effective change strategies for the great...

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Effective change strategies for the Great TransitionFive leverage points for civil society organisations

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Acknowledgements 3

Introduction 4

1 TimetorethinkCSOstrategies 5 1.1 Systemicglobalcrises 6 1.2 Thelock-insofgovernment,businessandindividuals 6 1.3 CurrentCivilSocietyOrganisationstrategies 7 1.4 Needforanewvisionandwaysofworkingtowardsthatvision 10

2 TheGreatTransition 11 2.1 WhatistheGreatTransition? 12 2.2 Amodelforasystemictransition–meta-theoryofchange 15

3 Fiveleveragepointsforeffectivechangestrategies 20 3.1 EmbeddingsystemsthinkinginCSOpractice 21 3.2 Anewnarrative–howCSOscanworkwithourculturalvalues 25 3.3 Developingnewmodels–howCSOscansupporttheseedsoftheneweconomy 30 3.4 Anewglobalmovement–fromfragmentationtocross-sectoralcollaboration 34 3.5 EngagingfundersinCSOstrategiestowardstheGreatTransition 38

4 Nextsteps 41

References 43

ThispaperwaswrittenbyMichaelNarberhausincollaborationwithChristinaAshford,MaikeBuhr,FriederikeHanisch,KeremSengünandBurcuTunçer.Design:ElmarSanderKommunikationsdesign

ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactMichaelat [email protected] orcheck www.smart-csos.org.

Conference background paperSmart CSOs Conference • 14-15 March 2011 in London

Content

CONTENT

http://www.elmarsander.de

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Acknowledgements

Especially, I would like to thank David Fell and Anna Birney for the helpful discussions with them throughout the past year; Sandra Roling

for the inspirations we have drawn from her thesis and literature recommendations and Debbie Warrener for her great support in

developing the storyline of the report and setting up the NING platform.

I am grateful for valuable feedback on draft versions of this paper from Anna Birney, Neil Coles, Tom Crompton, David Fell, James Goldstein, Orion Kriegman, Sylvia Lorek, Piotr Magnuszewski, Sandra Roling,

Vanessa Timmer, Luke Wreford and Sara Wolcott.

Anna Birney, Danny Burns, Ian Christie, Tom Crompton, David Fell, Sophia Horwitz, Orion Kriegman, Sylvia Lorek, Piotr Magnuszewski,

Sandra Roling, Debbie Warrener, Luke Wreford and Sara Wolcott provided useful input for this paper through their discussions on the

Smart CSOs NING platform.

Initial ideas for this paper were developed at a workshop in Wuppertal (Germany) in March 2010. Participants of the workshop were: Erik Assadourian, Sarah Bladen, Nora Brüggemann, Chris Church, Tom

Crompton, Doreen Fedrigo-Fazio, David Fell, Victoria Johnson, Michael Kuhndt, Sylvia Lorek, Christian Löwe, Richard McLellan, Wolfgang

Meyer, Remi Parmentier, George Pór, Wolfgang Sachs, Eleni Sotos, Andri Stahel, Magda Stoczkiewicz and Betsy Taylor.

Michael Narberhaus, March 2011

ACkNOwlEdGEmENTs

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Introduction

According toWWF’smost recentLivingPlanetReport (WWF 2010), humanity’s demand ontheEarth’sbiocapacityisnowexceededby50%.

Twoyearsearliertheovershootwasstillat30%.Mosttrendsindicatingthehealthoftheplanet’secosystemswithitsvitalsuppliesforhumanlifelikefoodandfresh-waterarenegative.Thiscourseisdirectlylinkedwiththerapidlyincreasingdemandsfornaturalresourcesofagrowingglobal consumerclass that isenjoyingunprecedentedlevelsofmaterialwealth.Atthesametimebillionsofpeopleontheplanetstillliveinpovertywhileinequalityinmanycountriesisontherise.

Focus of this paper|Amyriadofcivilsocietyorganisations1(CSOs)allovertheplanetareworkinghard to tackleglobalenvironmentalandsocial chal-lenges.Yet,inspiteofthemanysuccesses,theglobalsustainabilitycrisisremainsunresolvedandisindeedbecoming dangerously severe at many fronts. AsGustaveSpeth(2008:78)putsit:“Wehavewonmanyvictories,butwearelosingtheplanet.Itisimportanttoaskwhy.” This paper has the ambition to stimulate debateamongCSOleadersandstrategists,fundersandaca-demicsabouttheadequatenessofcurrentCSOstrate-gies.ItanalyseswherepotentialweaknessesofcurrentCSOstrategiescanbefound.Subsequently–drawingonknowledgefromtheoryandpracticeacrossarangeofdisciplines–thepapersuggestsanumberoflever-agepointsthatCSOscanexploretodevelopmoreef-fectivestrategiesandbecomestrongerchangeagentstowardstacklingtheglobalsustainabilitycrisis. The paper refers to the larger professionalisedenvironmental and developmental CSO networks asa starting point for our analysis.Therefore much oftheanalysisandrecommendationsapplyforemosttothese typesoforganisations.However,because suc-cessfulfuturecivilsocietystrategiesthataimtotackle

the sustainability crisis will depend on a very broadcollaboration between smaller CSOs and grassroots,faithgroupsandunionsuptoanincludinglarge in-ternationalCSOnetworks,wewilltrytobeinclusiveinouranalysisandconsiderations.

The Smart CSOs initiative | Thispaperis the result of discussions and research undertakenintheSmartCSOsInitiative,acommunityofpracticeconsistingof leaders fromcivil societyorganisations,academics and funders exploring how CSOs can be-comestrongerchangeagentstowardstheGreat Transi-tiontoasustainablesocietyandeconomy.TheprojectwasinitiatedwithinthecontextoftheECfundedActionTown2projectandwasledbyWWF-UKwithsupportfromCSCP.Discussionswere kick-started at awork-shopinWuppertal(Germany)inMarch2010andwerecontinued through an online platform (Smart CSOsNING).

The Smart CSOs Conference|Thispaperhasbeenpreparedasaconferencebackgroundpaperto informandstimulatetheSmartCSOsConferenceorganisedbyWWF-UKinMarch2011inLondon.TheSmartCSOsConferenceisthefinalconferenceoftheActionTownproject. The paper is not suggesting the silver bullets fortomorrow’s successful CSO strategies. The authorsacknowledge that the research areas touched uponin this paper are very diverse, broad and challeng-ing.Duetoresourcesandtimelimitstheycouldnotbeanalysed indepth.However,wehopethatouref-forts will be a valuable contribution to the debateat the conference and beyond. At the conference,we hope that together with the invited CSO lead-ers, academics and funders we can take our cur-rent thinking to the next level and develop practicalwaysforwardthatcanbuildontheworksofar.

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INTrOduCTION

1) DefinitionforCSOusedinthispaper(adaptedfromtheLSECentreforCivilSociety):Civilsocietyreferstothearenaofuncoercedcollectiveactionaround socialandenvironmentalcauses,purposesandvalues.CSOscommonlyembraceadiversityofspaces,actorsandinstitutionalforms,varyingintheirdegree offormality,autonomyandpower.CSOsareoftenpopulatedbyorganizationssuchasregisteredcharities,developmentalandenvironmentalNGOs, communitygroups,women'sorganizations,faith-basedorganizations,tradeunions,socialmovementsandcivilsocietyadvocacygroupsandcoalitions.2) ActionTownisanFP7projectandkindlyfundedbytheEuropeanCommission.ItsofficialnameisCSOContribution2SCP.

I hope the exceptionally important Smart CSOs Conference, as it does its work, will draw inspiration from recent events in Egypt and elsewhere. We need an environmental revolution – nonviolent but decidedly activist, a global citizens movement – otherwise governments will continue to ignore the need for transformative change." Gus Speth, February 13, 2011

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1Time to rethink CSO strategies

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Climatechange, food insecurity,droughts, re-sourcescarcityandpovertyaredifferentsidesofthesameglobalsustainabilitycrisis.While

economicdevelopmenthasimprovedthematerialliv-ingconditionsofmillions,thecapacityoftheearthtosupplyresourcesandabsorbwasteisbeingexceededwith disproportional impacts on the world’s poorestandmostvulnerablecommunities.Atthesametimethegrowingglobalconsumerclasswithincreasinglyresourceintensivelifestylesisincreasingthepressureontheplanet’secosystems. These crises are wicked problems – issues “withlarge complexity, great uncertainty, high stakes andsteering problems” (Rotmans and Kemp 2003: 7).Localsolutionscanoftennotbereachedbecausethe

causesandimpactsofissueslikeclimatechangeandbiodiversitylossareoftenfarremovedgeographically(across the developed and developing world) and/orintime(betweencurrentandfuturegenerations).In addition, conventional linear approaches to theseissuesareoftenfailingbecauseofcomplexfeedbackloops in the system. For example, so-called rebound effects occur,whereinitiallypositiveresultsarecoun-teredbyopposingfollow-up-effectsfurtherremovedin the system (Jackson 2010: 62f ). Similarly, issuesaresystemically interlinked inthatasolutiontooneproblem often leads to a different problem (e.g. in-tensive agriculture has addressed scarcity of food,buthasalsocausedsterilesoilsand increasedGHGemissions Clearly the global sustainability crisiscannotbeadequatelyaddressedwithafocusonsin-gleissuesandsymptoms.Wickedproblemsrequireamuchdeeperrethinkingofthewaytheeconomy,thepoliticalsystemandsocietyworks. As today’s challenges are complex and intercon-nected, responses need to reflect this complexity.This raisesan importantquestionas towhether thedominantactorsintheeconomy,includingCSOs,arerespondingtothesecrisesinacommensuratemanner.

1.1 Systemic global crises

Thereisageneralexpectationforgovernments,businessesandevenindividuals/consumerstobringtheworldtowardsapathofsustainability.

However,thedominantparadigmssurroundingthesesocial actors seem to bound their actions and con-strainthemindevelopingeffectiveresponsesfortheglobalsystemiccrises:

Governments | Path dependencies in thepolitical arena prevent far-reaching societal change(LeggewieandWelzer,2010:6).Inparticular,theso-cialandeconomicbenefitsoftacklingclimatechangearenotperceivedtomaterialisewithinthetimehori-zonofelectednationalpoliticiansindevelopedcoun-tries.Governmentsthereforearereluctanttoactand

bear the conflict between tough action against cli-matechangeandtheprevailingeconomicparadigm.Instead, political strategy and action is shaped byshorttimehorizons.Theresultisoftenanabundanceof long-termtargets,butalackofpoliciestodeliverthem(Hale,2010:256).Inaddition,mostgovernmentresponses to global issues like climate change andpovertyrelyheavilyonmarketandpolicyinstruments.Forexampletradeliberalisationisatypicalinstrumentaimedatreducingpovertyandtechnologicalinnovationismeanttoreconcileeconomicgrowthwithecologicallimits (decoupling strategy). Current deliberationsaround‘greengrowth’and‘eco-innovations’arevar-iations of this pattern. Intergovernmental agenciessuch as OECD work on policy recommendations to

1.2 The lock-ins of government, business and individuals

1 | TImE TO rEThINk CsO sTrATEGIEs

We will not change course by addressing each of these [symptoms such as global warming, deforestation; desertification; poisoning of soil, water, air; etc.] as separate issues; we have to address the cultural root causes” (Sacks 2009)

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help governments target business and consumerbehaviour, both by sending out the right economicsignalsandbyraisingawareness(OECD,2010). Whilstmarketandpolicyinstrumentsforsustaina-bilityareimportant,publicpolicymeasuresfocusingsolelyontechnicaltransitionsandgreentechnologiesareunlikelytobeadequatetothegrowingchallenges,especiallyifseeninthecontextofwesternlifestylesbeing rapidly adopted in countries like China andIndia.AsRaskin(2010:121)hasputit,thisdependenceonincrementalapproacheswouldbesimilartogoingupthedownescalator.

Business |Today,onlyafewforward-lookingcor-porations work in partnership with governments andCSOstoestablishhighstandardsforsociallyandenvi-ronmentally responsibleproductsandservices.Undergrowingpressure,itislikelythatmorebusinesseswillbecome allies for a progressive transformation of theglobaleconomy(Vogel,2005inRaskin,2010).Still,duetothenatureoffinancialmarketsandthepressureforfastgrowthandshareholdervalue,corporationsarecon-strainedintheiractionsandareleftwithlittlemargintoactastrue global citizens.Forthenextwaveofinnovation,evenconventionalmanagementguruslikeMichaelPor-terandMarkKramer(2011)callforaredesignofthecor-porations’purpose.Theaimshouldbe“creatingsharedvalue,notjustprofitperse”whichwillreshapecapital-ismanditsrelationshiptosociety(PorterandKramer,2011:64).Yetuntilthen,effortstoencouragecorporate responsibility canbeexpectedtocontinuetodeliveronlyincrementaladjustmentstoconventionaldevelopment.

Individuals (consumers) | Much of themorerecentpolicydebateonclimatechangehasfo-cussedonthequestionofhowtoachievetheso-calledbehaviour changeofconsumerstowardsmoresustain-

able consumption.The focus in research and policyhaslargelybeenonapplyingpoliciesandinstrumentsto encourage individual behaviour change.The suc-cessesof theseattemptshavebeenvery limitedandwhileawarenessandconcernsonglobalenvironmen-talandsocialissuesmightberelativelyhighinmanycountries,people’sbehaviour remains inmost caseslargelyunaffected.Astrikingexampleofthisso-calledattitude-behaviourgapisthefactthatthemostenvi-ronmentallycommitted1%of theUKpopulationflymoreonaveragethattheother99%(Hale,2010:261). Thereasonforthisisthatconsumerbehaviourandmotivationarecomplexanddeeplyentrenchedinhab-its,emotions,socialandculturalnormsandeconomicframeworks.Therhetoricofconsumersovereigntyisinaccurateandunhelpfulbecauseitregardschoiceasentirelyindividualisticandbecauseitfailstounravelthesocialandpsychologicalinfluencesonpeople’sbe-haviour(Jackson,2005:xii). Infact,individualbehaviourissomuchembeddedinourexistingsocialandeconomicstructuresthatweoftenfindourselves‘lockedin’toexistingsystemsofprovision(SDC,2006).Lock-inoccursinpartthroughperverse incentive structures–economic constraints,institutional barriers, or inequalities in access thatactivelyencourageunsustainablebehaviours.Forthis,anindividualalone,givenhis/herroleasaconsumer,seemstohavelittlepowertoactasakeychangeagent. Theaboveindicatesthatgovernments,businessandindividualsarecurrentlyconstrainedintheirpotentialtodevelopcommensurateresponsestotacklethesys-temicglobalcrisesweare facing. Therearechangeagents within government and business and at theindividuallevel;however,thedominantstructuresareresisting transformational approaches and change.Thequestionbecomes:whoisbestplacedtoleadandbuildthemomentumfortransformativechange?


3) AlthoughwearereferringtomoreexamplesandresearchonenvironmentalCSOs,manyofthepatternsandconclusionsinthischapterareequally validfordevelopmentalCSOsaswellasothernon-environmentalCSOs.

