Navigating Complexity, Designing Impact
Ripple CoLab was founded to close the gap between great ideas and real-world impact - turning ambition into strategies that thrive in complex systems.
Our Values:
Pragmatism - Translating rigorous theory into actionable practice
Adaptiveness - Embracing uncertainty and iterating based on evidence
Human-Centered - Prioritising the perspectives of those within the system
Collaboration - Working with clients as true partners
Rigour - Bringing analytical depth to every stage of our work
Purpose - Maintaining a clear focus on positive social outcomes
Our Philosophy:
Change doesn't follow straight lines. It ripples through networks of people whose behaviours and relationships shape entire systems. While others focus on activities and outputs, we focus on actors, understanding what drives their actions and how those actions influence others.
By pinpointing where small shifts in behaviour can cascade into system-wide transformation, we turn complexity from an obstacle into an opportunity. This isn't abstract theory; it's a practical lens that makes even the messiest challenges navigable.
Meet our founder
Mark Oldenbeuving
Founder & Lead Strategist
Mark is a systems thinker, programme designer, and evaluator with experience helping organisations navigate complexity across 20+ countries.
Co-creator of the Actor-Based Change Framework (published in the American Journal of Evaluation), Mark has led the design of multi-million-pound programmes, transformed how major institutions measure and learn from their impact, and built adaptive management systems that help organisations respond to real-world complexity. He facilitated theory of change processes for global initiatives, designed system-wide evaluations that actually capture how change unfolds, and helped leadership teams see their challenges through new lenses.