Last week we considered two ways of influencing individuals – by communicating directly with many people (Publisher) or relating with a few people at a deeper level and hoping for the change to ripple outwards, influencing many more (Pebble). But the decisions we take as individuals are shaped by the larger social, political, and economic systems around us. This concluding article considers two contrasting approaches to system change.
The Politician: changing the system from within
If there is a single organisation with the power to ensure that every child in India learns how to read, it’s certainly not my NGO. The federal government, on the other hand, could. So perhaps the best thing we can do to scale up impact is to work with the government to improve the quality of the education system. Over the past few months, I have been involved in a project to train and provide literacy materials to teachers from 200 government primary schools. If it works well, it will probably be one of the most impactful things I have ever done.
But that’s a big “if”. Like so many others before me, I’ve found that ‘system change’ is a nice slogan but pretty hard to do. Actually, make that really hard! Some teachers resisted the training, partially due to ego issues – ‘I’ve been teaching my way for 20 years, what would you know?’. Others were genuinely engaged but still faced huge challenges, which we don’t have the power to change – like a high pupil-teacher ratio and teachers being given lots of non-education administrative duties.
What if we did have the power to change it – for instance, if I was the education minister? Many good-willed people have tried to get into a position of power to change the system from the inside. For William Wilberforce the order was reversed: he was already a parliamentarian before he became the leading voice for the abolition of slavery.
However, many people find it difficult to reconcile their idealism with the compromises often demanded to remain in power. Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s environment minister who controversially approved the development of a new offshore oil project, was himself an environmental activist who joined politics ostensibly to work towards the same goals. Is this a betrayal of his ideals – or a justifiable compromise for the sake of bigger achievements?
The Prophet: speaking truth to power
The saying ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ often rings true. For some, working inside the system is unpalatable; these prophets prefer to challenge and speak truth to power, while holding up an example of what is possible instead.
In the context of literacy in India, perhaps we might decide that instead of working within the government education system, we will start our own school, which could serve as a challenge and a model for others.
Perhaps the greatest prophet of the twentieth century was Gandhi. Despite never holding political office or commanding an army, he was the key figure in the downfall of the world’s most powerful empire. His radical commitment to nonviolence and truth, and his deep connection to India’s public, were his source of his power.
Prophets and activists are sometimes undone by their own success: it is much easier to unite a diverse movement in opposition to an empire or a corporation, than to hold together a diverse coalition in favour of an alternative. Bill McKibben, prominent climate activist, argues that we are at such a transition in the climate movement – as well as opposing fossil fuels, we increasingly need to build new renewable energy infrastructure.
Being a prophetic voice is one of Servants’ key hopes – to challenge consumerism and individualism with lives of simplicity and solidarity. However, I’ve found my own modest efforts at being a prophet to be quite challenging. People sometimes are challenged by my choices, but this can lead to either putting me on a pedestal, or dismissing me as out-of-touch and irrelevant. Neither is particularly helpful!
Conclusion
We’ve examined six different ways of trying to make a large positive impact. These roles are summarised in the table below.
| Title | Theory of Change | Literacy example | Historical example | Challenges |
| Philanthropist | Money speaks louder than words | Earn & employ a lot of Indian teachers | Bill Gates | Can you stay true to your goals? Can you earn a lot ethically? |
| Physicist | Technology | Develop an app | Louis Pasteur | Can you predict the impacts of the technology? |
| Publisher | Reach a lot of people with your message | Write a book | Karl Marx | Can a book change your heart? |
| Pebble | Ripple effect | Pass-it-on literacy | Jesus | Does the message get diluted? |
| Politician | Get into power within the system | Work with the government education system | William Wilberforce | Do you need to compromise too much to get into power? |
| Prophet | Speak truth to power | Start an alternative school | Gandhi | How to avoid being dismissed? |
Reflection questions
- Do you generally prefer to work for change ‘within the system’ or to challenge the system from the outside?
- Thinking of all six roles discussed above: Which role(s) do you feel most attracted to? Which match well with your skills and experiences?
- What’s one concrete way you would like to try to make a larger impact in the world, through your life?
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