1.3 Current Civil Society Organisation3 strategies

Thisbringsourattentiontothepotentialofan-other increasingly important social actor todevelop strong agency to tackle the global

problems:CivilSocietyOrganisations.Similartogov-

ernments,CSOshaveamandatetoservesociety’sin-terests, but they do not face the same constraints asgovernments.CSOshaveatrackrecordofsuccess inmakingapositivedifferenceforabettersociety.More-

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theinherentinterestandcapabilitytobecomesustain-ablebusinessesifonlytheytryhardenough. The vision of many environmental organisationsremains inherently based on the assumption thattechnologywillbeabletosolvemostenvironmentalproblems.Yet, many campaigns promoting techno-logical solutions are in fact ‘dealing-with-the-effectsapproaches’thatleadtoquickfixesandtopickingthelow-hangingfruit.However,quickfixesonlyaddressthesymptoms,nottheunderlyingcauses.Forexam-ple, whilst car efficiency standards can be tightenedandimproved,consumersmaycontinuetodrivemoreandmoremilesbecauseofalackofefficientalterna-tivepublictransport.(Speth2008) OnereasonforthisisthatmuchofthefundingforCSOsisdirectedtowardscampaigningfortechnologicalsolutions,leavinglittlespacetogobeyondpragmaticincremental approaches. This holds true for a largepartofthefundingCSOsreceivefromtheEU,nationalgovernments, large foundations and through theircorporatepartnerships.Inaddition,thereisageneralpressurewithinCSOstopromotepositivevisionsandpracticalsolutionsandtobeabletocelebrateshort-term successes that satisfy funders. Consequently,instead of paying attention to long-term transfor-mational change, the work tends to become overlyshort-termfocussedandtactical(ChurchandNarber-haus2009:26).FinallymanyCSOsareveryconcernedaboutcomingacrossasmoralisingwithmessageslike‘people should consume less’.This is based on pastexperienceswherecampaignswiththistonefailed. MostmainstreamCSOstrategiestendtobeprag-maticandtrytomakethesystemworkfortheenviron-mentandforthepoor.However,duetothesystemicnatureoftoday’sproblemsandthedestructivepowerofsomeof theunderlyingsystemdrivers, focussingonincrementalsolutionsandtechnicalfixeswillulti-matelynotbeenoughtotackletoday’sglobalcrises.

Focus on national and international advocacy | Asadirectconsequenceofthisprag-maticapproach,muchofthecurrentworkinenviron-mentalCSOsfocusesoninfluencingnationalgovern-mentsorinternationalpolicyprocesses.Today,CSOsoftentaketheroleofpolicyadvisors(Rogall2004:257)and/ordevelopcampaignsaimedatmobilisingpublicopinion to lobbygovernments to takeactiononcli-matechangeorotherglobalissues.


4) ThesurveywaspartoftheActionTownProject.ItgaveanoverviewofeffectiveandlesseffectiveCSOstrategiesinthefieldofsustainableconsumption andproductionandaboutgapsincapacityandknowledgeCSOshaveinthisfield.Thesurveywasconductedbymeansofin-depthinterviewsofaselect groupof22representativesfromCSOsandresearchorganisations.

over,CSOs areoften seen as themost trusted socialactorsamongstpeople.Forexample,apollofalmost5,000 people in 22 countries, says that NGOs com-mand trust among62percentof thepublic–higherthan the figures for business, government or themedia(Edelman,2010).FromthisitbecomesclearthatCSOshavethepower,agencyandmandatetobeanim-portantforceintacklingtoday’sglobalchallenges.In-deedtheenvironmentalmovementhasachievedmanyundeniablesuccessesoverthelastdecades,e.g.inspe-ciesconservation,cleanerrivers,andcleanerair.Morerecently,environmentalCSOsallover theworldhavehelpedputclimatechangeonthepoliticalagendawithsomenotablepolicysuccessesandahighlevelofpublicawarenessaboutclimatechangeinmanycountries. However,fewwoulddenythatthemostthreateningglobalenvironmentalandsocialtrendsareworsening.Therefore,manymainstreamenvironmentalaswellasdevelopmentalCSOsincreasinglyrecognisethattheircurrentstrategiesandtacticsmightbeinsufficientatbestandinadequateattheworst. Aspartoftheresearchphaseofthisprojectwecon-ducted a survey4 – 22 CSO leaders and researcherswere interviewed– and an extensive review of rele-vant literature. From this body of evidence we haveidentifiedanumberofcorereasonswhycurrentCSOstrategiesarenotutilisingtheirfullpotentialtosolvesystemicissues–weanalysethembelow:• Focusonshort-termincrementalchange• Focusonnationalandinternationaladvocacy• Focusonsingleissues• FewalliancesacrossCSOsectors• Thescientificrationalapproach

Focus on short-term incremental change |Theworkinenvironmentalorganisationstoday is dominated by environmental impact state-mentsandgoodproposalsforsensibleenvironmen-talaction,includingcallsformarketinstrumentsandmany other kinds of regulations. Most importantlytheunderlyingassumptionofmostactivitiesinenvi-ronmentalaswellasdevelopmentalorganisations isthatglobalproblemscanbesolvedwithinthesystem.Thereisageneralbeliefintheefficacyofgovernmentactionandintheusefulnessofenvironmentaladvocacywithin the system (Speth 2008: 69). Similarly, mostpartnershipsbetweenCSOsandglobalcompaniesarearguablybuiltonthefaiththatlargecorporationshave

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Many mainstream national CSOs do not move be-yond this top-down approach. Only a few carry outlocalengagementprojectsexploringthepotentialoflocalsocialchangeprojectsandempowermentoflocalchangeagentsfortransitionsincommunities.Theseactivitiesareusuallyseenasadditionalresourcesthatare developing parallel to the system and observedfromadistance.Asaresult,bottom-upstrategies,i.e.empoweringlocalcommunitiestounderstandandactonenvironmentalcrises,arerare.Reasonsaremulti-pleincludingtheirvoluntarycharacter,limitedfund-ingandscalabilityproblems.(Roling2010:42-43) However, as explained above, path dependenciesin politics prevent far-reaching societal change andpuretop-downapproachesarenolongersufficientforchallengeslikeclimatechange(Hale2010).Theyfailtoacknowledgetherealityandthelimitationsofthepo-litical economy.Additionaloralternativeapproachesarethereforeneeded.

Focus on single issues | Most projectsandactivitiesinmainstreamCSOsarestillorganisedaround single issues like climate change, speciesloss,toxics,forestandmarineprotection(ChurchandNarberhaus 2009: 22) as well as poverty alleviationindevelopmentalCSOs. In fact,manyCSOsarestillentirely organised around issues and have a strongculturearoundspecificexpertise,whichisemphasisedbythefactthatprofessionalpathwaysingeneraldrivetowardsdeepspecialisation(Leonard2010:xii). Thismeansthatmuchoftheworkhappensinsilosandtheconnectionsbetweenthedifferentissuesareoftennotseen.Giventhesystemicandcomplexnatureofsomanyoftoday’sproblems,theresponsesthroughthissiloworkareofteninadequate. Onereasonforthisisthattheinterestsofdonorstend to favour a “narrow issue oriented approach,encouragingCSOstospecialize indelineatedniches(or issue silos) despite thegrowingawarenessof theinterrelated nature of today’s challenges” (Kriegman2006: 10). Furthermore, CSOs also have to demon-stratetofundersthattheiractivitiesarehavinganim-pact,whichisusuallymeasuredintermsoftangible,pre-determinedoutputs.Thismeansthatprojectsandprogrammesaredesignedfromtheverybeginningtobeshortterm,limitedinscopeandmission,andeasilymonitoredandevaluated.Theseall limitengagementwithbigger,morecomplexissues.

Few alliances across CSO sectors |Asadirectconsequenceofthesingle-issuefocustherearefeweffectivecollaborationsandalliancesacrossCSOsectors.ThedifferentconstituenciesoftheCSOsectorcommonlydefinetheproblemsnarrowlyaccordingtotheirownspecialinterestinsteadofdevelopingvisionsthat link issues in an inclusive way and harness thepotential of much broader collaboration and move-ments.Forexamplewhenalliancesaresoughtbyen-vironmentalorganisations,othernon-environmentalCSOsareofteninvitedtouniteundertheumbrellaofanenvironmentalprobleminsteadoftryingtoidentifythecommoninterestsandvalues. “Environmentalism will never be able to musterthestrengthitneedstodealwiththeglobalwarmingproblemaslongasitisseenasaspecialinterest.Anditwillcontinuetobeseenasaspecialinterestaslongasitnarrowlyidentifiestheproblemasenvironmentaland the solutions as technical.” (Shellenberger andNordhaus2004:26)

The scientific rational approach |ThehistoryandbackgroundofenvironmentalCSOsandtheiremployeesaregroundedinthenaturalsciences.Thenaturalscienceshavecontributedmanysophisti-catedscientificandpolicyanalysesofclimatechange,species loss, and other critical environmental issues(Leiserowitz and Fernandez 2008); the movementwouldbeatlosswithoutthisfoundation.However, rational (scientific) arguments alone willnotovercomepoliticalandculturalbarriers(Shellen-bergerandNordhaus2004).Thefailureofthesummiton climate change in 2009 in Copenhagen (COP15)wasaclearexampleofhowtheassumptionthattheglobal political system could be convinced to takestrongactionbymakingthescientificrationalcasewaswrong.ForCSOstobecomesuccessfulininfluencingour complex political, social and human systems,they need to draw more on, engage with and buildontrans-disciplinaryknowledgeandinsightsfromthesocialsciences. IndeedsinceCOP15,theneedtogainabetter in-sightintohowbehaviourchangecanbefacilitatedandhowmessagingcanbemademoreeffectiveandposi-tiveisrecognisedbymanyenvironmentalanddevelop-mentalNGOs(Roling2010:40-41).


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From our analysis it became obvious that thecomplexityandsystemicnatureofthesustain-abilitycrisis(andtheconsequentialneedfora

broadeconomicandsocialtransition)hasnotyetbeenembedded in theworkofmostCSOs.However, theneedtogobeyondcurrentreactivesymptoms-related actionsand instead look for radicalandtransforma-tivechangehasclearlybeenrecognisedbymanyCSOleaders(ChurchandNarberhaus2009:23). In theory it might seem plausible that regulatoryandmarketinstrumentswouldresultinrenewableen-ergyandefficiencymeasurestacklingclimatechangewithout theneed foranymajor changes inour life-stylesand in theglobalisedgrowthbasedeconomicstructures.However,thecomplexityofthisundertak-inginthecontextofaglobalpopulationsoonreaching9billionallaimingtoreachWesternlivingstandardsisputtinghumanityonanextremelyriskypathway.Andifviewedinthecontextofaplanetthatishittingitsplanetaryboundariesatmanydifferentlevels(climate,biodiversity, land use, toxics, fresh water etc.) andwhereeconomicgrowthsystematicallyfailstotrickledownto thepoor, itbecomesobvious that tryingtofixenvironmentalandsocialproblemsissuebyissuewhilemaintaining(oraspiringto)thelifestylesoftheglobalconsumersociety,aswellascurrenteconomicstructuresandvaluesisclearlyanillusion. Ifthecurrentglobalisedshareholderprofitmaximi-sationdriveneconomyandour consumerist culture

areattheheartofthesystemicproblems,thenafocusonmarketapproachesandgreenproductsislikelytoreinforceadeeplyunsustainablesystem. Duetothenatureofthecrisis,atransitiontoatrulyjust and sustainable global society will therefore re-quire broad and deep systemic change across everyrealm(Kriegman2006:9).Thisincludestechnologies,legislation, economic and governance institutions,socialrelations,cultureandvalues(Raskin2010:128). Therefore,futureCSOstrategiesmusttakeintoac-count that the current focuson incremental changewithinthesystemwillnotbesufficientormightevenunderminetransformativechange. Moreover,attemptsbyCSOstotackletheproblemsissuebyissuewithanarrowpolicyapproachfailtogalva-nisethenecessarybroadpublicsupportthatwouldcre-atethepoliticalwillformoreradicalgovernmentaction. Inorder tomakesuchabroadandstrongmove-ment possible, CSOs urgently require a broad andunifying vision for a sustainable future.AdditionallyCSOsneedtorethinkandredesignthewaystheyworkandhowtheytrytoinfluencethepolitical,socialandhumansystemstowardssustainability. The remainder of this paper draws on the know-ledgegatheredthroughthediscussionsintheSmartCSOscommunityaswellasthroughourliteraturere-viewtostartdevelopinganumberofleveragepointsthatcanhelpCSOstobecomestrongchangeagentstowardssystemicchange.

The starting point must be to unravel the forces that keep us in damaging denial ... the profit motive stimulates a continual search for newer, better or cheaper products and services. Our own relentless search for novelty and social status locks us into an iron cage of consumerism. Affluence has itself betrayed us.” ( Jackson 2009)

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1.4 Need for a new vision and ways of working towards that vision


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2The Great Transition

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TheGreatTransitionisaconceptualframeworkfor anew vision for a sustainableglobal eco-nomyandsocietyandpathwaystogetthere.It

wasoriginallyproposedbytheGlobalScenarioGroup(Raskinetal.2002)andhassincethenbeenadoptedbyotherslikee.g.theNewEconomicsFoundation(Sprattet al. 2010). This paper is not the space to go intothedetailsof the researchand ideas thathavebeendeveloped todateabout thechanges inpolitics, theeconomy and society that would bring about thisvision.Thesourcesmentionedaboveareagoodstart-ingpoint fordivingdeeper into thevision for thoseinterested. In addition, and for the purpose of this paper –which is forCSOsto learn fromtheoryandpracticenewwaystoinfluencepoliticsandsocietyandeventu-allybecomemuchstrongerchangeagentsforasus-tainablefuture–wedonotallneedto(andshouldnot)agreeonthesamevisionforasustainablefuture. Nobodyknowsexactlyhowwewill achievea sus-tainableworld,orwhatitwilllooklike.Thereisaneedforabroaddiversityofideas,approachesandpoliciesto experiment with. Differences in history, culture,geographyetc.willensureandrequireabroadrangeofdifferentvisionsandpathways.However,wearguein this paper that the more CSOs can agree on thecore(underlying)valuesandprinciplesforatransitionto sustainability, themore successful changeagentstheywillbecome. Belowwefleshoutthekeypremisesandprinciplesof theGreatTransitionthataredistinctiveaswellassome of the emerging innovation areas of the neweconomy.Mostimportantlywearguethattheseprin-ciples and policies could become important gamechangers in the fight to tackleglobalecologicalandsocialcrises. Asexplainedinchapter1,mostCSOspursueaprag-maticapproach,bybreakingdowntheproblemsintomanageablepieces (issues).They try toachievewhatis possible in the short-term without attempting amedium to long-term shift in the fundamentalparameters in the system like values, life styles andeconomic structures. This pragmatic approach alsomeansthatthefocusisonsymptomsratherthanrootcauses,leavinglittleroomforunifyingframeworksandvisionsbetweenthedifferentconstituenciesofCSOs.

TheGreatTransitionturnsthecurrentrealityaroundand explicitly demands that CSOs adopt a unifyingframeworkfordeepsystemicchangewithafocusontacklingrootcausesratherthansymptoms.Further-more it isbasedontheacknowledgementthatsoci-etalvaluesandlifestyles,aswellasthestructuresofthecurrenteconomicsystem,arenotsetinstoneandthattheycanandmustchangeifwewanttohaveaseriouschancetotackletoday’sglobalcrises.

Premises |ThesearesomeofthedistinctpremisestheGreatTransitionisbasedon:

• systemic change is needed:Themarketand currentpoliticsalonecannotsolvethesystemic globalcrises,butdeepsystemicchangeisrequired withachangeinourculturalvalues,lifestylesand economicstructures.• A shift in cultural values is a condition:Oneofthe mostimportantpillarsoftheGreatTransitionis theemergenceofanewconsciousness.Currently dominantmaterialisticculturalvaluesshouldshift towardsmoreintrinsic(orbigger-than-self ) values.Thiswouldincludeabiggersenseofinter- connectednesswithnatureandwithothersandan empathywithhumanityasawhole(globalempathy).• An economy beyond material growth and beyond consumerism is desirable, achievable and necessary:Anumberofempiricalstudiesshowthat indicatorslikelifesatisfactionandindividual happinessdonotsignificantlyincreaseandeven stagnatewhencertainlevelsofmaterialwealth (approx.$15.000)havebeenachieved(Jackson 2010:40).Thismakesthecaseagainstfurther economicgrowthinrichcountries,whileofcourse thereisconsiderablemarginforbetterliving conditionsandacaseformoreeconomicgrowth fortheworld’spoor.• An economic system beyond GdP is possible:The currentfixationonGDPasnationalandsocietal successindicatorisasocialconstructionthatcan bechanged.Itentirelydependsonthewillof humanitytoinventaneconomicsystemthatis guidedbydifferentparametersandthatwould workforhumanwellbeingandtheplanet.

