The Hidden Variable of Societal Transformation
When co-founding collaboratio helvetica in early 2017, I knew I was signing up for a roller coaster. Our vision was magnificent, I set out to do something I had never done, in ways very few people anywhere had ever done.I knew it would be challenging, like any new adventure or meaningful change work may be. I had no idea however just how intense this roller coaster would be. I did not know it would shake up all parts of me and put them together again in a new way. How much inner work it would ask me to do in order to make real progress towards our goals.
Often we tend to focus on the results, the output, the achievements and the awards - and just forget about the difficult bits, the rough patches, and what it took to get there.
Even when looking at start-up incubators or mainstream leadership training, the focus is on your skills, your presentation, your public speaking and displays of power or compassion. Whilst these may all be valuable things to develop, if studied and deployed without the internal work, they’re missing the mark.
Theory U and other amazing tools for transformation and introspection have taught me one thing: your interior condition matters. Where you come from matters. Your mindset matters.
“The quality of an intervention depends on the interior condition of the intervenor”
- Bill O’brien
In theory it made complete sense to me that we cannot solve our problems with the same mindsets that created them, to paraphrase a quote attributed to Albert Einstein. It seems logical to me that in order to truly re-invent education I need to let go of certain assumptions and conditionings, such as the concept of school as a building, or of a class as a group of students grouped by age. Similarly, I understand that in order to challenge the patriarchy I need to let go of what I was taught I should be as a woman*. I for example needed to do some conscious work to let go of internalised beliefs around how I should keep quiet, small and pretty, to really own my voice and do the work that I do today and that I love.
That all made sense. But I had completely underestimated to what extent this work would ask me to face my own shadows. Just how crucial this inner condition, where I am coming from, is. I had to admit to myself that despite all my nice philosophies and optimism about the world, I was still often trying to create change coming from a place of guilt, anger and shame. I had to witness how this limited my potential to contribute to change, how it sometimes even did damage, and how I was in fact my own biggest obstacle. I approached and perhaps overstepped the boundaries of what was healthy numerous times. The third time of feeling absolutely depleted, I could no longer deny that the cup I was trying to pour from is not bottomless, and needed some serious replenishing.
My own trauma, patterns and unhealthy drivers were not only affecting me negatively - they also impacted my team and people around me. It is a bit hard to face this reality and can be embarrassing, but again, we talk too much about the shiny bits, and not enough about the shadowy ones. The inner work is the hidden variable of societal transformation. And as often, going through this process has brought many crucial lessons - some of which are captured in the model Impact Loop of inner & outer change.
The Impact Loop of inner and outer change by collaboratio helvetica (Find the PDF version here)
This model proposes a frame to think about the inner and outer work needed for impact. It is intended to make explicit what awareness-based systemic change takes and to support in creating as well as maintaining alignment and coherence across levels as we do this Work.
A key component here is that we found that this inner work is not only needed for us as individuals. It also pertains to the work of teams, who need to consider elements such as their principles, shared practices, roles and dynamics - all of which will influence the quality of what this team is able to produce. Similarly, the paradigms and culture of an organisation, as well as its governance structure and processes, will play a key role in the impact this organisation creates.
On all levels, the inner work drives the outer work, which drives the impact. Each level contains the previous one, as we expand our radius of influence and impact we continuously revist and refine the previous layers in constant practice. This model can also be used as a model/map to identify your own field of influence, where you can have the most impact with your efforts and unique contribution - as an individual and as a team.
For us at collaboratio helvetica, it is clear that it is a loop. Some may dwell only in the inner work, and fear confronting themselves to reality, and actually trying something. Others may be solely focused on the outer work, launching new project upon project, always in the doing energy - never pausing to reflect and learn. One will never be complete without the outer. The inner work informs the outer work, and vice-versa. No person, team or organisation can ever activate its full potential without consciously practicing both. We hope that this model will help you do just that!
Further literature to the topic
https://www.collaboratiohelvetica.ch/en/blog/2021/3/12/the-impact-loop-of-inner-outer-change?rq=loop method explained
https://www.collaboratiohelvetica.ch/en/blog/2020/9/7/dedication-to-our-wellspring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPSh2QQbj2, TEDx talk by Nora Wilhelm
Nora Wilhelm is the Co-Founder and Catalyst of collaboratio helvetica. She has a background in youth engagement and active citizenship (European Youth Parliament) and specialised in collaboration, self-organisation, ecosystem leadership, systemic change and social innovation. Beyond facilitating multi-stakeholder processes and social innovation labs as well as promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she is a renowned young leader, advocate and speaker, recognised for her work by the Swiss government, UNESCO, Forbes 30 under 30 and other institutions.