Operationalizing Scale

Insight

When we talk about scale, we often focus on replication.

Taking a successful pilot and doing the same thing in more places.

But as you expand, you’re not just dealing with more volume, you’re dealing with more variables (new contexts, cultures, systems, partners).

True scaling is about staying effective in more complex, less predictable environments. It’s about doing things differently but without losing the essence.

Scale is both operational and conceptual, and it can’t be an afterthought. It's an entirely different way of seeing the work.

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Insight in Practice

Here are key principles for effectively operationalizing scale in your initiatives:

• Design for the ecosystem.
  Scaling doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You’re planting an idea in an ecosystem. Think about what invisible forces will carry this forward or crush it. Map where you expect friction and where you expect energy to flow.

• Build adaptive models.
  The most scalable solutions aren't precisely replicated—they're adapted. Define the non-negotiable components of the program, identify the adaptable elements and document how they could be adapted.

• Shift from controlling to influencing.
  At scale, you can't run every meeting or check every box. You need others to want to carry your idea forward. That means giving up command and mastering persuasion. Stories beat instructions. Shared values beat oversight.

• Adjust the KPIs.
  Pilots measure program-centric outcomes. Their KPIs answer the question  “Did this work for the people we served?” To ensure your program scales, you need to measure the impact on the system. The new KPIs answer an additional question, “Is the system doing something differently because of this?”

When these principles guide your work, scale becomes an organic evolution rather than a forced expansion.

Perspectives

“The skills needed to run a successful pilot are not the same as those required to scale a solution.”
— Harvard Business Review, How to Scale a Successful Pilot Project

“No single organisation is likely to cover or fund the entire scaling pathway. Different players are required and need to partner, taking on distinct roles such as doer, researcher, innovator, implementor, intermediary, funder, or other functions.”
— OECD, OECD Development Assistance Committee Guidance on Scaling Development Outcomes

“The challenge—and where things tend to break down—is in the middle, the blue gear depicting the ‘intermediation tasks’ necessary for connecting innovations with large-scale delivery.”
— Brookings, Funders’ role in scaling education innovation

Question to Consider

What elements of your current initiative would need to be redesigned if you were planning for 100x impact from the beginning?

Quote of The Week

“To go fast, go alone. To go far, go together.”

— African Proverb