2.1 What is the Great Transition?

2 | ThE GrEAT TrANsITION

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• A culture beyond consumerism is possible: Thesamehappenswithconsumerism.Whilehuman beingsarenotbornasentirelyintrinsiccreatures andthehumaninstinctforsurvivalimpliesa certain levelof innateselfishness,mostofhuman behaviourisinrealityculturalandtodaythe culturalparadigminmanypartsoftheworldis consumerism5(Assadourian2010:8).Yet,ifbusi- nessinterestsandadvertisementhavecreated consumerism,thereverseisalsopossible.

Principles |Iftheabovearethepremisesofwhatisneeded,desirableandpossible,theGreatTransitionalsofollowsarangeofprinciplesthatmakeitauni-fyingframeworkforasystemicshifttoasustainableworld.TheEarthCharterprinciplesonecologicallim-its, social justice, peace and democracy represent a

comprehensivesetofprinciplesthatareusefulfortheGreatTransition towards theneweconomy (seealsotable1).Moreconcretely,aneweconomywouldhavetototallyrethinkourcurrentsystemsofconsumptionandproductioninordertoeventuallyfulfilitsoriginalpurpose:ameanstoanendtoservesocietalinterest.The new economy could be created according to ahierarchyofprinciplesstartingfromtheendfollowedbythemeans(seealsofigure1).

• societal wellbeing principle: Thepoliticaland socialsystemwouldworkwiththeoverarching principletoenablepeopletoliveaspirituallyand sociallyfulfillinglife.Thefundamentalquestionsof whatisagoodsocietyandwhatisagoodlife wouldbeinthecentreofthedebateandthefocus ofsocietalandpoliticalefforts.

Table 1: The four pillars (sixteen principles) of the Earth Charter

I. respect and Care for the Community of life• RespectEarthandlifeinallitsdiversity.• Careforthecommunityoflife.• Builddemocraticsocieties.• SecureEarth’sbountyandbeautyforpresentandfuturegenerations.

II. Ecological Integrity• Protectandrestorebiologicaldiversityandthenaturalprocessesthatsustainlife.• Preventharmtotheenvironmentandapplyaprecautionaryprinciple.• Adoptpatternsofproduction,consumptionandreproductionthatsafeguardtheenvironment, humanrightsandcommunitywell-being.• Advanceunderstandingofecologicalsustainability.

III. social and Economic Justice• Eradicatepoverty.• Economicactivitiesandinstitutionstopromotehumandevelopmentinanequitableand sustainablemanner.• Affirmgenderequalityanduniversalaccesstosocialandeconomicresources.• Upholdtherightofalltoanenvironmentsupportiveofdignity,healthandwellbeing.

IV. democracy, Nonviolence, and Peace• Strengthendemocraticinstitutionsatalllevels.• Teachknowledge,valuesandskillsneededforasustainablewayoflife.• Treatalllivingbeingswithrespectandconsideration.• Promoteacultureoftolerance,nonviolenceandpeace.


5) Consumerismis“aculturalpatternthatleadspeopletofindmeaning,contentment,andacceptanceprimarilythroughtheconsumptionof goodsandservices”(Assadourian2010:8)

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• sufficiency principle:Aredesignoftheeconomy couldstartwiththequestion:Whatlevelandwhat typeofconsumptiondopeoplereallyneedto live agoodandfulfillinglife?Howmanyhomes, flights,cars,shoesetc.areenough?Howfastdo weneedtotravel?Theslowfood,slowcitiesetc. movementsaregoodexamplesofhowqualityof lifecanbeimprovedbytakingspeedoutofthe economyandeverybody’slife.• Efficiency principle:Itcouldthenaskthequestion ofwhatproduct-servicemodelscanmostresource /energyefficientlyfulfilaparticularidentifiedneed. Thiscanbeaboutenergyefficiencyofhomes, vehicles,machinesetc.Howeveritcanalsobe aboutstructuralquestionsaboutoureconomy suchas,howmuchglobalisationofproductchains makessense?Doweneedtolocaliselargepartsof theeconomysuchasfoodproduction?Canwe fulfilaparticularneedmoreefficientlybyswitch- ingfromproductownershiptoservice,e.g.car clubs(carsharing)orsharingproductsinacom- munity(e.g.lawn-mower)?• Consistency principle:Eventuallycommodities (likeenergy,timber,metals,cotton,fish,water) shallbeproducedand/orextractedintheleast harmfulwayforthenaturalenvironment.This includesforemosttheproductionofrenewable energy,sustainabletimber,fish,wateruseetc.

Itisimportanttocontinuedevelopingmoresustainableandefficienttechnologiesandtodeploythemunderthestrictruleoftheprecautionaryprinciple.Howeveramoreholisticapproachoftransformingthesystemsof sustainable consumption and production in richcountries, would more realistically allow for a com-mensurate reduction of the environmental impact.Importantlyitwouldgivethepoorthenecessarymar-gin to increase their level of resource consumptionandreachsimilarlevelsofwellbeing(shrinkandshareprinciple).

Emerging innovation areas for thenew economy | Theaboveisofcourseahighlysimplifiedmodeltodescribethewaythatconsump-tion and production systems can be transformed.Achieving this depends on identifying the right lev-eragepoints inthesystemandonahighlycomplexprocess of social and political change, most likely a

coevolving and ideally mutually reinforcing processofculturalandpoliticalchange.Itwillrequireradicalchanges in nearly every societal and economicinstitutionofourmodernworldandprobablythein-vention and creation of many new institutions. Tomentionjustafewoftheemerginginnovationareasfortheneweconomy:

• Bigchangeswillbeneededinthelabourmarkets witharethinkingofthedistributionbetweenpaid labourandnonpaidlabour(Cooteetal.2010).The GreatTransitionassumesthatconsumptioninrich countriesdoesnotincreaseanymore(ineconomic terms,onaverageandinthelongrun).Thencon- sistentlywagesshouldnotincreaseandproductivity increasesshouldreducetheworkingweek.On theotherhandpeoplewillincreasethetimespent incommunityworkore.g.growingtheirownfood andcooking…• Alternativemoneysystemswithlocalandregional currenciestoincreaselocalresilienceandsupport

Figure 1: hierarchy of principles

societal wellbeing Principle

sufficiencyPrinciple

EfficiencyPrinciple

ConsistencyPrinciple

Political and social system

Economy


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DevelopingatheoryofchangeforCSOsfortheGreatTransitionisnotanexerciseofprediction.InsteaditisaboutdevelopingthemostplausiblescenarioofhowCSOscanachieveavisionofasustainableeconomy,assumingtheyareabletomobilisesufficientforcesatmanylevelsinasmartway.Thetheoreticalmulti-levelperspective(MLP)modelseemstobeanappropriateand flexible enough framework to develop such a

robusttheoryofchangeandtoexplorehowCSOscandevelopastrongagencytowardstheGreatTransition.

Multi-level perspective6 |Thiswasinitiallydeveloped in systems innovation theory and, basedonhistorical studiesof theemergenceofnew tech-nologiesandinfrastructure.Ithassubsequentlybeenexpanded to more generally explain changes in the

localeconomiccyclesandwithaspecialfocuson takingpressureoutofthegrowtheconomy.• Importantchangesinthewayglobalcorporations andfinancialmarketsoperateandincorporate ownershipmodels:Emergingthemesinclude morecooperativetypeownershipmodelsor changesandlimitationsinthewaysharescan betradedinstockmarketstomitigatethecurrent shorttermprofitfocusandspeculation.Ultimately

itisaboutthetransitionfromthecurrentmodelof shareholdervaluemaximisationtoamodelof businessthatdeliverslong-termsocialand ecologicalvalue.

ThenextsectionsandchapterswillconcentrateonthequestionofhowtheGreatTransitiontoasustainableeconomy can happen and how CSOs can becomestrongchangeagentstowardsthisvision.

Figure 2: multi-level perspective (Geels, 2002)

macro level (landscape)

meso level (regimes)

micro level (niches)

2.2 A model for a systemic transition – meta-theory of change


6) Thispaperdoesnotattempttointerfereintheongoingacademicdebateaboutsocio-technicaltransitionsandtheMLP.Furthermoreweare notclaimingahighscientificrigorinrelatingtotheMLPandaremakingaflexibleuseoftheframeworktoadaptittothespecificsoftheconcept oftheGreatTransition.

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systemsthroughwhichsocietalfunctionsarerealised(Smithetal.2010:439),andparticularlytoexplorewaysofsteeringsocietytowardssustainablepractices(Rot-mans et al. 2001). The MLP distinguishes betweenthreeinterconnectedsystemlevels7(seealsofigure2):

• Themacro-level,orlandscapeiswheresocietal cultureandvalueslie.

• Themeso-level,orregimes,includethedominant infrastructuresandtechnologies,aswellasthe currentpoliticalandeconomicinstitutionsandthe regulatoryframeworks(thesefactorstogether comprisethecurrenteconomicsystem).

• Themicro-level,orniches isthearenawhere socio-technicalinnovationhappens.Thisiswhere theseedsoftheneweconomy(innovativemodels ofsustainablelifestyles,business,politicaland societalinstitutions,technologyetc.)arebeing developedandexperimentedwith.

Theinteractionsbetweenthethreesystemlevelswilldeterminetheemergence(ornot)ofaGreatTransi-tion,i.e.thesystemictransitiontotheneweconomyasoutlinedabove. Regimescompriseallthestructuresandinstitutionsshapingthestatusquo.Itisherewhereso-calledlock-ins occur: existing capabilities and knowledge, eco-nomiccostofchanges,vested interests,politicsandpower relations, established infrastructures, institu-tions,markets and consumer cultures combine intoacomplexsystemthat tendstoself-stabilizearoundthestatusquoandrejectanytendenciesforsystemicchange(Scraseetal.2009:19ff ). TheGreatTransitionisultimatelyaboutunlockingthesestructuresandinstitutionsandeitherhelpthemtoradicallytransformthemselvesorreplacethemwithnewonesthatareneededfortheneweconomy.Thisiswhenradical(systemic)innovationseventuallybreakoutoftheirnichesandbecomemainstream,i.e.theyusewindowsofopportunityandgainsufficientsup-portinthemainstream.AsafundamentalpillaroftheGreatTransition, themacro-levelplaysan importantroleinourinterpretationoftheMLPinthatapotentialshiftinsocietalvalueswouldcreateacultureofsup-portforthenewradicalinnovationsandhelpthemtobecomemainstreamatamuchfasterpace.

Currentlythemomentumforsuchatransitionisnotsufficient.Butweargueinthenextsectionthatthiscouldchange ifCSOsadoptanumberofnew rolesthat intervene in the three system levels and canpotentiallycreateanewpositivedynamic.

Meta-theory of change|DiscussionsintheSmartCSOscommunityaswellasour literaturere-viewhavesofaridentifiedanumberofcoreleveragepoints which, if taken seriously by CSO leaders,researchersandfunders,couldhelpCSOstobecomemuch stronger change agents towards the GreatTransition.Weare conscious thatour current think-ingisnotthefinalrecipeforCSOsto save the world and that much more debate, research and actionresearch is needed to continuously improve thisthinking, but we are confident about our selectioninsofar as a broad number of leading thinkers andpractitionershavecometoconclusionsthatallpointinasimilardirection. Table 2 is summarising the five strategic leveragepoints identified and shows how they are designedtoaddresstheweaknessesincurrentCSOstrategiesidentifiedinchapter1.


7) TheMLPliteratureseestheeconomicsystemasanexogenousfactorandincludesitinthemacro-level.Forthepurposeofthispaperwhere thetransitionfromoneeconomicmodeltoanewoneisatthecore,weconsidertheeconomicsystemasendogenousandthereforeitrepresents ineffectthewholemeso-level.

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Current CSO approach and why are strategies failing to tackle systemic problems

Strategic leverage points for CSOs to become strong change agents

Vision

Leveragepoint1systems thinking

Leveragepoint2A new narrative

Leveragepoint3developing new models

Leveragepoint4A new global movement

Leveragepoint5Engaging funders

Toomuchfaithinmarketsolutionstotackleenvironmentalandsocialproblems.Deploymentofexistingandnewtechnologywillmitigatemostenviron-mentalimpact.Wecantackletheglobalcrisiswithspecificpolicieswithoutaneedtofundamentallyquestioncurrentculturalvalues,economicstructuresandlifestyles.

Singleissuesfocus,lackofacknowledge-mentofthefeedbackloopsinthesystemandtheinterconnectednessoftoday’sglobalcrises

Focusonnaturalsciences–Toomuchbeliefinthepoweroftherationalargu-ment.Needtobetterunderstandhowtoinfluencesocial,politicalandhumansystems

Toomuchfocusonincrementalchangethroughadvocacywork.Policyprocess-esarelockedinthecurrenteconomicgrowthparadigmandoftenfailtoresultineffectivepolicies

CSOsregularlyfailtoseetheopportu-nitiesofcross-sectoralcollaboration,partlybecausetheyfocusonnarrowtechnicalproposalsbutalsobecauseCSOstendtocompetewitheachother.Inaddition,CSOshaven’tfocusedonthepotentialofaglobalcitizenmovement.

Thereisnotmuchfundingavailablecurrentlyforstrategiesonsystemicchange.Fundingschemesareencour-agingfocusonshort-termoutputs,technicalpolicyworkandcompetitionamongCSOs.

Themarketandcurrentpoliticscannotsolvethesystemicglobalcrises.Weneedtoredesigntheeconomywithashiftawayfromthecurrentgrowthparadigmtomaximizingwellbeingwithinecologicallimits.Thiswillonlybepossiblewithanewconsciousnessandashiftinsocietalvaluesfromextrinsictointrinsic.

Systemsthinkingisadisciplinethatcanhelporganizationstounderstandcomplexityofsystemsandworkmoresuccessfullywithhighlyinterconnectedglobalissues

Insightsfromcognitivescience,psychologyandsociologycanhelpusunderstandhowwecanworktowardsashiftinsocietalvalues.

Systemicchangerequiresmorefocusonsocio-technicalinnovationandbot-tomupapproaches.CSOscansupportchangeagentsandtheseedsoftheneweconomyinavarietyofways.

TheinclusivenatureoftheGreatTransi-tionoffersanopportunitytobuildlargeplatformsforcollaboration.CSOscanlearnhowtoapplysuccessfulmodelsofcollaborationandsupportthecreationofanewglobalmovementfortheGreatTransition.

FundersneedtobeengagedwiththeneedtodevelopnewstrategiesfortheGreatTransitionandtheyneedtoadaptfundingandmonitoringandevaluationtotherequirementsofstrategiesforsystemicchange(longterm,moreriskyetc.)

Table 2: A new vision and five leverage points to address weaknesses in current CsO strategies


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Weproposethatthesefiveleveragepointsshallworkinaninterdependentandinteractivewayandbuildthebasisforameta-theoryofchangefortheGreatTran-sitionfromaCSOperspective.AgraphicaldescriptionofthemodelandhowthefiveleveragepointscouldeventuallyhelpCSOstocreatethenecessarymomen-tumforthetransitiontowardsaneweconomyisat-temptedinfigure3.ThemodelisbasedontheMLPexplainedabove.

