The BIH Ecosystem Model: Building a Values-Driven House

The BIH ecosystem model shows how story, ethics, systems, and creative intelligence work together to produce sustainable strategy implementation and change.

BIH is structured like a house on purpose. Not a vibe, a structure.

The BIH Ecosystem Model is our core architecture: the way we integrate people, systems, ethics, narrative power, and creative intelligence so that strategy becomes sturdy enough to carry real life.

What the ecosystem model is

A visual map of how BIH works across interconnected layers, including:

• People + community context (who the work is with, not just “for”)

• Story and meaning-making (narratives that shape behavior and power)

• Ethics and equity (the standards that protect humanity)

• Systems design (structures, policies, processes, incentives)

• Creative media and imagination (how ideas become legible, shareable, and felt)

• Impact learning (how we measure, reflect, and iterate responsibly)

Why ecosystems matter

Most “strategy” fails because it treats complex problems like isolated tasks. Ecosystem thinking asks a better question:

What else must be true for this change to last?

When you plan for ecosystems, you plan for:

• relationships (trust, consent, reciprocity)

• infrastructure (systems that support behavior)

• power (who benefits, who bears the cost)

• culture (what people believe is possible)

How to use this model

Use the ecosystem model when you are:

• launching a new initiative

• rebuilding after conflict or failure

• evaluating a partnership

• naming what feels misaligned in a plan that looks “good on paper”

Try this (quick diagnostic): Take your current project and ask:

1. What layer is most developed right now?

2. What layer is missing or under-resourced?

3. What harm could occur if we ignore that missing layer?