Transforming systems - the perception Vs reality

I blogged earlier outlining some pathways to bring about systemic transformations to address wicked problems. This post will make the distinction between such transformations brought about through strong personalities and leaders and those through genuine system-wide changes.

In India's development lore, we come across examples of District Collectors, Municipal Commissioners, Police Superintendents, and State Government Secretaries supposedly having achieved transformational change with their initiatives. But unfortunately, as outlined below, the whole literature on best practices and case studies that highlight the work of outstanding individuals may actually present very little by way of replicable learnings. 

When faced with wicked problems, apart from doing nothing, there are perhaps three possible reform responses that leaders can try out.

The commonest is to try out some or other technical fixes - privatise, outsource, digitise, restructure and so on. Examples of high-profile PPPs, use of Blockchains and Machine Learning, process reengineering etc abound, which have done much more damage than any benefit. This, while intuitively appealing (we are doing something new to an old problem which has elided satisfactory solutions) is like band-aid on gangrene. While there may be some 'form' of change, it is unlikely to be accompanied by any 'substance' of change.

The glibbest among such leaders propagate themselves through social media and manage to win awards. This approach has perhaps the most damaging influence in so far as it conveys an impression of success and incentivises peer emulation. A very distorted trend can get entrenched.

Sometimes outstanding individuals emerge to lead organisations. They use intense personal energies and commitment to instil fear, inspire teams, monitor intensely, micro-manage extensively etc that can paper over systemic decay and get stuff done to a satisfactory enough level. But the effect is rarely sustainable and success is transient. In fact, they make systems work effectively when they are at the helm, even deliver outcomes, by sheer force of their personality and intensity of their drive. But these are not system transformations. It is most likely kicking the can down the road for the successors to engage with.

The flip side of this approach is that such intensity of engagement by the leader typically, but not always, ends up undermining initiative and lowering the motivation of subordinates and concentrating authority and action at the top of the bureaucracy. I have written about the example of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) here.

Finally there are the very rare genuine systemic transformation efforts. It involves some or all of these - cultivate champions at all levels; empower extensively, even at the risk of short-term failures; nurture positive deviances and encourage their diffusion; trigger conversations at all levels about the need for change; create the conditions for internal ruptures etc. This is very difficult to sustain. The toolkits are very different from what modern management teaches.

The most difficult (to comprehend) part of this approach is that it cannot be planned in any detail. You have to initiate the process with a few carefully thought out interventions or reforms which resonate with the felt-needs of all stakeholders, is important enough in the system's overall perspective, and which the system has the capacity to engage with meaningfully. Once initiated, the challenge is to watch and engage opportunistically based on emergent dynamics of the system and steer the course without letting things get off control. It is a long-drawn effort with uncertain pathway of change. This needs patience, tact, and an ability to continuously step back and in as required.

While the first two approaches present themselves as amenable to replication, only the first is, in theory at least, both replicable and scaleable. The second option runs straight into the constraint of committed leaders - there are only so many of them. It is difficult to reduce the third approach to even a plan much less a replication toolkit. 

For those looking at examples of system transformation, it is important to understand the underlying approach to figure out which category a particular system transformation attempt belongs to.