Themodelworksthefollowingway:

Leveragepoint1EmbeddingsystemsthinkinginCSOpractice:

Fundamentaltodevelopingstra-tegieswhichachievechange inthe complex economic system,CSOs must better understandthe system and also devel-op processes and structures to

continuouslylearnandimprovestrategiesandinter-ventions.Systemsthinkingcanbeusedtodevelopanewvisionandstrategybasedon increasedsystemsunderstanding.Chapter3.1isdivingdeeperintothisleveragepoint.

Leveragepoint2Anewnarrative–howCSOscanworkwith ourculturalvalues:

Insights fromcognitive scienceand psychology help us tounderstand how CSOs couldsuccessfully support a shifttowards more intrinsic culturalvalues (macro level). We argue

that CSOs should pay attention to this opportunitymuchmoreconsistentlyandusealltheirmeans(com-munications,advocacyetc.)andbuildlargeplatformofcollaborationsbetweenCSOstosucceed.Chapter3.2isdivingdeeperintothisleveragepoint.

Leveragepoint3Developingnewmodels–howCSOscansupporttheseedsoftheneweconomy:

Systemicchangerequiresdeep,fast and radical innovation onall fronts (life styles, business,institutions,technologyetc.).Weargue that CSOs should payattention to the bottom-up

processesof innovation(micro-level) inamorestra-tegicmannerandsupport,nurtureandconnecttheseeds of the new economy so that they eventuallybecomethenewmainstreameconomicmodel.Chap-ter3.3isdivingdeeperintothisleveragepoint.

Leveragepoint4Anewglobalmovement–fromfragmentationtocross-sectoralcollaboration:

A new global movement thatunites a broad range of civilsociety sectors under one um-brella of the Great Transitionprinciplesandvalueswouldbeapowerfulforceinsupportofthe

culturalandeconomictransitionrequired.WearguethatCSOsshouldmuchmorestrategicallyandgloballylinkchangeagents,initiativesandCSOsandcreateacommonvoicefortheGreatTransition.Chapter3.4isdivingdeeperintothisleveragepoint.

Leveragepoint5EngagingfundersinCSOstrategiestowardstheGreatTransition:

Alltheaboveactivitieswillonlybepossibleifsufficientfundingisavailable.CSOsshouldthere-forepaymuchmoreattentiontoinvolvefundersintheneedforanewstrategicfocusandtoadapt

fundingandM&E to the requirementsof strategiesforsystemicchange(longterm,moreriskyetc.).Chap-ter3.5isdivingdeeperintothisleveragepoint.


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CSOs

FUNDERS

Current consumerist culture

New Culture and values

New economy

Current Economic system

Seeds of thenew economy

feedback loops

Mic

role

vel

(nic

hes)

Mac

role

vel(

land

scap

e)M

eso

leve

l(re

gim

es)

Time

Legend

Systemsthinking

Anewnarrative

Developingnewmodels

Anewglobalmovement

Engagingfunders

Leveragepoints2,3and4allsuggestthatCSOsshouldrefocus a large amount of their efforts towards themacro- and the micro-level. The clear rationale forthisisthateffortsinthesesystemlevelsareurgentlyrequiredtounlocktheregimesinthecurrenteconomicsystem and that the current focus on short-termopportunities for incremental change at the meso-levelwillnotbesufficientduetothevestedinterestsandinertiainthesystemtokeepthestatusquo. BynomeansshouldCSOsabandontheiradvocacyactivitiesandtheirworkwithmainstreamactors.How-evertheyshoulddothismuchmorestrategicallyandwithaviewtotheeffectsandfeedbackloopsthiscancreate for themacro-andmicro-levels.Forexample

windowsofopportunityinnationalpolicycanbeusedtofinanciallysupportnichesofinnovationortocreatepolicies that can have a positive impact on culturalvalues (e.g. national well-being beyond GDP indica-tors)etc. More generally CSOs need to develop a goodunderstanding for the feedback loops between themacro-, meso- and micro- level, as they can createpowerfulsynergiesthatshouldbeusedstrategically. In chapter 3 we provide, for each leverage point,somekeyaspects from theoryandpractice toprovethestrategicrelevanceforCSOs.Mostimportantlywearediscussingthepracticalimplicationsofthelever-agepointforCSOstrategies.

Figure 3: meta-theory of change for the Great Transition from a CsO perspective, adapted from multi-level perspective (Geels, 2002)


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3Five leverage points for effective change strategies

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Strategic context and rationale|Dueto their systemic nature,global wicked problems likeclimate change cannotbe adequately addressed,withoutunderstandingthe

complexfeedbackloopsinthewidersystemofwhichtheyareapart.Indeedclimatechange,foodinsecurity,biodiversityloss,povertyandothersocialissuesareallinterconnectedproblems,whichsharecommonher-itages(Johnson2010). However,atpresentmanyCSOs (notunlikeoth-er organisations) often choose strategies, which failto account for such complexity and consequent-ly are falling short of their objectives. For exam-ple, the environmental crisis is often broken downinto manageable pieces such as deforestation, clean-er production or consumer behaviour (Leonard2007).Howeverbyreactingonlytospecificpartsofthesustainabilitycrisis,CSOsriskcreatingunintendedcon-sequences, which adversely impact other parts of thesystem.Forinstance,anintervention(suchaslawswhichincreasetheefficiencyofbuildingsorcars)canattimeshavethedirecteffectofreducingenergyconsumption.Nonetheless, because this can lead to making energycheaper,itmayalsohavealong-termnegativeeffectontheabsoluteenergyconsumptionasitcouldinducede-mand.Thisso-calledJevons paradox –anextremeversionoftherebound effect–demonstratesthatactionsrarelyimpactasingletargetinalinearwayandanyunintend-edconsequencesaretheresultofacomplexwebofin-teractionsandfeedbackloopswithinthewholesystem.Managers,policy-makersandCSOleadersarecontin-ually surprisedby suchcounterintuitive consequencesofmanyoftheirdecisionsandwhilstmoreandmorepeopletalkofsystem solutions,thisisoftenonlyrhetoric(Magnuszewskietal.2010:2).ThethinkingfromtheoryandpracticeelaboratedbelowsuggeststhatCSOscanradically i prove their impact if they startmakinguseoftheavailablecapacitybuildingtools,leadershippro-grammesandprocessesfororganisationalchangethatalldrawuponthelogicofsystemsthinking.

What can we learn from theory andpractice? | Systems thinking is increasingly re-cognisedasameanstostudyandcommunicateaboutourcomplex,evolvingworld.Itisacommontacticforpeopletoassignthecauseofaproblemtoaneventorperson.Incontrast,systemsthinkingbroadensthediscussionbyplacingeventsinawidercontext,bothinspaceandtime.Systemsthinkingisaperspective,lan-guageandsetof tools thatemphasiserelationships,connectednessandcontext.Becauseasystemisasetof interdependent, interrelatedpartsthatmakeupacomplex and unified whole, the whole system can-notbefullyunderstoodbyonlyanalyzingitspartsanddisplaysdynamicsthataresurprisingandnon-linear.Takingthisperspectiveenablesusto identifycertaintrendsandbehavioursnotalwaysevidentat the im-mediatescaleoftheevent,findconnectionsbetweenseeminglydisjointedproblemsanddesignsolutionsbasedontheinterconnectednessofsystems. Behavioursandeventsinasystemaredeterminedby the system structure of which they are a part. Asystem’s structure ismadeupofdifferentelements,all connected through a complex web of intercon-nections.Theselinkagesoftenformfeedbackloops:closedchainsofcausesandeffects,whichformvirtu-ousorviciouscycles.Climatechange is suchanex-ample.Higher temperatures leadto increasedevap-oration,whichinturncontributestoincreasedwatervapour concentration in the atmosphere. More wa-tervapourenhancesthegreenhousegaseffectcaus-ingtemperaturestogetevenhigher,andthecycleisclosed. Itisoftentheoperationofsuchfeedback,whichex-plains why our intervention efforts are frustrated byunexpectedoutcomes.Thesearewhatwerefertoaswicked problems:situationsthatstubbornlyresistsolu-tionsbecausetheproblememergedfromamessytan-gleofdifferentfactorsoperatingatdifferentscales. Finally,wecangoevendeeperandexplorehowrealstructuresareshapedbyourthinking.Wecreate in-ternalmodelsoftheworld–mentalmodels,whichweuseformakingsenseoftheworldandtakingactions.Oftenourmentalmodels(outthinking)allowsystem-

3.1 Embedding systems thinking in CSO practice

3 | FIVE lEVErAGE POINTs FOr EFFECTIVE ChANGE sTrATEGIEs

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icproblemstopersist.Someverbalexamplesofmen-talmodels,takenfrom(Meadows1989:71),include:(1)‘All growth is good – and possible. There are no effective limits to growth’, (2) ‘technology can solve any problemthat comes up’.However,wearenotalwaysconsciousof these models, and they are especially dangerouswhenwearenotawareofthemandthereforecannotidentify and revise the source of our opinions. Sys-temsthinkingallowsustoopentheseblackboxesanddiscusstheminanopenspaceinordertotesttheseassumptions and adjust our mental models to thechallengeswe face.Mentalmodelscanbeconveyedasvisualicons,verbalexpressions,evenindiagrams.(Magnuszewskietal.2010:3-5)

Systemthinking,ifappliedstrategically,canhelpto:

a)Identifyrootcausesofsustainabilityproblemsandtacklechangeresistance |Harich(2010)suggeststhatmanycommonpolicyresponsestoenvironmentalis-sues(e.g.taxesandenergysubsidies)oftenfailbecausetheyonlytacklethesymptomsoftheproblemandthatproblemspersistdueto‘systemicchangeresistance’:“thetendencyofasystemtocontinueitscurrentbe-haviourdespiteeffortstochangethatbehaviour”(ibid.p37).Insteadthechallengeistoidentifyandaddressthe‘rootcause’ofchangeresistance,definedasthe“aportionofasystem’sstructurethat‘best’helpstoex-plainwhythesystem’sbehaviourproducesaproblem’ssymptoms”(ibid.p57).

Figure 4: system Thinking (based on senge, 1990; cited in magnuszewski et al. 2010: 4)

What has just happened?

What’s been happening? Have we been here or some place similar before?

What are the forces at play contributing to these patterns?

What about our thinking allows?


Events

Trends-BehavioroverTime

SystemStructure

MentalModels

manifesting in

determine

condition

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b)Identifyeffectiveleveragepoints|Theseare“placeswithin complex systems where a small shift in onethingcanproducebigchangesineverything”(Mead-ows1999:1).Theycanbeidentifiedbyinvestigatingthesystemstructureofacomplexproblemandthenhigh-lighting a number of possible solutions as changesin theexisting structure.The likely consequencesofthepossiblesolutionscanthenbetraced,thusenableustoidentifysolutionsthataddressrootcausesoftheproblem without adverse side effects. Increased lev-eragecanbefoundbydivingtothedeeperlevelsofthe iceberg depicted above and draw our attentionto and shift system structures and mental models.Addressingthislevelofchangecountersshort-sighteddecision-makingandgetsusofftheproblemsolvingtreadmill.

Practical Implications for CSO Strategies | It isat theveryheartofthemeta-theory of change for the GreatTransition that deepsystemic change is required to tackleglobal intercon-nectedsustainability issues.Neither traditionalwaysoftacklingproblemsissuebyissuenoralinearcause-effectanalysiswilladequatelycontributetosolvinganyoftheseproblems. It is thereforeaconditionfor fu-turesuccessthatCSOsembracesystemsthinkingasa discipline to see the world and to create strategy.Thereareavarietyoftools(tohelpustoexaminesys-temstructures)andframeworks(tohelpusthink,actandworksystemically),whichCSOsshouldconsider:• Systemicorganisationallearningprocesses• Individualsystemsthinkingcapacitybuildingtools• Programmestobuildsystemiccapacityand leadership

a)SystemicorganisationallearningprocessesThinkingandactingsystemicallycanbebestachievedas part of a continuous process of development to-wardsbecominga‘learningorganisation’.Definedas ‘…organisations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are con-tinually learning to see the whole together’(Senge1990:3). Thebasicrationaleforalearningorganisationisthatinordertounderstandhowactionsandpoliciesmightimpactotherpartsofthesystem(thereforeavoidunin-tendedconsequences)organisationsmusthaveaspir-

itofinquiry(i.e.toaskwhythisishappening?),tobeflexible,tolearnfromtheirexperiencesandapplythatlearningtotheirnexttask(Wheatley2008:45). Organisationallearningprocessesarebasedaroundafamilyofmethodologiesknownasactionresearch.Actionresearchessentiallyinvolvedlearningfromex-periencebycreatingspacesinwhichparticipantsen-gageincyclesofactionandcriticalreflection(ReasonandMcArdle2004).

systemic action researchworksbyestablishingmul-tipleactioninquirysitesacrossanentireissueterrain,thusengaginggroupsacrossthebreadthofthesys-temtoparticipateinongoingcyclesof:evidencegath-ering,insightgeneration,actionplanning,actionandreflectiononaction(Burns2007:19).Thisprocesshasbeensuccessfullyusedtohelporganisationsdevelopaclearerunderstandingoftheeffectsoftheiractionselsewhereinthesystemandtochangetheirstrategiesaccordinglyinordertoachievethedesiredoutcomes.

Adaptive managementisaprocessforlinkinglearningwithpolicyand implementation.Similar tosystemicaction research, it involves learning fromexperienceand modifying subsequent behaviour or policies inlightofthatexperienceandnewsystemsknowledgegained(Stankeyetal.2005:1).

b)IndividualsystemsthinkingcapacitybuildingtoolsAseriesofdifferenttoolsexisttohelpustoexaminesystemstructures,howthesestructuresmightgener-ateproblematicbehaviourandsubsequently identifyhigh-leverage interventions. Collectively they workbyhelpingpeople toseewhat theynormallydonotconsciously think about or discuss; namely complexinteractions between system elements and feedbackloops (Magnuszewski et al. 2005: 200). Whilst therange of tools suit different situations, some exam-plesinclude:

Causal loop diagrams:Aneffectivemeanstoidentifycomplexrelationshipsistousediagrams.Causalloopdiagrams (see figure 5) graphically depict systemsvariablesandthecausallinksbetweenthemandpro-ceeds with the identification of feedback loops. Asthewebofrelationstakeshapeandthesystemstruc-tureisrevealed,certainissuesandproblemsbecomeincreasingly understandable. Causal loop diagrams


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haveprovedtobeavaluabletooltoenhancecommu-nicationbetweenactorsengagedintheproblem(bydevelopingasharedgraphiclanguage)andcanhelpinplanningsuccessfulsysteminterventions(Magnusze-wskietal.2010:9).

simulation and role-playing games: These gamesallowustoexplorethedynamicconsequencesofourassumptionsinordertodesignmoreeffectivepoliciesandstrategies.Eachparticipantcantakeaparticularrole,addresstheissues,threats,orproblemsthatariseinthesituation,andexperiencetheeffectsofhis/herdecisionsaswellasthoseofotherparticipants(Mag-nuszewskietal.2010:11).Thesegameshavebeensuc-cessfullyusedaswaystosimulatehowpeopleaddresscomplexresourcedecisionssuchassharingwaterforirrigationinAfrica(Barreteauetal.2001)andlandusechangearoundnationalparksinPoland(Krolikowskaetal.2007).Role-playinggamesarehighlyflexibleandleaveroomforthedemonstrationofindividualinitia-tiveandimagination,whichisanadvantageingamesinvolvingpolicy-making.

c) Programmes to build systemic capacity and leadership | EmbeddingsystemsthinkinginCSOswould also include the preparation of future CSOleaders through specifically designed sustainabili-ty leadershipprogrammes that focuson learning todealwithcomplexsystemicchallenges.E.g.The Mas-ters in Strategic Leadership Towards SustainabilityattheBlekingeInstituteofTechnologyinSwedenteachesawhole-system,trans-disciplinaryapproachtosustain-abilityandfocuseson:• Aframeworkforstrategicsustainabledevelopment• Organisationallearningandleadershiprequired forsustainabilitydecision-making.Staffcapacity buildingprogrammes(whichutilisethetoolsde scribedabove)wouldthencomplimentthisleader- shiptraining.

