmingham Lab

Kat Scott, one of the panelists at our fourth Systems Change Lab event in Birmingham, shared the light-hearted but important advice that when doing any kind of systems change work, it is so important to celebrate the small wins that you have in the process. This was a wonderful reminder for us, as we convened at the Birmingham Arup offices last week, that we have taken on a serious challenge, and that in order to sustain our efforts, we need to take stock and acknowledge the amazing work that has been done so far. 

So today we’re doing that.

We’re recalling the hours of work that our Task and Finish groups have collectively pitched in behind the scenes, working towards tangible outputs that further the Lab’s wider mission – of making global responsibility the norm in the education and practice of engineering. 

We’re recognising the hundreds of miles that our participants have collectively travelled to attend multiple Lab events across the year – each in a new location – bringing with them fresh perspectives and new ideas. 

We’re extending gratitude to the many speakers who have shared their experiences, expertise, facilitation skills and wisdom with us as a wonderfully fledgling community of changemakers, both in person and online.

We’re acknowledging the partners who have sustained and helped to fund the Lab, through resources, people, spaces and by spreading the word. 

We could go on. 

From London, through to Bristol, Glasgow and now Birmingham, we have had many breakthrough moments to go alongside the, ‘What are we doing?!’ moments. We’ve grown in our understanding of the engineering landscape, and the gaps that urgently need addressing in order for us to build a more globally responsible future. And yesterday’s event rejuvenated our spirits for this ambitious but inspiring journey. 

Task and Finish Groups

The morning saw each of our Task and Finish groups delve deeper into their workflows.

The Policy and standards group teased apart the initial analysis of responses to the Policy and Standards survey, looking at what some of the mental models they want to address going forward might be, as well analysing the framework by which the standards review will take place next year, led by Ben Jones at the Engineering Council.

In the Roles and values session, participants clarified the task group’s purpose and collaboratively shaped a survey by organising questions into a narrative arc – past, present, future – to improve clarity and reveal gaps. The group agreed to pilot the survey with selected testers and refine it further before wider distribution to engineers interested in systems change. In closing, participants brainstormed key networks where the finalised survey could be shared.

Our Stories of change group continued shaping their storytelling campaign that brings forward the human stories at the heart of engineering – spotlighting those driving change across practice, culture, and outcomes. With a clear concept and story criteria now agreed, the group started building an initial story bank while also exploring funding opportunities to grow the campaign’s reach.

Finally, the Education and upskilling group began laying the groundwork for an upcoming workshop, exploring its overall direction and defining focus areas, case studies, stakeholders, and motivations to address. Their session produced a mind map of key ideas and themes for further exploration, while also reaffirming the importance of investigating the topic of AI in education and gathering potential AI-related case studies.

Learning from others

In the afternoon, we welcomed a panel of inspiring guest speakers, to learn from those that have run or coordinated similarly structured communities seeking to tackle wicked problems. Kat Scott (ACAN), Martha Dillon (C40 Cities) and Dee Halligan (First Hand) all brought their unique perspectives and shared their views on how to sustain momentum for running communities such as the Lab. Full on their wisdom, our participants shifted focus to the Systems Change Lab, and workshopped a future model for our community, inspired and shaped by previous event outputs. 

Some key points that stuck with us from the panel discussion:

• “Sandwiches will only incentivise for so long.” While it’s important to have a ‘hook’ that makes events exciting to come to, your community eventually must implement some structure and direction, for people to sign up to.
• As convenors, you must build a high level of trust – this is key to sustaining a long-lasting community.
• Be clear in your communications so that people know exactly what event they’re attending and what they will get out of it. 
• Stay open and flexible. Avoid the temptation of drilling down on one topic area, and instead be open to adopting a new direction or focus as the context evolves.

Watch the full discussion here:

Gratitude, openness and onwards to London

We will continue to take Kat’s advice, reflecting with gratitude on all that has brought us to this point, as we look forward to our final event in November, and prepare to finalise a future model for the Lab, remaining open, flexible and curious as to its direction, influence and focus.

Like what you read? Join us as we close out the 2025 Systems Change Lab in London on Thursday 13 November. Whether you have been to all of our events before or none at all, your presence and input will be welcome. Come and celebrate the work that has been done and be inspired about how you could be part of the Lab’s growing impact going forward.