As people work for social change, they are currently face with serious dilemmas about organization's ability to grow, change, and stick around long enough to nurture broad social movements.
Nonprofit leaders committed to movement-building face this central question: How can an organization both be bold enough to alter the fundamental structural relationships in society, and wise enough to act according to principles of organizational sustainability and community transformation?
The elements of collective action, political analysis, organizational structure, and individual reflection are critically important to building a social movement that on one hand embodies sustainable practices, and on the other is politically shrewd and powerful enough to contend with oppressive forces.
The Four Approaches in Relationship: the ODSC Framework:
The practices of Community Organizing (CO) and Power Analysis (PA) are fundamental to social movements. An emerging generation of activists is beginning to embrace Organization Development (OD) and Spirit/Sustainable Practice (SP). These methodologies build organizations from the inside out, but that have been traditionally distrusted in the social justice field.
These four approaches are put in a diagram to better measure the relationships between each approach. The diagram allows us to map out the tensions that exist between each quadrant, in terms of Values/Assumptions/Beliefs (VABs), Theory of Change (TOC), and Practices. We found that each realm contributes something valuable to individuals, groups, and organizations working for social justice.
Comments