Social change is the 'hot' development topic these days - the domain of the social entrepreneur. Where outcomes and impact are more important than output and $profit. But with $ from the sky 'funding' drying up in favour of more sustainable business models, the focus has moved from the great 'lets go make these wonderful changes in that place' models to focus on the bottom of the pyramid. Towards tools and services which help those at the bottom of pyramid to create their own solutions, be an integral part of their own social change. If that's logical then the tools and services for the new age of social change need to be geared towards the individual - making social change happen one person at a time.
But change is hard. Anybody can embrace the need to change, might even like the idea of it, but very few enjoy the process of it or find it easy. Its human nature, we are creatures of habit, habits simplify our world, we don't need to keep asking "is a good way to do this", "is my mobile operator still the best one for me", we stick, we accept. Just look at the comments when facebook changes something, we complain, we resist the change - there's a sort of comfort in sticking - even if the new offering has benefits; learning something new creates a sort of tension, not always big or obvious, but one we try to avoid - when the alternative requires even the smallest of efforts, same same not different seems good.
This background resistance to change explains many things, it explains why sometimes policy has to work alongside change to make it happen.
Change does not happen easily, social change is no different. It's not all about access to information, knowledge or products or money for that matter. If it were always about knowledge and cost benefit, then we would see many people in slums using solar lanterns, the simple ones quickly pay for themselves over time and have health benefits.
Any project aiming to create social change as an outcome needs to consider how that change is going to occur, be embedded, owned - otherwise it will be like a well that dries up - no use - and people will just go back to how they did it before the well was built, they won't think to fix the well or build another.
i think there are several factors to be considered
Change measurement - how can impact/success be gauged if the there is no measurement before and after
Change readiness - essentiall for creating any sustainable change (but change readiness can be influenced)
Change increments - too big or supported by heavy handed policy and likely nothing will happen except resistance. Or if steps are too small its not worth the effort involved in the change process.
Change enablement - incentives, policy, encouragement.
Change empowerment - building up some steam in the system to drive it forwards and make it sustainable - the 'touchy feely' bit - in other words not forgetting that at the bottom of the pyramid change happens one person at a time and each indivual needs to 'feel' motivated towards change and stay that way.
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