Theory Of Change
The Path To Equality
How often have you experienced equality – especially in the world of work? And was it true equality or was it actually privilege? (Because true equality means everyone would have had the same experience that you did – would they?)
Most of us have had experiences of being treated unequally, unjustly and unfairly and for those of us who belong to one or more deliberately (by design) disadvantaged communities, this is a regular occurrence.
The prevalence of this harm means that in our work we regularly encounter pessimism, fatalism and an inability to imagine what an equal world might look and feel like. Despite feminism, the Stonewall riots, Black Lives Matter and numerous other significant moments in history, we continue to live – by design – in a grossly unequal system.
Despite this, we still believe in the possibility of an equal future and an equal world…
And the more examples of equality that exist, the more we believe other people will:
- Believe that it’s possible.
- Understand that it’s achievable.
- Experience that it’s beneficial, for everyone (because no-one loses out with equality).
The more we replicate and expand examples of equality, the more opportunity there is for a new system – that we call Equalism – to become a viable alternative to capitalism. This is, we believe, a possible path to equality…
A Path To Equality: Our Theory Of Change
To create an alternative system, we need to begin to change the ecosystems we operate within. We believe that starting with the world of work is a viable place to begin since each organisation is, in effect, its own ‘micro’ ecosystem.
1. We can create change – through strategic programmes of organisational change – within these ‘micro’ ecosystems (organisations) and start to create working models of more equitable and equal workplaces.
2. We can expand these ‘micro’ ecosystems into larger ones by creating alliances of organisations doing this work to experiment with doing business very differently within ‘mini’ ecosystems – people moving around organisations within an alliance, the sharing of financial and other resources more flexibly and more.
3. The more alliances we create, the more working ‘mini’ ecosystems of equality we create and the more models of alternative ways of operating and existing begin to take shape.
4. With enough ‘mini’ ecosystems to work together to form a viable larger ecosystem of operating, working and doing business differently, we create an experience of working in an entirely different system, founded upon equality for everyone.
This is our theory of change.
We believe, the following steps can help us build this path to equality. We have formed an Equality Alliance, as a prototype to bring to life a joint vision and ecosystem founded upon equality, using these steps…
Without a clearer vision of what we want to create, how will we get there? And how will we know when we’re there? Leading conversations on this is a key part of our mission, and we speak and facilitate these kinds of conversations regularly.
Why we believe this is important:
- We need an entirely different systemic approach to how we live (and work) on this planet.
- We need a vision to aim for.
- We need to figure out viable alternatives to work towards.
We’re starting with upskilling people in the world of work to put in place the foundational frameworks and spaces needed for systemic change. And then we want to upskill our young people with an educational curriculum of a different kind.
Why we believe this is important:
- It will take leadership of a different kind to build a system upon different paradigms.
- Current educational approaches do not equip any of us with the skills we need to do this.
We’re building a prototype of an Equality Alliance for organisations using progressive education as an agent of change; we will be releasing a toolkit and training facilitators to support other organisations to form their own Equality Alliances too.
Why we believe this is important:
- We need a working prototype to inspire, experiment with and guide us.
- Creating an alternative gives people an alternative to what exists and dominates today.
What Is An Equality Alliance?
The healthiest of ecosystems thrive when each entity within them gives and takes in equal measure; this maintains the harmony and balance for the survival and thriving of the ecosystem and everything within it.
Organisations are no different; they do not function in isolation and are typically part of more than one ecosystem.
The dominant ecosystem within which we operate today is driven by capitalism, underpinned by patriarchy and colonialism and is anything but equal, harmonious, balanced or healthy. Instead it is extractive, divisive and harmful.
Our goal is to build and prototype new ecosystems that we can operate within, alongside other mission-aligned organisations.
Organisations that share similar values, principles and goals and an ecosystem within which all our people can exist, work and thrive, safely and, above all, equally.
We call these ecosystems “Equality Alliances”. The Path To Equality is where we share our journey to create and shape our own…
Welcome To Our Equality Alliance!
While each Equality Alliance will function uniquely as a system in itself, it is part of a network of other systems – an ecosystem – each one based upon equality.
Like any other ecosystem, for Equalism and those within it to function and thrive, shared foundations and principles are needed. At a minimum, we believe these include:
- Equality for everyone is the goal; while recognising that everyone is on their own path at their own pace, to that goal.
- Equality requires fundamental paradigm shifts upon which the foundations of equality can be built.
- Achieving and upholding equality requires adaptability, agility and flexibility – individually, collectively and systemically.
In reality our Equality Alliance may well be different from yours! Because an ecosystem based upon equality meets the needs of those within it, individually and collectively, and those needs will very likely differ from alliance to alliance. Here are some of the things we will experiment with as we build our Equality Alliance…
An ecosystem which enables people within it to move flexibly and freely between organisations, contributing and receiving to any and all organisations within the ecosystem, as desired and needed.
An ecosystem in which a financing system is in operation which all organisations contribute to and receive from, as able and needed; to develop a different way of investing in and financing impact and growth.
An ecosystem in which all organisations are open to flexible experimentation to continue to create an environment in which all entities – individually and collectively – can flourish and thrive.
Who Is In Our Equality Alliance?
As with many things we experiment with, we’re starting with ourselves; the first two organisations in this Equality Alliance are our own non-profit and for-profit organisations…
Leadership Training With A Difference...
Be part of the world’s most progressive leadership development platform and hone the skills to do business and leadership differently.
Education To Lead To Equality...
Equipping future generations with the education and curriculum they really need to build an alternative to capitalism (we call it Equalism).
Follow Our Path To Equality
As one of our shared values is transparency, we share the ups and downs, twists and turns of our journey to build an Equality Alliance on our own path to equality here…
Wheel of Colonisation
The wheel was published by Lea Jovy, founder of Mission Different and Mission Equality, in September 2024. The outer circle is intended to be an 'end state' of what being decolonised - and living in a fully decolonised ecosystem - might be like. The wheel is not...