Systems science, citizen science, design science, and data science come together to form a system of interconnected domains that, at their intersection, manifest a space for shared understanding to be cultivated and systems change to emerge. Language is the common thread that ties these four sciences together as it is both a medium in which systems communicate and a leverage point for introducing systems change. We propose that language is the fundamental building block for systems change because it is an expression of the innermost mental models we hold and use to make decisions and engage with the world around us.

In making visible the invisible mental models in language, we are able to catalyse moments of self-awareness needed for mental models to shift. Innovative technologies are emerging in the space of natural language processing that can assist systems change practitioners with analysing large volumes of unstructured language data to make visible the relationship dynamics, values and biases that underpin the language.

This paper discusses the importance of language in systems change and how systems practitioners can operationalise systems change using natural language processing technologies. We also propose an experimental framework for navigating unique styles of conversations within systems work and associate them with a relevant natural language processing tool.