In the social sciences, this concept refers to the reality that people with similar stories can end up with different outcomes.

In organizational management, multifinality is the idea that one plan or strategy can be successful in one system and totally fail in another. It’s dependent on the system in which the strategy/plan operates.

In schools, we know that borrowing an idea from another school doesn’t guarantee success. In many cases, transplanting ideas from another school will:

• backfire and have negative results,
• create pendulums (read more on the danger of buy-in), or worse,
• erode trust in your leadership.

It’s not the idea, plan, or strategy that matters – it’s the system.

The culture.

The people.

That’s what makes the impact.