Social innovation in the real world - from silos to systems | Indy Johar | TEDxOxbridge

Summary

The speaker discusses the complexity of social innovation, using the example of addressing road fatalities in India to illustrate the need for multifaceted interventions rather than single solutions. They challenge the prevailing myths about entrepreneurship and venture capital, emphasizing the importance of systemic thinking and the need to rethink institutional infrastructure to scale effective social initiatives. The talk calls for a shift in perspective on welfare, investment, and the role of capital in social change, advocating for a collaborative approach to leadership and policy across organizations.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The speaker was inspired by a 2011 talk at Terrace, Oxbridge, which influenced their subsequent work and thinking about social innovation.
• 🚑 The story of an individual in India who sought to address the issue of road accidents and bystander inaction through systemic changes, including legal protection for helpers and improving ambulance services, illustrates the complexity of social challenges.
• 🤔 The speaker challenges the common belief in the 'silver bullet' solution, emphasizing that societal issues often require multiple coordinated interventions rather than a single product or service.
• 🌱 The example of Edible Todmorden demonstrates how investing in social capital, such as community gardening, can have broader positive effects on society, such as reducing crime and increasing employment.
• 💡 The speaker argues for a shift from an industrial mindset to a systems mindset, recognizing the interdependencies between various societal factors and the need for a more holistic approach to problem-solving.
• 🌐 The importance of addressing the 'dark matter' of social innovation, which refers to the institutional infrastructure that is necessary to scale up effective solutions to societal challenges.
• 💼 The current financial models, which are based on single transactions, are inadequate for dealing with systemic issues that require multifaceted, interconnected solutions.
• 🏛 The speaker calls for a reevaluation of how we perceive welfare, suggesting that it should be seen as an investment rather than a cost, which would change the narrative around its value to society.
• 🌱 The need for new models of business, finance, and governance that can accommodate the complexity of systems-level challenges and the interdependencies between various actors.
• 🤝 The importance of collaborative leadership and the development of shared language and intelligence to address multi-organizational challenges effectively.
• 🔍 The speaker emphasizes the need for open conversations about the politics of change, the design of systems-level governance, and the reinvention of institutional infrastructure to meet the demands of the 21st century.

Q & A

What inspired the speaker's recent years of thinking and work?

The speaker was inspired by a system builder talk in 2011 at Terrace, Oxbridge, which sparked a series of questions and reflections on social innovation.

What societal challenge does the speaker use as an example?

The speaker uses the example of road accidents in India, highlighting the complexity of the issue and the need for multiple interventions to address it effectively.

Why did the speaker's friend decide to leave his job in the US and go to India?

His friend's decision was prompted by the tragic death of a close friend who was left unassisted on the road in India for over an hour after an accident.

What was the initial obstacle the friend faced when trying to address the issue of road accidents in India?

The initial obstacle was the fear of the police among bystanders, which prevented them from helping accident victims on the road.

What did the friend do to address the fear of police among bystanders?

He built a movement and campaigned for a supreme law court ruling to protect citizens who help people in need, which was quite effective.

What was the next challenge the friend identified in addressing road accidents in India?

The next challenge was the lack of ambulance services to transport accident victims to hospitals.

How did the friend address the issue of transporting accident victims to hospitals?

He built a reward scheme recognizing police men and women for saving lives when they transported people to the hospital.

What was the role of the police in the absence of an ambulance service?

In the absence of an ambulance service, the police were the ones taking accident victims to the hospital.

What systemic issue did the speaker identify as a major challenge in social innovation?

The speaker identified the lack of institutional infrastructure to scale out successful social innovations as a major challenge in social innovation.

Why is the speaker critical of the focus on a single product or service as a solution to societal challenges?

The speaker argues that societal challenges are complex and interdependent, requiring multiple coordinated interventions rather than a single 'silver bullet' solution.

What does the speaker suggest is the role of welfare in supporting risk-taking in society?

The speaker suggests that the welfare state acts as an insurance, allowing individuals to take risks because they have a safety net.

What is the speaker's view on the current state of corporate governance in relation to systems-level thinking?

The speaker believes that most corporate governance is struggling to deal with today's reality of systems-level thinking and needs to be reinvented.

What is the speaker's perspective on the future of democracy?

The speaker sees the future of democracy not just in voting, but in the agency to create society through high-frequency feedback and interoperability.

What is the speaker's call to action for the audience?

The speaker calls for a reinvention of the institutional infrastructure, including the paradigms of finance, governance, and ethics, to address the challenges of the 21st century.