Elizabeth Sawin, "Multisolving: Creating Systems Change in a Fractured World" (Island Press, 2024)

Oct 11, 2025
55 mins

Episode Description

Now, Dr. Elizabeth Sawin has dedicated her career to the theory and practice of creating change in complex systems. In 2021, she founded and is currently the Director of the Multi-solving Institute. This interview discusses her book Multisolving: Creating Systems Change in a Fractured World (Island Press, 2024)

After studying many successful efforts around the world, where people created systems-change by building connections across silos, she developed the Multi-Solving approach to more effectively address equity, climate change health, well-being, and economic vitality as integrated issues.

Prior to her current position, Beth co-founded the think tank Climate Interactive to develop tools and project possible futures for grappling with the complexity of the climate system. In this regard, she led efforts to integrate measures of equity, health, and well-being into decision-support computer simulations.

Beth writes and speaks about multi-solving and leadership in complex systems for both national and international audiences. She has over 40 publications, both in scientific journals, as well as more populous literature, such as:

  • Non-Profit Quarterly,
  • The Stanford Social Innovation Review,
  • The Daily Climate,
  • U. S. News,
  • as well as… in the New York Times and the Washington Post.

Beth graduated from Dartmouth College with majors in Biology and Chemistry and subsequently received her PhD in Neuro-Biology from the Massachusetts Institute for Technology

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