Figure 5: Causal loop diagram (from wikipedia, B. Jana)

symptomatic“solution”

problem symptom side effect

fundamentalsolution

delay

-

-

-

+

+

+


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Strategic context and rationaleA future sustainable eco-nomythatwillhavetorad-ically reduce its materialthroughputisatoddswithtoday’s dominant materi-alistic and individualistic

values. These values lie at the very basis of today’sunsustainableconsumptionpatterns. Manycommunicationstrategiesaimedatachievingmorehelpful individualbehaviour forsocialorenvi-ronmentalmatters(orbigger-than-self8problems)arein factappealingtomaterialisticvaluesdominant intoday’ssociety.Whilstusingamarketingapproach–byforexampleappealingtopeople’sstatus–canen-couragepeopletobuygreenerproductsandservices(for example electric vehicles instead of combustionengine vehicles), it can in turn reinforce materialis-ticvalues.Asdiscussedinchapter1,greenerproductsareaninsufficientresponsetoanenvironmentalcri-sisthatisdeeplyrootedinthesystem.Thereforegreenmarketingapproachesconflictwiththeneedforanex-pressionofmoreintrinsicvaluestoachievethecom-mitmentandactionfordeepersystemicchangesandtherequiredshiftsinlifestyles. TheevidencewelayoutbelowsuggeststhatCSOshave a real opportunity to work towards a shift inculturalvaluesiftheyconsistentlyappealtointrinsicvalues(e.g.senseforcommunity,affiliationandself-development)andavoidactivatingmaterialisticones.ThiswillrequireabroadcollaborationofCSOsacrosstherangeofdifferentCSOconstituenciesthatallworkwithanew narrativealignedwiththeprinciplesoftheGreatTransition.Thewellbeingofsociety,globalem-pathyandasenseofinterdependencewiththenaturalenvironmentareessentialelementsofthenewnarrative. As this body of research is sincerely considered,thethinkingneedstobeintegratedinCSOstrategiesacrosstheboard,rangingfromcommunicationstrat-egies(whatandhowwecommunicate)aswellaspol-icydevelopment(creatingpolicyfeedbacksonvalues).

What can we learn from theory? Theideaofhumanbeingsassolelyrationaldecisionmakersisveryincomplete.Scholars(Lakoff2010:72;LeggewieandWelzer2010:7ff )haveshownthatfactsplaya limitedrole inpeople’schoices. Instead,deci-sionsareoftenunconsciousanddrivenbyemotionalfactors,amongwhichcultural valuesplayan impor-tantrole(Roth2007:343).Whilstacrossculturesandcountriestherangeofvaluesishighlysimilar,mate-rialisticvaluesarepredominantinthemodernglobalconsumersociety.Highlevelsofexposuretotelevisionadvertisementsorgenerallylivinginaverycompetitiveenvironment,forinstance,cancontributetoenhancingmaterialistic values in individuals. Also, governmentaction and discourse may play an important role aspolicy shapes and co-creates the social world (Jack-son,2009:95).Byconsistentlyworkingtowardsamorecompetitive and growth oriented economy, policyundoubtedlyenhancesmaterialisticvalues.

Theimportanceofintrinsicvaluesforsocialandenvironmentalcauses|AccordingtoKasser(2010),all values are organised in systems.They are eithercompatible or conflict with each other (see also fig-ure6).Researchhasshownthatthemoredominantmaterialisticvaluesare,themoreunhelpfulaperson’sbehaviourwillbewithregardtobigger-than-selfprob-lems.Incontrast,themoredominantintrinsicvaluesare,themorelikelyapersonwillshowhelpfulbehav-iouronbigger-than-self-problems. Whilstintrinsicvaluesarepartofeverybody’siden-tity,theyhavebeenweakenedintoday’sconsumercul-ture(Cromptonet.al2010:5).Consumerismcanbeunderstoodas“aculturalpatternthatleadspeopletofindmeaning,contentment,andacceptanceprimarilythrough the consumption of goods and services”(Assadourian 2010: 8). Even though consumeristvalues might be predominant in current societies,studieshaveshownthatthequalityofsocialrelation-ships(linkedtointrinsicvalues)isoneofthestrong-estindicatorsforthesubjectivewellbeingofasociety(Oishietall.2010:467).

3.2 A new narrative – how CSOs can work with our cultural values


8) TheCommonCauseReport(Crompton,2010)usestheterm‘bigger-than-self ’problemswhenreferringtosocietalconcernsorglobalissues likeclimatechange,poverty,humanrightsviolationsetc.Anindividual’spersonaleffortinaddressingtheseproblemsisoftennotdirectlybenefiting theindividualbutwillhaveawiderbenefitforsociety.

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TheimportanceofframesforpromotingvaluesInsightsfromcognitivesciencesuggestthattheinflu-enceofinstitutionsandpoliticsonvaluescanbebet-terunderstoodbythewayhumancognitionoperates.Frames are the mental structures that allow humanbeingstounderstandreality(Lakoff2010:74). Deepframes–thecognitivestructuresfoundinthelong-termmemory–areclosely linkedwithculturalvalues.Deepframesarerelativelystable,butarenotunchangeable(Crompton2010:42). There is an importantdistinction tobemadebe-tween‘activating’adeepframeand‘strengthening’aframe.Activatingdeep frames is comparatively easy,as it can be done immediately through the particu-laruseoflanguagethatresonateswithadeepframe.Tostrengthenadeepframeisamorelongerprocess.Forexampleitcanbetheresultofrepeatedlyactivat-ingdeep frames.However, language isnot theonlywaytoactivateorstrengthenadeepframe.Thecon-stantinteractionwithparticularpoliciesandourinsti-tutionscanhaveaprofoundeffectonpeople’sdeepframesandthereforeonpeople’svalues.Thesocalled

‘policyfeedbackloop’happenswhenpublicpolicyhasanimpactinshapingpeople’sdominantvalues,whichinturnimpactsonpublicpolicy.(Crompton2010:43)

Practical implications for CSO strategies |Thereisincreasingagreementamongcommunicationexpertsthatvaluesshouldplayanim-portantroleincampaigningstrategies.Thereforetheattention has moved away from simply presentingtheevidenceandtherationalcaseforchangetowardsacknowledging the important role of values andemotions.ThedebateintheCSOcommunityisnowincreasinglyfocussedonwhetherwereallyneedashiftindominantsocietalvaluesfromextrinsictowardsin-trinsic in order to successfully address some of themostpressingbigger-than-selfproblems.Dominantvaluestructurescanindeedbeusedtoacampaign’sadvantage,forinstancebysupportingcampaignsforelectriccars(Rose2010:9),ratherthantryingtoreducematerialisticvalues.However,asCrompton(2010:34)argues, a campaign appealing to extrinsic values bytapping into existing value structures might create

Figure 6: Circumplex model of values (Crompton 2010:29)


IntrinsicExtrinsic

self-transcendence

Physical self

Spirituality

Community

Affiliation

Self-acceptance

Physical healthHedonism

Financial success

Image

Popularity

Conformity

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‘collateraldamage’andfurtherenhanceandconsoli-dateextrinsicvalues,whilethechangesachievedwiththecampaignwillnoteffectivelyaddressthesystemicchallengesweare facing.They requiremuchdeeperbehaviourchanges,whichareunlikelytobeachievedwithinthecurrentsetofdominantculturalvalues. The implications of this thinking for CSO strate-giescanbeprofoundandcanaffecteverycornerofanorganisation.Thework shouldstartwithgainingabetterunderstandingofanorganisation’sownval-uesandthevaluesitisaspiringtoandthencontinuewith developing a holistic value smart strategy.Thismightincludetheneedtototallyrethinktheprocess-esofcampaigningandcommunications,andwillcer-tainlyaffectfundraising(seechapter3.5fortheneedtoengagefundersinthesestrategies). As described in figure 7, as a starting point wesuggest two areas where the theory laid out in thischapterwillhaveprofoundimplicationsforCSOs:

• Communications–IfCSOsacrosstheboard consistentlyactivateintrinsicvaluesandavoid activatingmaterialisticonesthroughalltheir communications,theycanhaveanimportant impactonculturalvalues

New economy

Current Economic system

Materialistic valuesIntrinsic values

feedback loops

Time

NewMovementofCSOs

COmmsNewCSOcommunications

activatingintrinsicvaluesandavoidingtheactivationof

materialisticvalues

POlICYNewCSOpolicyand

advocacyworkaimedatcreatingpositivefeedbacks

forintrinsicvaluesandavoidingperverseincentives

favouringmaterialism

Figure 7 – A new narrative in practice: words, policies and actions

• Policies–IfCSOsusetheindirectimpactsfrom policiesinalltheirworkfrompolicycreation, advocacyaswellason-the-groundprojectsand partnerships, they can create important feedbacks onpeople’svaluesandcanexpectsubsequent feedbackloopsonpolicy(avirtuouscircle).

This iterativeprocesswilldeliveravital contributionfor theGreatTransitionandtheshift towardsaneweconomicmodel.

ImplicationsforhowCSOscommunicate–Creatinganewnarrative | CSOs canuse theempirical evi-denceonvaluesaswellasthetheoreticalworkfromcognitivescientiststoseriouslyre-thinkhowandwhattheycommunicatetoalltheiraudiences.Theyshouldworktounderstandifaparticularcampaignorpieceofcommunicationishelpingtoactivateorstrengthenhelpful or unhelpful frames for the bigger-than-selfcausestheypursue.Inaddition,thetrade-offsbetweenapotentialshort-termbenefitandamorelong-termcollateraldamageonvaluesshouldbean importantaspecttoconsiderwhendesigningacommunicationor campaigning strategy. CSOs should build theircommunicationstrategiesuponatransparent,inclu-


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sive and reflexive understanding of the frames thattheyappealtoandthevaluestheydeepenhereby. Butmostimportantly,CSOsshouldnotseethem-selvesinisolationwhenconsideringnewapproachestowardsculturalvalues.TheGreatTransitionoffersaframeworkforCSOstotakeastepawayfromfocus-ingontheir‘specialinterests’(likee.g.climatechange)andthecurrentnarrowpolicyfocusandinsteadtoco-developanarrative that canalign thedifferentCSOsectors under an umbrella of common values andprinciples. This new narrative should speak to thehearts and minds of a very large number of peopleandtellacreativeandemotionalstoryofwhoweareandwhoweneedtobeandtapintothecreativeworldsofmythmaking(Shellenberger/Nordhaus2005:34).“Itistheageofthepoets,philosophersandpsycholo-gistsnotthescientistsandpolicywonkswhoneedtobringpeopleonboard”(Speth2010). ThecollaborationbetweenCSOsandthepotentialofharnessingthepowerofabroadmovementacrossthedifferentsectorsofcivilsocietyorganisationsisavitalelementoftheGreatTransitionandtheshiftinculturalvalues.Chapter3.4divesdeeperintotheimplications.

The new narrative of the GreatTransitionwouldhelptostrengthenor embed deep frames which arehelpful inaddressing thesustain-abilitycrisis.Itwouldhelptoover-come the nature-culture dividethat separates humans from ‘na-ture’(Latour2009)andstarttoun-derstandhumansasapartoftheirenvironment. Tobeeffective,thenewnarrativeneedstobeinspiring,positive,en-gagingandnon-technical.Itneedstoappeal topeople’s intrinsicval-ues. By focusing on the potentialofahigherqualityoflifeforpeoplein a less consumerist world– i.e.the things that increase people’shappiness and well being in thelong run – it can be engagingand stem off the tendency of cit-izens and governments to blocktheir listening. Itcanofferaposi-tivelongtermsocietalvisionbasedonequalityandwell-being, rather

thanconsumer-basedgrowth.

ImplicationsforCSOpolicyandadvocacyworkWhilethispaperarguesthatpolicyisnottheonlynec-essarystrategytoeffectchange,wedonotsuggestthatCSOsshouldcompletelyabandonpolicyandadvocacywork.TotheextentthatCSOsareengaginginpolicyandadvocacy,theycanbenefitfromusinganunder-standingofvalues,framesandnarrativesintheirpol-icyaswellastheircommunication.CSOsshouldnotonly consider the impact from communications oncultural values.This is not only about words, abouthowwesaythingsandwhatwesay.Ultimatelyanewnarrativecannotbeshapedalonebywordsbuttheseneedtobeconsistentwiththebasicunderlyingide-ology embodied in everything CSOs do. EverythingCSOsdocanhavedirectandindirectimpactsoncul-turalvalues. As discussed above, values are heavily shaped bypeople’s experience with public and private institu-tions. Reconsidering CSO campaigns and advocacyworkwithregardtohowitcaninfluencepublicpolicyandachievepositivepolicyfeedbacksonvalues,should

What is a narrative?

Narratives can be understood as frameworks for people to understand their lives. They are a way to make sense of life. Humans have always told each other stories of their lives. Culture is the overarching sphere, in which humans construct their realities. These realities are not simply ex-istent – they are narrated. A narrative cannot be a single story, but embraces a large range of sto-ries. It can include values, tools, metaphors, pictures or stories. They are not one-dimensional or only one-directional, but are constantly reshaped, forgotten and remembered. Narratives are relentlessly altered by the in-teraction of people and across cultures and societies. Narratives can be very big, but also very local and specific in context. Different religions have diverse narratives of how the world was cre-ated, just as the narrative of evolution displays another. Narratives can also be very specific such as the ‘American dream’ narrative about domi-nating nature and exploring new frontiers, by which mankind is aiming to succeed over wilderness. Today this narrative can still be found at the basis of the US-American and many other societies, who continue to try dominating nature with technology and individual survival strategies to reach high social status and become materially rich.


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thereforebeanimportantelementofafuture‘value’consciousCSOstrategy. UltimatelyasmartCSOvaluestrategyneedstopayattentiontotherootcausesoftoday’sconsumeristcul-turalvalues.Itisinherentinthesystemthatpeople’svaluesareprofoundly influencedbyaglobal econo-mydominatedbylargecorporationsseekingtomax-imisetheirsalesandprofitsandbygovernmentsthatareunderpressuretocreatemoreeconomicgrowthfortheirdomesticeconomies.ThismeansthatsmartCSOsneedtobecontinuouslycounteringandcreat-ingnewpossibilities(wesuggestintheideaofaGreatTransition) thatcande-activate thenegative impactsof advertisement and strengthen the deep intrinsicframes. As explained in chapter 3.1, systems thinking canhelp CSOs to identify powerful leverage points forsystemicchangeandstartactingwithmuchmorefo-cusontacklingtherootcausesofmaterialism.Tack-lingtheserootcausesrequiresCSOstofindnewwaysofinfluencingthematerialeconomy.Asexplainedinchapter1,thereareimportantbarriersinmainstreampoliticalinstitutionsthatpreventthesuccessofradi-calpolicyproposalsthatgobeyondthecurrentsystem.Thenextchapter(Developingnewmodels)willthere-forepointattheimportanceofbottomupapproachesforsystemicchange. However,fortunatelymainstreampoliticshasmanywindowsof(policy)opportunitythatsmartCSOscanuseandshouldusetohaveanindirectimpactonval-ues. MaybethemoststrikingexampleforsuchawindowofopportunityisthecurrentdebateonbeyondGDPindicatorsinmanycountries(likee.g.France,Germa-ny,Austria, UK).The fact that national governmentsnowoftenopenlyacknowledge that thecurrentsolefocusonGDPgrowthisoftennotbenefittingsocie-tyandmightleadtonegativeimpactsontheenviron-ment is a very important opportunity. CSOs shouldcreate large cross sector alliances to push govern-mentsabigstepfurtherfromtalkingabouttoimple-mentingasetofnationalindicatorsthatwouldmakewellbeing and environmental sustainability the keysuccess indicators fornations.Thiswouldbean im-portantstep tostartchangingthenationalnarrativefrom‘economicgrowth’toamuchlessextrinsic‘soci-etalwellbeing’.

