We are living in a time of crises, uprisings and emergencies. From those fighting the climate and ecological crises to those calling for social and political change, people have a great sense of urgency. "The time to act is now!" and "Systems change!" are popular chants and phrases nowadays. We know that our world is in pain and in desperate need of restructuring. Many people are taking action, not simply due to fear or panic, but because of something more powerful: hope. Alarm and despair may dominate the rhetoric of climate activists and social justice organisers, but our ability and strength to push through these negative and distressing feelings come from our belief in positive, transformative change. Sometimes consciously, often unconsciously. Without it, why would we even mobilise, campaign and/or organise?
I must admit, it is often easy to lose sight of this hopeful drive to act. Mobilising, campaigning and organising is tough. Marches and protests on the streets might seem full of life, and energetic social media campaigns might seem inspiring and motivating; behind that work, however, I know very well how draining it can be, both physically and emotionally. Broad and holistic ideas like "system change" or “transformative action” are pretty overwhelming when you actually stop to think about the immensity of the task we are trying to carry out. Even though these concepts are grounded in material realities and change, they have a level of abstraction which makes them hard to define, and hard to pursue. So, how can we continue our climate and social action work even throughout these moments of disorder, confusion and struggle? This piece won't answer this question, as this question remains unanswered for me, but I do want to narrate how I came to understand the necessity to address it.
Last week I attended a 3-day immersion on systems leadership and sustainable development by 4SD, a social enterprise that aims to people’s support work on sustainable development. Upon arrival, I wasn't sure what I was getting into. I expected to attend as a mere representative of my organisation, sitting down and taking notes on theoretical and practical tools that could support our work as a youth-led initiative fighting the climate and ecological crises. I did gain knowledge that will benefit our organisation, however, I further embarked on a personal and reflective journey around who I am, the work I do, and how I do it. This was due to my introduction to "living systems", the concept underpinning the immersion which I had never come across before. From the moment I heard about it, it reminded me of biology lessons back in college, particularly studying how ecosystems, a community of living beings which interact among themselves and their environment, function. In retrospective, I wasn’t far off from the concept’s actual meaning.
Within the context of the immersion, living systems refers to the dynamic, active and self-organising nature of the systems we inhabit and work in. We often function through a mechanical approach, particularly in professional settings. We primarily focus on the structures, policies, and procedures that govern our actions, always concerned about the specialised and individual tasks and roles we need to perform as part of a wider system. As a structured and task-oriented person, I'm quite guilty of this. Truth be told, it does have its share of benefits in a world in which rules, efficiency, maximisation, and productivity are everything. But it is exactly because of this that such a technical approach often hampers the deep structural transformations we seek to achieve. Our “business as usual” way of working can be counterproductive to systemic change:systemic change involves change within the institutions and organisations that shape society and its structures, while the highly bureaucratic nature of these entities often prevents this change from taking place.
So how should we address such a dilemma? By adopting a living systems framework. Our society and the change-making organisations we belong to are living systems, and viewing them as such can make us more comfortable with complexity, difference, and novelty. It entails a shift of perspective from focusing on structures, policies and procedures, to prioritising communal identities, meaningful relationships and information sharing. It means being more conscious of the fact that our understanding of the world is shaped by who we are, by our values and knowledge, and by our relationships. This applies to organisations and communities as well. Disagreement, conflict and difficulties are always bound to arise, as different perspectives and subsequent ways of working abound. The question lays not in how to prevent this, but in how we deal with it, particularly in our ability to harness commotion to make spaces for radical transformation without losing ourselves in the process. Indeed, it is in the disruption of “business as usual” where systemic change is cemented, hence the value of direct action and conflict.
Learning about living systems leadership had a deep impact on my ways of being and doing. My constant focus on carrying out my assigned role and tasks can sometimes make me lose sight of that fact that I’m not a robotic individual, that I’m alive and part of something bigger than myself. Though I’m a flexible and proactive person, I mainly thrive in controlled environments with clear instructions to achieve well-defined goals. Even if externally I often manage to get by, sudden changes, ambiguity and conflict can really trouble me internally. At times, I even begin to feel alienated by my own labour, as I feel I have less and less power over it. This is coupled with the fact that climate and social action, from international conferences and high-level meetings to street demonstrations and public awareness campaigns, is arduous work.
In the end, thanks to the Immersion and my reflections on challenging experiences, I have come to the realisation that I can’t sustainably and joyfully work towards transformative and systemic change without undergoing some inner changes in my perspective and ways of functioning as part of the process. As mentioned, mobilising, campaigning and organising isn’t easy. And trying to do it without feeling comfortable in its innate intricacy, without love and positive energy is not possible in the long run.
That’s how I arrived at the conclusion that there is a need for people (like myself) to urgently learn and address how to sustain our action for systemic change even throughout disruption, uncertainty and conflict. Critically embracing the living systems approach could prove quite helpful. Social transformation happens through us and through our change-making organisations/movements. We need to prioritise our wellbeing, building trusting and positive relationships with others, developing a shared identity and a collective vision for change, and maintaining open communication channels with all involved. Now, the question that remains is how to actually do this. I say through trial and error, through practice and reflection. What do you think?
Emily B. N’Dombaxe Dola is a Campaign Assistant for Youth4Nature, currently acting as the Logistics Lead. A Bachelor of Arts in International Development graduate from the University of Sussex, she has a variety of experience in civil society organisations, campaigning and multi-sector projects. Pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology, she is particularly interested in knowledge production, the political economy, and political ecology. In her free time, she enjoys blogging and creative writing.
If you are interested to learn more about living systems, you can find additional information in the following links:
Living Systems Leadership blog by John Atkinson and David Nabarro: https://www.heartoftheart.org/?p=7604
Living Systems Leadership resources on the 4SD website: https://www.4sd.info/living-systems-leadership/