Open Science Retreat 2026: Supporting communities to reform the academic system

Lightning talk at Open Science Retreat 2026 (https://events.digital-research.academy/event/111/

Systems thinking is an approach to understanding the non-linear relationships between multiple interacting components of "a thing". That thing can be a manufacturing system, an ecological system, or even something less tangible, such as the system being implemented to support the adoption of open science. By effectively mapping the system, we better understand how the different components and interconnections are supporting the goal, what blockers are not being well managed, and what leverage points can be targeted for optimisation. While many of us have an implicit understanding of the “adoption of open science” system, I believe that making this collective knowledge explicit will reduce the information asymmetries which weaken our collective efforts. Applying a formal system analysis to our work may, therefore, uncover new opportunities to coordinate and align our work, and expedite the success of this movement. 

Here we highlight the power of research communities to reform the academic system, and how we are supporting that at RCM Cooperative.