Isitpossibletoachievethisshiftfrommaterialistictomoreintrinsicvalueswithintheshorttimeframewehave,forexample,totackleclimatechangeandavoidcatastrophicconsequences?Examplesinhistoryshowthatculturalvaluescanshiftinarelativelyshorttimespan. However, it is probably fair to say thatwedonotknow what can be achieved and how long it wouldtaketohaveamajorimpactifCSOsacrosstheboardstarttoworkmuchmoreconsciouslyandstrategicallytowards influencing cultural values like we suggestabove,butthesizeandinfluenceoftheCSOsectorinmanycountriesshouldgivehopethatthisshiftcanbeachieved.ThatisifCSOsacrosstheboardstarttobefullyconsciousandstrategicinworkingtowardsanewnarrativeandaculturebeyondconsumerism.


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Strategic context and rationaleA fundamental path shift(The Great Transition) re-quires complex learningprocesses and fundamen-talinnovations.Duetotheinherent path dependen-

ciesandtheshort-termfocusofpoliticsandbusiness,this cannot be delivered solely by national politics,international negotiation processes and mainstreamindustries(seealsochapter1). The thinking from theory and practice we lay outbelow suggests that CSOs should get more activelyand strategically involved in catalysing bottom-upinnovationinitiativesaswellassupportingandlink-ingupchangeagentswhootherwiseremainisolatedintheircommunitiesandorganisations. Changeagentswhoaredevelopingtheseedsofthenew economy and society play a fundamental role.They canbe foundat all levels (community, city, in-dustrysector,governmentetc.),andspreadinnovationbyquestioningmainstreamworldviewsandchalleng-ingentrenchedattitudes(Leggewie2010:9). Developingnewmodels(ofproduction,consump-tion, organisation, ownership, and governance),throughbottom-upinnovationfortheneweconomy,isanimportantelementofthemeta-theoryofchangetowardstheGreatTransitionthatwelayoutinchapter2. Importantly the new practices and models needto be aligned with the principles of the GreatTran-sition (chapter 2). This means that they will active-ly support: the transition from materialistic valuesand lifestyles toa focusoncommunityvalues,qual-ity of life and a sense of global citizenship (globalempathy);andthetransition fromaneconomycon-figured to maximise economic growth to one thatoperates within ecological limits, works accordingto the principle of subsidiarity, and maximises so-cietalwellbeing.However, itwillnotbe sufficient initself to create many parallel niches of innovation.

Ultimately they need to be scaled up and main-streamedandmoreimportantly,theyneedtobepartofabiggerstorythattipsthesystemtowardsthenewparadigmwithnewrulesofthegame.Wearguebelowthattheseprocessesofinnovation,withtheirphasesofexperimentation,scalingupandmainstreamingofferavarietyofrolesthatCSOsshouldtakeonasaneco-systemoforganisations,eachfulfillingtheirparticularroleandplayingtotheirparticularstrengths.

What can we learn from theory and practice? Systemicinnovations|Transitiontheoryandevolu-tionaryeconomicsfocusontheimportanceofnichesof innovation at the micro-level in the process ofchange in large-scale socio-technical systems, suchas food, energy, buildings and food. These systemsare‘socio-technical’ inthesensethattheyconsistofdiverse elements such as technology, infrastructure,policyframeworks,andhumanactorsfromproducers,retailersandconsumerstolegislatorsandregulators. Studies of past transitions show that innovationplaysapivotalroleintheprocessofsystemicchange.Anexperimentalinnovationprocesscarriedbyarangeofprojects/experimentscanbecalleda‘niche’.Itisaprotectedspacewhereactorsareabletoexperimentwith radical innovations without direct competitionfrom the dominant socio-technical system. Learn-ing processes and flows of knowledge between ex-periments promotes the scaling-up and spread ofsolutions.Someinnovationseventuallymanagetobe-comemainstream(theybecomepartofthesocio-tech-nical regime)whentheymanagetocreateand/oruseanopportunityintheregimeandofferanswerstosys-tem-wideproblems.(seeGeelsetal.2004forasum-maryoftheliterature). Innovationisnotanendinitselfanddoesnotin-evitably lead to more sustainable systems – indeedmany large-scale transitions of the past led to fos-sil fuel-based infrastructure and technologies. SotheGreatTransitionwill require innovationoriented

3.3 Developing new models – how CSOs can support the seeds of the new economy


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towards environmental and social goals, and betterunderstandingoftheinterplayofhuman,technolog-icalandecologicalsystems.Althoughtheverynatureofevolutionanditsmulti-actorinnovationprocessesis at odds with the notion that they can be steered,theconditionsofinnovationscanbeinfluenced,andactors likeCSOsandgovernmentscanfacilitateandinterveneininnovationprocesses. Transition research has usually been focussed onprocessesoftechnologicalchangeonthesupply-sideof systems.However, thevisionof theGreatTransi-tionalsorequiressocialinnovationthatsupportsandaccelerates the development of new cultural values,discussed in the previous chapter, and the main-streamingoflessmaterialistic,moresustainablelife-styles.Aswediscussbelow,grassrootsinitiativesandnetworkscouldbeseenasakeysiteofinnovationfortheGreatTransition.(SeyfangandSmith2007:584) The GreatTransition also differs to a large extentfrom the subjects of analysis of transition theoristsas itenvisionsaparadigmshiftofthewholesystemand not only a part of the system, or sub-systems.Attentionhastobeputthereforeintothequalitiesofinnovationprocessesastotheirpotentialtoeventuallycontributetotippingthesystem. Arangeoffactorscaninfluencethesuccessandsus-tainabilityofinnovations–amongthesearethepro-visionof financial support and the rolegovernmentandintermediaryactors.Governmentcancreateorre-movebarriersforinnovationsatdifferentstagesoftheprocess,andcanprovidetheconditionsforsustaina-bleinnovationstoflourish. One challenge in spurring innovations is that lo-cal experiments often remain isolated without be-ing linked up to each other (Geels and Schot 2010:548).Toolittleattentionhasbeenpaidtointeractionbetweenexperiments,e.g. theexchangeof informa-tion,interactionbetweensocialnetworks.Theconse-quence is thata lotofpotentiallysuccessful innova-tionsfounderorsimplydonotfindapplicationoutsidetheirniche.Manyauthorsarethereforehighlightingtheimportanceofcreatingconditionswherenewin-itiatives can be linked up with ongoing innovationprojectsandexperiments(Kemp2008:382).

Opportunitiesatthelocallevel|Thelocallevel(com-munities, cities or ‘grassroots’) in particular offershugeopportunities toprototype sustainablepractic-

esandlifestyles.Theproximitytothecitizencancre-ateacultureofparticipationthatgoesbeyondenvi-ronmental concerns. For example local policies tomitigate climate change nearly always affect otherdomains.These ‘co-benefits’ are so persuasive thattheyshouldnotbeignored(Creutzig/Kammen2009:302).Strongactionagainstclimatechangeatthelo-cal level canhave co-benefits inmakingcitiesmoreliveablethroughregainedpublicspace,noiseandpol-lution reduction and social inclusion (from reducedcartraffic),improvedhealth(frommorewalkingandcycling)andlocalresilience(fromreducedenergyuse). Communities are already showing their ability toinnovateastheyfacethebruntofmainstreamdevelop-mentandthesocio-ecologicalcrisis.Despiteadversity,citizensaretakingownershipovertheircommunitiesand creating relevant, forward thinking solutions oflocalscale.Thetrendoflocallivingandsharinglearn-ingatalargerscaleisgainingmomentumthroughin-itiativessuchasTransitionTowns,la27eRégion’sTerri-toiresenRésidences,GlobalEcovillageNetwork,SlowCities, Design of the Times Festival (DOTT), UrbanVillages,theOasisGame,Bioregionalism…(HorwitzonSmartCSOsNING,11October2010) In addition (to creating new networks and initi-atives), there is need to further realise the potentialof established community groups, such as schools,churches, sport clubs and residents’ associations toaddress sustainability and lifestyle change in morefamiliarandmainstreamsettings(WrefordonSmartCSOsNING,6October2010). Communities strengthen the case for a systemictransition to sustainability by providing tangibleexamples of its feasibility, and they can providestrongsignalstonationalgovernmentsthatthereisademandfornewideasbythepublic(Hale2010:265). “Community leadership is therefore perhaps themost exciting, yet the least explored and supported…Someof themostexcitingopportunities…haveemerged without any encouragement from nationallevel. Both government and national third sectororganizations need to offer far greater support andencouragement”(Hale2010:269).

Practical implications for CSO strategies | Theopportunitiestoacceleratethedevelopment of new models and to support theiradoptionandpracticeinthemainstreamarenaoffer


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avarietyof roles toCSOs.Clearly, theecosystemofCSOsfortheGreatTransitionrequiresfurtheranaly-sisanddiscussion.Forthe Developing New Models lev-eragepoint,wesuggesttoconsiderthefollowingfourroles:• Supportlocalinitiativesandfacilitatelearning exchangefortheneweconomy• Initiateandengageinsector-widesystemic innovation• Advocatepolicychangetosupportinnovationand grassrootsprojects• Supportinnovationstoscaleupandbecome mainstream

a)Supportlocalinitiativesandfacilitatelearningex-changefortheneweconomy|Thereisaneedtosup-port,facilitateandacceleratethetrendforgrassrootscommunity initiatives and local government leaderswhoarereadyto leadthewaytowardstheneweco-nomicmodel. TheTransitionmovementisagoodexampleofthepowerofonlinecollaborationandknowledgesharingbetween initiatives in many different countries. Butwhile connections within movements and initiativesaresometimesinplace,connectionsbetweendifferentnetworksareoftenlacking.Thisprohibitstheflowandscaling-upofinnovationsacrossgeographicalandso-cialboundariesandleadstotheemergenceofspon-taneousdisparateprojectsratherthanasystemicshift(HorwitzonSmartCSOsNING,October2010). ThisisanimportantgapthatlargerCSOnetworkscould potentially fill.They could facilitate the learn-ingexchangebetweencommunities/projectsandhelpthem to joinup. In addition they could support thevarious disparate local initiatives with expertise andhelp them to have a clear definition of sustainabili-tyandtobestrategicallyalignedwiththeGreatTran-

sition.Apartfromthepracticalvaluethiswouldadd,creating linkages between networks all working to-wardstheGreatTransitioncanalsohavethebenefitofcreatingasenseincommunitiesthattheytobelongtoabiggerprocessandincreasetheircommitment. Throughthecreationoflearningcycles,CSOscanensurethatinnovationinthedifferentprototypesfortheneweconomyacrosstheglobeisaccelerated.Thiswouldhelptospreadideasthatworkwhilesupport-ingandnurturingagrowingnumberofinitiatives.Itis importanttolinkuptheseinitiativestoavoidthatthewheelisconstantlyreinventedandthecreationofacultureofcollectiveinnovativeactionandpracticeissupported.Also,networkingandcommunication in-creasesthechanceforcreatingtippingpointstowardsthenewsystem. Inparticular,CSOsoperatingatthenationalandin-ternationallevelcanplayanimportantroleinthiskindofbuildingcapacityandsharingbestpracticethroughfacilitatingexchangeofknowledge, learningandex-perienceinopensourceonlineplatforms(WrefordonNING,6October2010). Thereisabroadrangeofareaswherethisexchangewouldcreatevalue.Apartfromexchanginglearningandexperiencesaboutpolicyandpracticeforthenewecon-omy,onlineplatformscanalsoprovideapoolofcollec-tiveresourcesfortoolsandprocessesfordialogueforgroupsandcommunitiesofpracticeforthosewhowanttostartnewinitiativesorimproveexistingones.

b)Initiateandengageinsector-widesystemicinnovation | Apart from supporting and strength-ening existing local initiatives, a different way fornational and international CSO networks to getinvolved insystemic innovation is throughinitiatingnewnichesofinnovationandhelpingtocreatethosetypesofcoreinnovationsinsystemsofconsumptionandproductionthathaverealpotentialtotransformthesystemtowardstheneweconomy. Practically,CSOscancreateinitiativeswiththeaimofbringingtogetherchangeagentswhoarewillingtocol-laborateonsystemicchangeprojectsinaparticularsector(e.g.Finance,Transport,Food).Importantly,tocreatemeaningful collaboration towards a common aim,actors brought together shall share the values andprinciplesoftheGreatTransition. Apowerfulstartingpointforthesetypesof initia-tivesaresystemsthinkingtoolslikethosediscussedin

Change begins as local actions spring up simultaneously in different areas. If these changes remain disconnected, nothing happens beyond each locale. However, when they become connected, local actions can emerge as a powerful system with influence…(Wheatley, 2006)

“


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chapter3.1.Collaborativeprojectswherethedifferentactors involvedgetacommonunderstandingofthefeedback loopsandpowerdynamics inathesystemcanidentifysystemicactionresearchprojects (Burns2007)thathavethepotentialtotacklerootcausesandcontributetotheGreatTransition. AlargerCSOcanfocusitsroleinsuchaninitiativeonactingasaconvenerwithaclearvalueandprin-cipledrivenpurposeand then facilitate the learningexchange between a range of systemic innovationprojects.ThebrandandfundraisingpowerofalargeCSOnetworkcanbeimportantfactorsthatjustifythisrole.Sector-wideinitiativesofthiskindcanhoweverbeanexpensiveandtime-consumingendeavour.Never-theless,throughcollaborationwithotherorganisationsCSOscansharethefinancialburdenandbenefitfrombroadeningtheconveningpowerandexpertiseintheinitiative. Two examples of a CSO acting as a convenor ofa sector-wide systemic innovation initiative are theFinance Lab (financial sector) and Tasting the Future (foodsector).BothinitiativeswereinitiatedbyWWF-UK and created a niche for a broad range of sectorchange agents to collaborate on transformativesystem innovation for sustainable finance and foodsystemsrespectively. AnotherroleforCSOsinsectorinnovationistobe-comemoreactivelyinvolvedinaspecificsectorinno-vationactionresearchproject.Forexample,therecentinterestinsocialentrepreneurship,couldbearealop-portunityforCSOstopartnerwithsocialventurecap-italistsandsectorinnovatorsinordertoshapelargescale social business models aligned with the GreatTransition. The brand recognition and trust manyCSOs enjoy with citizens/consumers, can contributetothesuccessofsuchanendeavour.

c)Advocatepolicychangetosupportinnovationandgrassrootsprojects|ItisclearlypartoftherationaleofthisdocumentthatCSOadvocacyisfacingimpor-tantbarrierswhenitcomestothetypeofgovernmentactioncommensuratefortheGreatTransition.Never-theless,therearealwayswindowsofopportunitiesinnational policy that need to be intelligently used tosupport the typeofbottom-up innovation initiativesbeingdiscussedinthischapter. Forexample,intheUK,newopportunities(andrisks)areemergingfromthecoalitiongovernment’sLocal-

ismandBigSocietyagendas.CSOsneedtocollabo-ratemore toensure thesenewpolicydevelopmentspromotelocallevelinnovationfortheGreatTransition. NationalCSOswithresourcesandexperienceinna-tionalpolicyadvocacyshouldplayanimportantroleinsupportingbottom-upinitiativesinbasicallytwoways:• Tolobbygovernmenttocreatetherightframework conditionsthatfacilitatetheemergenceofsocio- technicalinnovationsfortheGreatTransition (provisionofresources,spaceforlearning,exchange anddevelopmentofinnovationniches).• Tolinkwithgrassrootsandsectorinnovation initiativesandsupporttheiradvocacyworkfor policiesthatremovebarriersforinnovation projects.Thismeansthatgovernmentshouldpro- videnecessaryprotectionandnurturingofniche innovations,forexamplewiththehelpofgovern- mentalsubsidies,theestablishmentofpartner- shipsorotherpolicyinterventions(Hommelsetal. 2007:1093).

d)Supportinnovationstoscaleupandbecomemain-stream | If innovations are to be part of a biggerstory that tips the system towards a new paradigm,theyneedtobeusedstrategically.LargeCSOnetworkscanusetheircommunicationsandadvocacyexpertiseto help the most promising innovations to becomemainstream:• CSOscanusewindowsofopportunityingovern- ment(butalsoinbusiness)toadvocatechanges inpolicythatcanhelpthemostinterestinginno- vationstoscaleup.Theseshouldbeinnovations thathavethepotentialtotacklerootcausesinthe system,likee.g.thosethathelptolocalisethe economyorcanhaveaninfluencetowardsaless consumeristculture.Themorefeasibleand desirabletheinnovationsareforincumbent actors,themorelikelytherewillbesupportin adoptingthem.• CSOscangivesystemicinnovationsvisibilityinthe public.Themorenewinitiativesbecomevisible, themoretheywillbeseenasvalid(mainstream) optionsforexamplefornewlifestyles.• Gatheringtheevidencefromgrassrootsexperi- mentationandaggregatingthemintocompelling messagestodecisionmakersaswellasthegeneral publicmaybeanotheropportunityforCSOsto helpovercomebarrierstochange.


