A personal case study on utilising the Three Horizons Framework to shape a philanthropic portfolio for systemic health transformation.
Summary of Use:
Marion Birnstill used the Three Horizons Framework to guide the Johnson & Johnson Foundation’s strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Horizon 1 involved recognising the effectiveness and limitations of current health systems and providing immediate support to COVID-19 patients and health workers.
Horizon 2 transitioned towards a future health system by forging partnerships with system entrepreneurs and advocating for systemic leadership and transformation. This included initiatives like “Reimagining Community Health” and investments in training health leaders for systemic change.
Horizon 3 envisioned a resilient, human-centred health system through collaborative dialogue, sense-making exercises, and fostering discourses on health system transformation. This phase aimed at redefining community health as a fundamental pillar of proactive health systems.
The framework guided Marion in shaping a philanthropic portfolio that balanced immediate crisis management with long-term systemic health transformation, emphasising human well-being, resilience, while exploring possible new paradigms of health.
Use Experience:
Marion Birnstill’s experience with the Three Horizons Framework was transformative, providing a structured yet flexible approach for envisioning and navigating the future of health systems.
It facilitated recognizing and addressing the paradoxes and dilemmas inherent in systemic change, like valuing health and well-being over monetising illness. The framework encouraged a balance between structured giving and embracing the unpredictability of systemic change, fostering deep, authentic collaborations and relational work essential for systemic change.
This approach was not just about structured giving but also nurturing trust and relationships, understanding the dual nature of systemic change as both a journey and a destination. It highlighted the importance of hopeful imagination and storytelling in shaping a resilient, proactive future. Marion’s journey with the framework was a beacon of hope, inspiring a shift towards an empowered approach in philanthropy, transcending crisis reaction, and actively forging a path toward systemic change and resilience.
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