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…
When you bring up the social problem you are trying to solve, who are the people and organizations who immediately come to mind? What do you notice about who makes the list and who doesn’t?
This is typically the first question I ask in any social change workshop or consulting engagement. “Who are the players? What should I know about them? Draw me a map.”
An org chart or manifest won’t do — I want a firsthand, free-flowing description from the people I’ll be working with. That’s because while the information is important, the way we describe the “usual suspects” for a problem can also illuminate our assumptions about it. I love it when someone I’m working with says, “Well these two groups hate each other” or “Nobody really gets who these people are” because that information is just as important as names and faces.
If you get the chance, try this with an outsider who can ask “dumb questions” about the groups you think about every day. But you can also get started right now at your desk. Here’s how.
HOW TO DO IT
Start with you. If you’re working on a social problem, chances are that you are part of a group connected with it. What groups or categories are you a part of? These could be organizations, professions, or other kinds of social roles.
Now think about the people and organizations you interact with or think about most frequently. It can help to think about this from the perspective of your spouse or best friend — what people or groups do you talk about so frequently that your significant other would know them by name?
Next, try zooming out a bit and thinking about your problem from the public’s point of view. When there’s a story in the newspaper, who are the groups or organizations that usually show up? These could be specific organizations like the FBI or more general categories like “law enforcement.”
Do you have a long list of people and organizations? That’s good, but it’s time to simplify. Imagine that you’re putting on a short puppet show about your problem. Who are the essential characters and what is their relationship like?
Finally, take some time to reflect on the people and organizations you’ve listed. In particular, ask yourself if there is something they all have in common. Do these similarities limit everyone’s perspective on the problem in any way? What else do you see now that you’ve rounded up everybody?
CAN YOU GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE?
Happy to. There are all sorts of people and organizations involved in the American political system, but if you ask someone to summarize what’s going on in Washington at any moment, it will likely boil down to “Republicans and Democrats are fighting again.”
There are many ways to characterize both groups, but if you were to look at them using this exercise, you would notice that the “usual suspects” are organized political parties. That comes with a lot of assumptions about how people participate in government. What if it didn't have to be that way?
This is an easy example because most people are weary of political parties. But chances are your problem has organizations and groups that are as entrenched as red states and blue states. Take a moment to step back as see your own “usual suspects” from the outside.
COOL, SO WHAT MAKES THIS WORK?
This question is an example of how to reflect on social problems using the actors 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 at http://www.teachingsocialchange.com.