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Strategic context and rationaleOne of the characteristicsof current environmen-tal CSO strategies is thatmobilization of citizens isnot seen as a major pro-fessionalconcern.Organi-

sationofagrassrootsmovementandmobilisationofagreenpoliticalmovementhavetakenasubordinateroleincomparisontopolicyadvocacyandpartnershipworkwithgovernmentalagenciesandbusiness(Speth2008:70). Inaddition,thereisalackofcross-sectoralCSOnet-worksputtingforwardarigorousandinclusiveglobalalternativewithanintegratedprogramforfundamen-talchange.Asdiscussedinchapter1,withitscurrentfocusonspecial interests,CSOshaveserious limita-tions in articulating a unified vision of change, andcoalescing disparate groups for coordinated action.“Mostbasically,civilsocietylacksphilosophicalcoher-ence: a shared understanding of the challenge anda coordinated vision of planetary solutions.” (Raskin2010b:126) A systemic global citizens movement would be acriticalhistoricalagentfortheGreatTransition(Raskin2010b:126).Theincreaseofpeoples’activityoverthepasttwodecadeshasbothmadesuchadevelopmentpossibleandhighlighteditsnecessity. The necessity of a Global Citizens Movementbecomes evident when we acknowledge that top-down change strategies do not work on their own,individualsarereluctanttoactalone,andthatthereisa growing population of people forming communi-tiesofpracticealongnewformsofconsciousnessandpoliticalculture. According to Raskin, “The global transformationwill require theawakeningof anewsocial actor”.AGlobal Citizens Movement (GCM) engaging massesofpeople,“nurturingvaluesofhumansolidarity,eco-logicalresilienceandqualityoflife”isnecessaryand

possible.Thismovementwould“embracediverseper-spectivesandmovementsasseparateexpressionsofacommonproject”.(Raskin2010a:3) Civilsocietyactivismneedstoevolveinawaythatwillallowittoplayapivotalroleinassumingalead-ershipfunctioningivinglifetoaGCM(Raskin2010a:3).InorderforaGlobalCitizensMovementtomateri-alize,civilsocietyhastoriseabovethecurrent‘politicsofopposition’anddevelopnewmodelsofleadershipandcollaboration. Despitethepotentialtobuildonnaturalsynergies,existing movements are severely limited by currentpolitical realities. Among social movements seekingtoallyintheGlobalJusticeMovement(includingin-digenous,feminist,labour,peasant,humanrights,en-vironmentalandsocialist)itisdifficulttomovebeyondprotestandarticulateacommonproactiveagenda.Is-sues,prioritiesandevengoalsoftenconflict. (Krieg-man2006:13) Another formidableobstacle in thewayof collab-orationisthecurrent leadershipstylesembeddedinCSOpractices.Theproductofacompetitivefundingenvironment(seechapter3.5),hierarchicalcommandandcontrolstyleofleadershipisnotconducivetocol-laboration, and hinders CSOs from supplementingprogressivegrassrootsinitiatives.Inaddition,duetothe focuson the top-downchangeandgovernmentadvocacy (see chapter 1), the potential of citizens’movementgetsomitted. Aswelayoutbelow,thevisionoftheGreatTransi-tionoffersarealopportunityforcollaborationandabroadmovementasitisinclusiveandisaimedattack-ling the root causesof issues campaigners fight foracrosstheboard.ButitalsomeansthatCSOsneedtolearnnewwaysofleadershipandwaysofcollaborating.

What can we learn from theory and practice?|Paradoxically,CSOshavebeenincreasingly transformed from traditional participa-tory and democratic forms [Grassroots] into profes-sional,oligarchic,andnon-participatoryorganizations

3.4 A new global movement – from fragmentation to cross-sectoral collaboration


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[Astroturf](Brulle&Jenkins2005:153).Despitethefactthat theenvironmentalmovementstillboastsaverymobilized membership base, the general trend hasbeen“theriseoftheprofessionalmovementorganiza-tionasthedominantformofpoliticalrepresentation”.Thisraisessalientconcernsabout“theviabilityofcon-temporarycivilsocietyasasiteforeffectivecitizenshipanddemocraticaction”(Brulle&Jenkins2005:152). ThegreatestpossibilityforaGCMliesingrowinginterconnectivities and global movements for socialjustice and ecological integrity. Existing movements

aretheexpressionsofthegrowingdesireforalterna-tive modes of global development (Kriegman 2006:12).Inparticularcommunity,localandregionalinitia-tiveshavebeenstrongestintermsofexertingleader-ship(seechapter3.3).However,linkagesamonggrass-rootsinitiativesremainunderdeveloped,underminingtheirpoliticalcloutaswellascultural influence.TheGreat Transition envisions a GCM that is “a cruci-ble for experimenting with and developing multi-layered, nested forms of association and cross-scaledemocracy,onethat isas localizedascanbeandas


Figure 8: From networks to communities of practice to systems of influence (wheatley & Frieze 2006)

NETwOrks

COmmuNITIEs OF PrACTICE

sYsTEms OF INFluENCE

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globalasmustbe”(PaulRaskine-mailcorrespondence5January2011).Here,CSOshaveacriticalopportunitytogalvanizelocalizedenergyiftheyembracetheinsightsprovidedbystudieson‘emergence’andtheiranalysisonthedynamicsofnetworksandsystemicchange. Emergencetheoryfocusesontheprocessof“howlivingsystemsbeginasnetworks,shifttointentionalcommunitiesofpractice,andevolveintopowerfulsys-temscapableofglobalinfluence”(WheatleyandFrieze2006).Reframing the long-heldassumptionson thedynamics of organising social change, emergenceasserts that“hierarchyandcontrolmechanisms”arenottheonlyformoforganisingandcertainlynotthemostefficient.Self-organisingnetworks,ontheotherhand,areheldtobethepre-conditionforemergence.WheatleyandFrieze(2006)pointoutthatavitalpointis to understand the dynamics of networks and thelifecycle of emergence. With greater understandingof these dynamics change makers can experimentwithnurturingnetworks“tointentionallyfosteremer-gence”(ibid.3). The four-stage model “Name, Connect, Nourish,Illuminate”developedbytheBerkanaInstituteoffersapromisingblueprintofhowCSOscannourishnet-workstowardsemergence. Hale suggests that thedesired civil societyof thefuture would foster “action networks that influenceindividual and community behaviour”.This collabo-ration would develop“new sources of advocacy andinfluence, by demonstrating the synergies betweenclimatechangeandotheragendasandenablingdif-ferent groups to identify their particular means ofexertinginfluence”(Hale:269). Yet, without changing hierarchical leadership andoligarchic decision-making structures, CSOs maystifle instead of cultivate grassroots initiatives andemergence. Moreover,buildingcollaborativemodels toestab-lishabroadmovementtowardstheGreatTransitionposesseriousobstacles thatCSOswillhave toover-come.Howcanorganisationswithdifferentgoalsandprioritiessetcollectivegoals?Howdoesagroupbal-ancediversityandunity?Howdodifferentorganisa-tions/individuals leverage talents and complementworkofoneanother? Inshort,even ifweagreeonasharedvision,howdoweagreetoworktogethertotackledifferentaspectsofaninterconnectedproblem(BirneyonSmartCSOsNING,November11,2010).

Practical implications for CSO strategies|BothRaskinandKriegmanargueitisunlikelythataGlobalCitizenMovementfortheGreatTransitionwillspontaneouslyemergethroughbottom-upself-organisation.Itishere,whereCSOscouldplayapivotalroleintakingtheleadonvariousfrontsandhelpfacilitatethebirthoftheGCM.WesuggestthreeimportantareasCSOsshouldengagewith:• Overcomebarriersforcrosssectoralcollaboration• Createlargeplatformsofcommonlearningand collaboration• Establishcriticalconnectionsforaglobalcitizens movement

a)Overcomebarriersforcross-sectoralcollaborationAsdiscussedinthepreviouschapters,theGreatTran-sitionoffersaframeworkthatCSOscanusetomoveaway fromanarrowsingle-issuepolicy focusand tomove towards a vision that can align the differentCSO sectors under an umbrella of common valuesandprinciples. However,aswehavepointedout throughout thisdocument,CSOsoftenfaceavarietyofchallengesandbarriersthatneedtobetackledtomakecross-sectoralcollaborationmostfruitful. Inchapter3.1anumberoftoolsandprocessesarediscussed under the concept of systems thinking.Applying these tools strategically will naturally leadthewaytowardsanorganisationalculturethatmovesaway from a narrow single-issue policy focus. Anorganisationthatembracestheglobalinterconnected-nessofsystemicissueswillnaturallyseethepowerofcross-sectoralcollaboration. Anothersuccessfactorforcross-sectoralcollabora-tioncanbethedevelopmentoflesshierarchicalstruc-tures and CSO leadership. Very hierarchical struc-turesmightbesuitablewhendealingwithhierarchicalnationalandinternationalpolicyprocesses.Howeverwhen the power of bottom up innovation and thein depth relationships with a large range of changeagentsbecomemajorfocusareas,flathierarchiesanddecentraliseddecisionmakingarekey.Forthis,CSOsneedtoempowertheirworkforceandbuildtheca-pacityforgooddecision-making.Intheinternetagewhereknowledgeismoredistributedthanever,cen-tralised decision making is not fit for purpose anymore.AsthesuccessesofGoogle(withanextremelyflathierarchy)andWikipedia(withitsvastnetworkof

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collaborators)show,collaborationofthefuturewillre-quireverydifferentorganisationalsetupsthanthoseofmanyoftoday’sorganisations. Inaddition,fundingplaysacriticalcatalysingroleforcross-sectorcollaboration.Fundingneeds toen-courage collaboration and discourage detrimentalcompetitionamongthedifferentCSOsectors.Addi-tionally,insteadofputtingaheavypaperworkforre-portingonsingleissues,measurementandevaluationframeworksshouldacknowledgesystemicchallengesandencouragecross-sectorwork.Theseideasareex-pandedinchapter3.5.

b)Create largeplatformsof common learningandcollaboration|Thispaperisclearlymakingthecasethat large platforms of collaboration, which go be-yondthespecialinterestsofCSOsectors,areurgentlyneeded.Acriticalmassofcollaboratingorganisationscouldbuildmomentumto tackle the root causesoftoday’ssystemicglobalcrisesandfacilitateaculturalshiftawayfrommaterialism. Ideasonwhattheseplatformsofcollaborationcanandshould look like,andwhat theywoulddomoreconcretely,requiresmorereflectionanddiscussion. However,emergingthemesareclearlytheneedtocollaborate much more strongly on mainstreamingsystemicbottom-upinnovationsfortheneweconomy. Another opportunity for large cross-sectoral CSOplatforms is the current debate in many EuropeancountrieswithregardtothedeficienciesofGDPasanationalsuccessindicator.IfCSOsfromvariouscaus-escometogetherunderacommonplatformtolobbyfortheestablishmentofmeaningful‘BeyondGDP’in-dicators,therewouldbeagoodchancetomakeagoodsteptowardsaneweconomy. The Common Cause Working Group (Crompton2010)isanexampleofhowagroupofCSOnetworksarecomingtogethertoworkcollectivelyandsharingacommon interest toactivateandstrengthen thoseculturalvalueswhichhavebeenshownempiricallytounderpinpeople’sconcernaboutarangeofproblems–fromclimatechangetopovertytospeciesextinction.

c)Establishcriticalconnectionsforaglobalcitizensmovement|Increasedfocuson“criticalconnections”isessentialtodevelopnetworkswithemergentqual-ities.Taking a movement/idea to scale may not de-pendonconvincingmassesfromthebeginning,but

instead, on establishing critical connections. Theseconnections, once established and nurtured, wouldactasspringsofnewknowledgeandcommunitiesofpractice. For example, theWidening Circle Model suggestedbytheTellusInstituteanticipatesaphasedprocessoforganizational development, beginning with a rela-tivelysmallgroupofcommittedpeople,supportedbyloosenetworksofindividualsandorganizations.Whileconductingitsactivities,theinitialcirclewoulddevelopastrategy forexpandingto thenextcircle,apatternthat would continue with each successive phase. Inthis manner, the organization would pause periodi-callytoevaluateandadjust,reorganizingforalargercircleandenhancedprogram(Raskin2010a:4).CSOscansupporttheexpansionofthecirclesinthesekindsofinitiativesbyprovidingtheirresourcesandexper-tise.TheycanhelptocreateaneffectivestructureandacultureoftrustthatwouldstrengtheninitiativesliketheWidening Circle Initiative. Additionally,largeCSOnetworkscanusethepow-er of their trusted brands to inspire their membersand broader range of citizens towards a Global Cit-izen Movement. The messages of small, dedicated,thoughtful formations can be strengthened if largeCSOnetworksprovidetheirbackup.

