4 The Dynamic of Social Change

THE DYNAMIC OF SOCIAL CHANGE;
SOCIAL-CHANGE THEORIES AND DILEMMAS EQUILIBRIUM AND COMPLEXITY THEORY OF SOCIAL EMERGENCE
4th Session
Lecturer : Didip Diandra, MBA
What
Social change is dened as a systemic transformation over time in the organization of society in patterns of thinking, behavior, social relationships, institutions, and social structure.
What sort of change do they generate?

It is certainly not the kind of massive and rapid upheaval caused by natural disasters or political revolutions; nor is it the change created by external events, such as the opening of a new industrial plant along with the promise of economic benets to the community; nor is it the change engendered by new inventions and technologies.
Focus
Section 2 will focus on this sort of from-smallto-major-social-change dynamic. First, we will review how the existing theories relate to social entrepreneurship ways of introducing change (Chapter 4). Next (Chapters 5 and 6), we will present a dynamical approach, looking in detail into the mechanisms of this sort of bottom-up social change.
Who is Kaz Jaworski?... What he did? Discuss!
The following narrative is illustrative of how one social entrepreneur achieved social change by starting small and, gradually gaining in signi- cance, succeeded in creating a major impact on the entire society. Kazimierz (Kaz) Jaworski, Poland: Empowering disadvantaged rural communities through a bottom-up process
Defining Social Change is the systemic transformation in patterns of thoughts, behavior, social relationships, institutions, and social structure over time.
Mindset Change
Munir Hasan, Steve Bigari, and Kaz Jaworski inuenced the mindsets and behavior of their target societies. They transformed the relationships into more cooperative, inclusive, and trusting ones. They modied institutions and sparked the formation of new ones. Finally, as a result, social structures were altered (Munir inuenced a new, partnershipbased model of relationships in education; Steve mainstreamed the previously excluded group; and Kaz brought about strong civic and economic participation).
Existing Theories of Social Change
Ancient Greeks and the Present Time
4 Theories Find out?
In sociology there are at least four basic categories of theories of social change (Noble, 2000; Vago,2004):
1.
2.
3. 4.
Evolutionary Conictual Structural-functional, and Social-psychological
Crucial dilemmas Find out!

Is Social Change Endogenous or Exogenous? Is Social Change Inevitable or Contingent? Individuals or Societies? Materialism or Idealism?
Social Problems
Social problems are characterized by extreme complexity, but it is that very same complexity that provides a way to achieve large scale social change by exerting a disproportionately small force. Analyzing and exploring this principle will be the main focus of this chapter. We will present the theoretical framework of the complexity approach, which illustrates the complex social system change fostered by social entrepreneurs.
Who is he
Kurt Lewins Force-field Theory
Social Emergence
The accumulation of changes on the micro level may turn at some point into changes on the macro level, at which some new and significant structures emerge; these newly appearing structures are called emergent phenomena. What probably makes emergence theory so compelling is that it relates to processes in which new entities arise without any specic body either controlling or orchestrating this occurrence; the emergent phenomenon typically arises in the absence of any sort of invisible hand or central controlling agent. As stated in Chapter 4, social entrepreneurs often enable the endogenous change process instead of controlling it. Through a deep understanding of the Lewinian force- eld (Chapter 5), they often operate as if from the inside. Emergent phenomena are clearly observed in physics, biology, and sociology. Similarly, social entrepreneurs foster a process leading to the emergence of new, irreversible social structures, mindsets, and symbols.
Basic Properties of Emergent Systems, Goldstein (1999):

Radical novelty The appearance of features that are not previously observed. For example, no matter how long and meticulously scientists (chemists and physicists) might analyze single air particles, they would never be able to predict that those particles, if brought together, would propagate sound waves! Similarly, analyzing single ants would never bring us to the conclusion that if more such ants gathered together they would cooperate in building anthills. The anthill is an emergent result of their cooperation, with no external or internal body controlling or directing them. Ants are genetically programmed to exchange information and, through that biochemical process of communication, they create complex and surprising emergent entities. Unpredictability The creation of complex systems in this case, anthills can never be predicted by individually examining ants; the new property appears on a higher level as a result of the exchange of information. The features of emergents are neither predictable nor deducible from lower- or micro-level components.
Cont
Coherence or Correlation
Emergents appear as integrated wholes that tend to maintain some sense of identity over time. The sand pile as a whole maintains coherence (you can admire its elegance regardless of the amount of sand added on the top). The v-shaped ocks of birds, as well as the swarm of ants, are coherent; this coherence spans and correlates the separate, lower-level components into a higher-level unity.
Global or Macro Level

Because coherence represents a correlation that spans separate components, the locus of emergent phenomena occurs at a global or macro level, although components are located at the micro level. On the micro level, one can observe only single ants or single birds on a tree. The occurrence and observation of their emergent behavior is
Cont
Dynamical
Emergent phenomena arise as complex systems gradually, over time. This means that there are some processes and increasing interactions that gather momentum, as when a random group of birdson the branches of a tree spontaneously (as we interpret it) picks up and takes off and, in transit, exchanges information leading to the formation of a v-shaped ock (Reynolds, 1987). As a dynamical construct, emergence is associated with the arising of new attractors (see Chapter 5) in dynamical systems.
Clearly Demonstrative
Emergents are recognized by showing them- selves. One can easily spot and admire a v-shaped ock of birds; similarly, one can easily identify elegant anthills clearly visible on the forest oor.
5 Level of Social Emergence, Sawyer (2007):

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The individual level, which consists of individual intentions, memories, personalities, and cognitive processes. We could add that at that level people represent their own personal experience, patterns of attribution, eventual prejudices, and attitudes. The second is the interaction level, which involves patterns of discourse, symbolic interaction, collaboration, and negotiation. The third is the ephemeral-emergent level, at which some emergent manifestations may appear, although still unstable; there may arise some common topics, frames of interactions, structures for participation, and some relative roles and statuses. However, at this point, things can be easily reversed. The fourth is the stable-emergent level, at which we observe group structures, new language (e.g., group jargon, catchphrases), and con- versational routines. These elements are the base for nal emergence. Finally, the social-structure level, where we observe the
The Circle of Emergence, Kaz Jaworski:
1.
2.
3. 4. 5.
Individual Interactions Ephemeral Emergents Stable Emergents Structures
Quiz
1.
2.
3.
4.
Define social change? Who is Kaz Jaworski?... What he did? Find out and explain four basic categories of theories of social change (Noble, 2000; Vago,2004)? Who and what is Kurt Lewins Force-field Theory?
Make Group Discussion
Reference:
Global Ryszard Praszkier. Andrzej Nowak. Social Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Cambridge University Press. Section 1 page 31-79 Peter C. Brinckerhoff. 2000. Social Entrepreneurship. Wiley Non-profit Series. Chapter 1

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THE DYNAMIC OF SOCIAL CHANGE;

Lecturer : Didip Diandra, MBA

What sort of change do they generate?

Who is Kaz Jaworski?... What he did? Discuss!

Existing Theories of Social Change

Ancient Greeks and the Present Time

4 Theories Find out?

Evolutionary Conictual Structural-functional, and Social-psychological

Crucial dilemmas Find out!

Basic Properties of Emergent Systems, Goldstein (1999):

Global or Macro Level

5 Level of Social Emergence, Sawyer (2007):

The Circle of Emergence, Kaz Jaworski:

Individual Interactions Ephemeral Emergents Stable Emergents Structures

Make Group Discussion

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