This is Andrew Benedict-Nelson, social change strategist and innovation educator. Each week, I share a question that you and your organization can use to find a new perspective on the toughest problems you face. Reply to the e-mail or comment on the site and we can talk about them together! Now for this week’s question…
People working to solve social problems often chafe against rules that they feel hinder their efforts. If you could set aside one rule to help you develop better solutions, which one would it be?
This is kind of a trick question. I’ll explain why.
The more common way to respond to this question is by naming a law, regulation, or other type of formal rule (such as a profession’s bureaucratic or ethical code).
When this occurs, look more carefully at the impact you think setting aside this rule might have. Why are you so excited about the new solutions that would be possible? Do you have specific ideas about what you would want to do if you were free of the usual restrictions? Are you absolutely sure there is no way to do it under the current rules? No matter your answers, try to build a contrast between the solutions you are pursuing now and the ones you might pursue with your new freedom.
Nearly all of the time, the solutions you are describing are not ones that would automatically occur if the law or policy were to disappear. In fact, they probably depend on more fundamental changes in attitudes, beliefs, and social norms. So ask yourself how you might target change in those behaviors — it’s likely that along the way you’ll also figure out a strategy to deal with the troublesome rule (or perhaps find out it wasn’t the main obstacle you were facing anyway).
But I said there was a trick. Every once in a while, the “rule” that people target with this question isn’t a statute or policy. It’s actually an “unwritten rule” connected to your problem — a social norm. For example, I’ll never forget the feeling I experienced when, during a meeting I facilitated, a group of nurses decided to “break the rules” of their profession by more directly confronting hospital management about a set of issues. Naming and confronting this social norm almost instantly inspired new ways of looking at the problem.
Is the rule you wish you could ignore a formal law or an “unwritten” social norm? What do you learn when you imagine how you would behave without it?
This question is an example of how to gain insight into social problems and innovative solutions using the limits dynamic. It’s one of six innovation dynamics I help people master to improve their critical thinking and build strategies for social change. Reply to this e-mail with your answer to the question and I’ll let you know what I think! Or learn more by visiting http://www.teachingsocialchange.com.
Photo via Lorie Shaull.