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Strategic context and rationale|Theprevious chapters suggesta number of importantchangesinCSOstrategiesthat,iftakenseriously,canconsiderably strengthentheroleofCSOsintackling

globalsystemicproblems.Howeverduetotheimpor-tantinfluencefundershaveonCSOs,CSOstrategiesfortheGreatTransitionwillbemosteffectiveiftheyareunderstoodandsupportedbyfunders. Foundation support has been important for thedevelopment of new environmental organizations,strengthening formal policy advocacy for environ-mentalpoliciesand forpromotingpublicawarenessonenvironmentalissues.Foundationsupport,howev-er,hasalso“limitedthedevelopmentoftheenviron-mentalmovementbychannellingresourcestospecificenvironmentaldiscoursesandtypesoforganizations”(Brulle & Jenkins: 152).This is particularly salient inthephilanthropic fundingofenvironmental founda-tionswherethestrategicandpoliticalpersuasionsoffundersinfluenceorganizationalstrategies(ibid152).In Chapter 3.4, we laid out the argument that “thestrengthofglobalcivilsocietyremainscircumscribedby…organizationalandphilosophicalfragmentation”.Onecauseofthisfragmentationisthat“theinterestsofdonorsandthedynamicsofprofessionalorganiza-tionstendtofavouranarrowissueorientedapproachtowork,encouragingNGOstospecializeindelineatedniches(or“issuesilos”)”(Kriegman2006:4). Today,avarietyoffundingopportunitiesareavail-able forCSOsandresearchers– fromphilanthropic,corporate, and community foundations, to publicagencies.Whileprivatefoundationshavesignificantlyincreased their support to global challenges suchas public health, poverty, and climate change, likeCSOs,onlyasmallshareofthefundingisdirectedtoniche projects that are focussing on affecting social

change9,10. The systemic global sustainability crisis,in particular, remains predominantly within the do-mainoftheclimatechangeinitiativesofenvironmen-talfoundationsand/orfallswithinthepurviewofen-vironmentalprojectsandprogramming11. Thisoverlookstheneedforinterdisciplinaryprojectsandresearch.WorthyofattentionaretheCooperation and Capacities segmentsof theEU’s 7thFrameworkProgramme (FP7), as they facilitate interdisciplinary,transnational, and multi-stakeholder collaborationon research and innovation (European Commission2010).Despitesomegoodinitiatives,thecurrentover-archingfundingenvironmentfailstocultivateorgan-izations, strategies, and activities necessary to tacklesystemicchallenges.Thissectiononengagingfunderslays out arguments as to what the problem is andexploresopportunitiesforatransitiontoanewfund-ingparadigmwithasystemschangeorientation.

Somecriticalandinterrelatedquestionstoexploreare:• Underwhatconstraintsdofundersoperate?• HowdocurrentfundingstrategiesinfluenceCSO activities?• Howhavestrategicmistakesonthesideof foundationsledCSOstoafierceturfwaranddriven widerprogressivevisionsintoaditch?• Howcansomeofthefinancialandtechnical capacityoffoundationsbemobilizedtocatalyze systemicchangestrategies?• HowcantheCSO-Funderrelationshipberewired, orifnecessary,reformulated,sothatitfosters effectivefunding,whichinreturn,cultivatelearning CSOs?• Whattypeoffundersismostlikelytofund systemicchangestrategiesandresearchlinked totheGreatTransition?• Howcansystemicchangestrategiesbebest monitoredandevaluated?Howcanprojectsin theseareasmeetfundingcriteriatodemonstrate changeovertheshortterm?

3.5 Engaging funders in CSO strategies towards the Great Transition

9) Thegrowthinnumberandwealthofprivatefoundations,especiallyintheU.S.andtheEU,inthelasttwodecadesisstriking.IntheU.S.alone, whichhasthemostdynamicandwealthyfoundationenvironment,foundationsassetsincreasedfrom$143billionin1990to$565billionin2008,while overallfoundationgivingincreasedfrom$8.7billionto$46.8billioninthesameperiod(Spero,7).InternationalgivingofU.S.foundationsincreased from$680millionin1994to$6.2billionin2008.Asampleof55.552foundationsintheEU-15foundcombinedassetsofapproximately€237billionand totalspendingof€46billion(EFC,FactsandFigures,5-6).10)Abreakdownoffoundationgivingclearlyshowsthatthereissignificantgeographicalandissue-basedspecialization.See,InternationalGrantmakingIV: AnUpdateonUSFoundationTrends,FoundationCenter,andFoundationsintheEuropeanUnion:FactsandFigures,EuropeanFoundationCenter.11)Despitethefactthat“mostinnovativefundersinUKphilanthropy”increasetheirsupportforenvironmentalissues,fundingofsystemicproblemsstill remainslow(Cracknelletal.,10).“Lessthanafifthofthemoneygrantedbythecoregroupof97trustsisdirectedtosystemicenvironmentalchallenges” (ibid,13).Whenfundingisdirectedatsystemicissuesitisgenerallyunderthepremiseofclimatechangerelatedwork.


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Barriers to Change | Aswithanycomplexsystem, the problem is not exclusively of CSOs orfundersbutof the relationshipasawhole.HerewelayoutsomeproblematiccharacteristicsoftheCSO-Funderrelationship.

Foundationsremainpredominantlysingle-issueandshort-term focused | Funders remain overly risk-averseforlackofproperevaluationtoolsavailable,totheextentthattheyinhibitthedevelopmentoflearn-ing organizations. Further, a competitive fundingframeworkfostersnarrow,techno-fix,outputorientedandshort-termstrategies,whichbringaboutsignifi-cantoverlapandduplicationofCSOactivities.Fundingstrategies such as those proposed by the report,Design to win, may further this unconstructivetrajectory,“whichtakesanarrowsectoralandtechno-logical perspective on climate change, and neglectsthecriticalissuesofpowerandpubliccommitment”(Hale2010:265). Currently, most foundation support goes to envi-ronmentalorganizationsthatworkfromthediscours-es of conservation and preservation. Organizationsthat utilize more radical discourses and emphasizechangesinthestructureofpowerreceivelittlesupport12. MichaelShumanemphasizesthatthetendencytooverspecialize and adoptnarrow focusesworks con-trarytotheunderstandingthat“thecoreinstitutionsofasuccessfulpoliticalmovementmustbemulti-is-sue”(Shuman,1998).Further,Shumanemphasizesanurgentneedformoremulti-yearsupportandreduc-ingtime-consumingbureaucratichurdlesinthenameof accountability. He argues that long-term support

ofpublicscholarswouldenablethedevelopmentandpromotionofnewideas. Given that CSOs are largely influenced by theirfunders, it isof little surprise that if fundersare fo-cused on the short termandaresiloised in theirap-proach,sotooareCSOs.

Dealing with risk and uncertainty | The fundingliterature points to the financial independence offoundations as “philanthropy’s comparative advan-tage”,whichinturnenablesflexibility, risk taking, and a long term vision(DesigntoWin,5;Spero,ix). Yet, fundingchange isriskybusiness.Despite thepositive framing of foundations, there are tensionsbetween funding innovation and change (perceivedashighrisk)andbetweenfunding‘safe’projectswithcertainoutcomes(perceivedaslowerrisk).Atthemo-ment, funders often default to the ‘low risk/low re-ward’bracket,partlybecausetheylackdecision-mak-ingtoolstopointtowardsthe‘highrisk/highreward’bracket. ‘Where the Green Grants Went 4’ explores “whygrant-makersfinditdifficulttoactonclimatechangeor other systems-wide environmental problems”.They found that: first, it is easier tomobilizeeffortstowards tackling effects rather than root causes.Second,system-wideproblemshavea“non-tangibleor open-ended nature”, which makes it difficult todraw out concrete blueprints for action. Eleni Sotosfrom the Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Pro-duction&ConsumptionarguedontheSmartCSOsplatform:“iftheoverarchingdescription[ofsystemicchange]istoosweeping[without]asolidplanforhow

Discursive Frame

Amount of Grants($ in Millions)

Distributionof Grants by Amount

Number of Grants

Distributionof Grants by Number

WildlifeManagementConservationPreservationLiberalEnvironmentalismEnvironmentalJusticeDeepEcologyEcofeminismEcotheologyUndetermined

$3.63$8.74$27.57$19.89$1.05$.84$.14$.46$9.26

5.1%12.2%38.5%27.8%1.5%1.2%.2%.6%12.9%

206122022243366796

2.8%8.6%30.9%31.2%6.0%5.1%.8%1.0%13.5%

Table 3: Foundation Grants by discourse of recipient Organization, 2000 (Brulle & Jenkins 2005)

12)WhilethisbiasinenvironmentalfundingismostelaboratelydocumentedintheUScontext(seeTable1),theEFNpublications,WheretheGreen GrantsWent4,maintainsthisconclusionfortheUKandEuropeancontexts.Intheperiodof2005-07,approximately70%ofgrantsissuedintheUK wenttoconservationandpreservationwork.


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toachievethechange,itwillsoundtoonebulousandunattainable”.

Lackofpropermonitoringandevaluation(M&E)tools|Thefundingliteratureremainsinoverallagree-mentthat“thereisalackoftoolsandsystemstoeval-uateworkaimedatdrivingsocialandpoliticalchange”(Cracknelletal.2009:15). Whileimprovingscientificunderstandingofcom-plexprocessesisvital,thefactofthematteristhatun-certaintyisanunavoidablepartofsystemicchalleng-es.Hence,newmonitoringandevaluationtoolsneedtoincorporateuncertainty. Another fundamentalproblemof current fundingandCSOactivitiesstemsfromhowweevaluatesuc-cessandhowdowedealwithfailure.Theprevalenceofuncertaintynecessitatesintegratinglearningfromexperienceintoprojectevaluation.

Under-utilizationofavailablefundsandtoolsDespitetheurgentneedforinterdisciplinaryresearchto fostersystemicchange, theavailable fundingandinstruments like the EC’s Mobilisation and MutualLearning(MML)ActionPlansonSocietalChallenges13isnotusedtothefullextent. The funding schemes and instruments avail-able under FP7 call for a demanding applicationprocess and heavy administrative effort and mo-bilization. Unfortunately, many CSOs lack the ca-pacity and/or administrative resources to deliversatisfactory applications. In addition, collaborativeprojectsbetweendifferentactors(i.e.CSOs,researchinstitutes,businesses,etc.)bringaboutissuesofcon-flictingprioritiesandambitions. Moreover, funding under these schemes is oftenpartial, requiring CSOs to co-finance their intendedactivities by seeking partners to match the funding.Lastly,publicityoffundingschemesbytheECremainslimited.

Opportunities to engage funders

StrategicOpportunity1:Mappingandclusteringtoidentifygapsandavoidduplication|Animportantopportunitytotransitionintoanewfundingparadigmcomesfromfunders’ownunderstandingoftheneedformorestrategicworkonpartofCSOs.Atthemo-ment, fundersseeoverlapsandredundancies in theworkdonebyCSOs.Itcanbedifficultforfundersto

choosebetweenthemany‘competing’projects,whichmayleadtolessgrantsgettingmadeinthisarea. ClusteringandmappingCSOactivitiesmightpro-videdirectionforfunding.Itisimportanttocollabo-ratewithfunderstodevelopacoherentecosystemofCSOswhereeachCSOfindsanddefinesitsstrategicroleintheGreatTransition.Thiswillenabledetermin-inghowparticulargroupsaddvalueand identifyingwherethegapsandredundanttypesofworkare.

StrategicOpportunity2:Workingwithchangeagentsinthefundingcommunity|Brulle&Jenkinspointto“alternativefoundations”,“publiccharities”assourcesthat fundtoagreateror lesserextentorganizations,whichwork fromnon-mainstreamdiscourses.How-ever,neithertheseinstitutionsnorhowtheyoperatedifferentlyisidentified.Thereissignificantneedforresearch in the activities of alternative foundations,theirgrant-makingprinciples,andevaluationcriteria.

Strategic Opportunity 3: Developing and adoptingtherightsetofM&Etools|AnopportunitytochangethisistoengagefundersintherationaleofneedfortheGreatTransition. Oncefundersunderstandthatcommensuratelongtermimpactcanonlybeachievedatthepriceofclearlydefinedshorttermoutputs,newadequate criteria for funding on systems changeprojects can be defined.This will require significantinnovationinmonitoringandevaluationprocessesforsystemchangestrategies. NewM&Epracticessuchas“crowdevaluation”aswellasthedevelopmentofopenITsystems(forfasterspreadingof learninggained inprojectsonsystem-icchange)mayaidandacceleratethetransitionfromoutputoriented to learningorganizations.However,there is still tremendous need for appropriate M&Etoolstobeco-developedbyfundersandCSOs.

StrategicOpportunity4:UtilizingandpublicizingECfundingschemes|Potentially,initiativeslikeSMARTCSOscancompensateforthepublicityshortageofon-goingschemesandfinancinginstrumentsbycreatingaready-madevenueofdiversestakeholdersfortheEC.Further, with the publishing of the Green Paper onFP8,theECisenteringacollaborationperiodintend-ed to improve and streamline funding schemes forthenextperiod14.Thiscanbeanopportunityforafu-tureSMARTCSOsinitiativeorhubtoprovideexten-sivefeedbackduringthisprocess.

13) MMLActionPlansaretoolsaimingtoaddressscientificandtechnologicalchallengesbyfacilitatingcollaborationamongCSOs,researchinstitutes andotherstakeholderswithdifferentandcomplementaryknowledgeandexpertise:Formoreinformationsee: ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/ssh/docs/mml_en.pdf14) AccordingtoResearchFundamentals,theGreenPaperonFP8,suggestsseveralimprovementstotheFP.Someimportantthemesappeartobe‘clarifying objectives’,‘simplifyingparticipation’,‘reducingcomplexity’,and‘broadeningparticipation’(http://fundermental.blogspot.com/2011/01/fp8-green-paper.html).


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4Next steps

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drawingonthinkingfromtheoryandpracticefromavarietyofdisciplines,thispapercallsonCSOleadersandstrategiststoreconsider

currentstrategiesandpractices.ItpointsatanumberofleveragepointsforaholistictransformationoftheCSO sector to become a strong CSO ecosystem fortacklingglobalwickedissues. Wehopethatthefiveleveragepointsandthemeta-theoryofchangedescribedinthispaperwill informandstimulatethedebateattheSmartCSOsConfer-enceandbeyond. However,thediscussionsandresearchintheSmartCSOsInitiativeduringthepastyearhaveonlylaidthefoundation.Forthosewhowanttobecomesuccessfulinternal andexternal champions fora strategic shiftintheCSOsector,manyquestionsaboutthepracticalimplicationsremainunansweredsofar. The purpose of the Smart CSO Conference is todefine thesequestionsmoreclearlyand then jointlydeveloppracticalwaysforward.

some ideas for next steps are:

• EngagewithEUfundingmechanisms(e.g.FP8)to achievethatmorefundingbecomesavailablefor trans-disciplinary/transitionresearchonwicked problemsaswellasforCSOworkonsystemic change.

• Organiseworkshopstoengageprivatefundersin theGreatTransitionandtoexplorepractical implicationsforfunding.

• Organisejointprojectbetweenexperts,funders andCSOleaderstodevelopframeworkforM&E forthetypeofsystemicchangework(focussedon bottom-upapproachesandvalueshift).

• Systemsmappingprojectstosystematically explorekeyleveragepointsfortheGreat Transition.

• Tobuildspecificstaffcapacitybuildingtoolson systemsthinkingfortheGreatTransitionandstart pilotprojectsinorganisations

• Createspaceforinternaldebatesinorganisations ontheGreatTransitionasavisionfortheorgani- sation.

• StartprojectonframinginEuropeancountries– whatframesneedtobestrengthenedfortheGreat Transition?

• Startprojectonpolicyfeedbackonvalues–what policiescanstrengthenhelpfulframesindifferent societal/politicalcontexts?

• Buildlarge-scaleCSOcoalitionsonBeyondGDP indicatorsinvolvingresearchandpolicydevelop- mentwithsubsequentcampaigns.

• Organiseresearchonunderstandingunder whatcircumstanceslocalinnovationcanreally contributetotacklingglobalissues.

• ResearchonecosystemofCSOs–wherearethe gaps(whereareoverlaps)–whichorganisations wouldbemostsuitedforwhichrole?

• ExploreindepthhowCSOscaneffectivelysupport thecreationofaglobalcitizensmovementforthe GreatTransition.

4 | NEXT sTEPs

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