how to identify mental models behind a social or environmental problem;
how to trace their roots and journey to people’s psyche;
how to develop alternative mental models that would get to people as effectively;
how to deploy new mental models by constructing a new narrative environment;;
and how to ultimately channel new ways of thinking into changing the systemic structures that perpetuate the problem.
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weekly video modules with the total of 3 hour guidance and inspiring examples.
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case studies of shifting mental models about domestic workers, smoking tobacco and food waste.
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playbook with prompts and frameworks to apply to your case and a rich library of additional resources.
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podcast season with real-life practitioners
Why have we created this course?
Mental models are deeply embedded ideas and schemas in people’s heads about how things work or should work in the world. They could be compared to lenses which, when worn, project a picture of the world with some peculiarities — for example, certain groups of people in a system becoming invisible in the eyes of the broader public, or their contribution to the smooth functioning of a system appearing distorted or less significant than it is in reality, or important connections between elements in a system being muted or kept completely out of sight.
The ways of thinking shared across large parts of society play a critical role in establishing and maintaining systemic structures that manifest mental models in very tangible terms. Influencing the way people think, thus, has an effect on whether business as usual in a system is maintained or challenged. A new mental model adopted across some parts of society can provide the basis for contesting the existing order of things and power relations and can fuel the development of broad social movements which can shift systemic structures.
You can listen more in detail to why we have created this course in our Ashoka Systems Change Podcast: Season 3 Episode 1
"It's such good content. When you link it up with Ashoka's other content on systems change, working with government, scaling and funding pieces, it amounts to a lovely ecosystem of support for social entrepreneurs." Brendan Dunford, Ashoka Fellow from Ireland, founder of the Burren Programme.
“These materials were greatly relevant and helpful for me and our work. They highlighted for us how important it is for everyone to have a role in changemaking and encouraged us to set up a meeting with multiple stakeholders and establish the tone for their participation as active participants.” Ximena Abogabir, Ashoka Fellow from Chile, Casa de la...
"I'm so glad that you have developed this course. Mindset shift is a critical part of the work of many social entrepreneurs, it certainly is a critical part of our work." Alison Lingane, Ashoka Fellow, co-founder of Project Equity
"The frameworks presented are clear and help us understand where narrative stems from so that we understand what sources to target to change the narrative. And I appreciate the suggestions for where we can go to further our knowledge." Meaghan Balzer, Academic Director of UHelp, Haitian Education and Leadership Program
Inspiration from Peers
We offer you four real-life examples of changes achieved in the way people think about:
Domestic workers | National Domestic Workers Alliance | Ashoka Fellow Ai-Jen Poo | US
Food waste | Feedback Global | Ashoka Fellow Tristram Stuart | UK
Smoking tobacco | collective efforts of nationwide tobacco control movement since 1890s | US
School education for changemaking | Ashoka | Brazil
You can also find further cases, e.g. on digital literacy in Korea and child sexual abuse in Nigeria, discussed in the podcast.
To Outpace Problems, We Need More Changemakers Like You
You are here because you care about making a difference. Systems change is an important part of the changemaking toolkit. Enroll now to join a global community, striving together to maximize impact from any sector and from any role. Let's build an Everyone a Changemaker world, together!
In order to see details of the modules, playbook and case studies, please enroll in the course. You will immediately receive a link to the full course which you can take at a comfortable pace starting any time.
Module 1: Why to Influence How People Think & Why This Course
An introductory video to the course in which we already discussed the definition of mental models that serve as lenses influencing people's behaviour and systems at large. We also cover some recommended logistics for course participants.
Module 2: Mental Models Behind the Problem and the Vision
This module will help you identify which mental models fuel the structural root causes of the problem of your concern and how they need to be transformed for a system to produce better results.
The prompts for this module are the problem tree, stakeholders’ thinking & behavior, the chain of demand, the formulation of a new desired mental model and exploring the feasibility of changes in thinking.
Module 3: How Mental Models Get to People’s Heads
In this module we explore the current narrative environment on your cause and the targeted narrative environment we would want to create.
Module 4: Different Segments in the Audience
Now is time to understand the social group we would like to influence and its different segments according to their openness to change, and figuring out who from the early adopters could be our allies and how.
We carry out the audience analysis for the cause of your concern and explore potential partners who can help you do this work in the best possible way.
Module 5: Immersing Audience into New Narrative Environment
For a person to adopt a new way of thinking, three different components need to be affected at three different levels. We want to make sure that people in our audience gain awareness on the issue, become willing to change thinking and behavior, and are capable to implement new thinking and new behavior in practice.
The prompt will help you identify activities to increase people's awareness, willingness and capacity to actin a new way at the individual, social and structural levels.
Module 6: From Shifts in Thinking to Tangible Systemic Changes
The final part of our journey will be about channeling the changes in public thinking and the increasing demand for structural changes to the eyes and ears of decision-makers in politics and business. This is the time to harvest the fruit of narrative work and turn it into tangible power in the system.
The playbook will help you formulate the steps in interacting with decision-makers in business and government.
Check out our Library on Systems Change Knowledge
Check out our Ashoka Globalizer library on systems change for social entrepreneurs including a series of freely accessible systems change online courses on basics of systems thinking and working with government.
The online courses are complemented by other knowledge pieces on systems change developed by the Ashoka Globalizer team, including:
Content, script, narration, course direction
Olga Shirobokova
Content support Ashoka Team: Nadine Freeman, Odin Mühlenbein, Michela Fenech, Flavio Bassi Topic experts: Ryan Senser, Jee Kim, Leslie Crutchfield, Bridgit Antoinette Evans, Nat Kendall-Taylor, Makani Themba, Kristina Mevs-Apgar Ashoka Fellows: Tristram Stuart, Al Etmanski, Brendan Dunford, Trabian Shorters Learning Experience Design: Maria Galaykova
Editing
Santiago Del Giudice, Nadine Freeman, Akash Bhalerao, Lorena García Durán, Ina Bogdanova
Participation and feedback to the course beta-version Ashoka Fellows and their teams: Brendan Dunford, Jill Vialet, Katie Plochocky, Alison Lingane, Anne Basting, Conor Bohan, Meagan Balzer, Fletcher Harper, Marek Demner, Martina Kopecká, Jana Kavková, Martina Pařízková
We also thank Ashoka Latin America teams for their support.
Director of video production
Slava Makka
Illustration
Jane Potapova, Ekaterina Zatsepina, Slava Makka
Motion design and animation
Slava Makka, Maria Makka, Fedor Orlov, Alexander Fedorov, Lisa Lokosova
Graphic design for Playbook and Case Studies
Marina Astashova
Podcast Sound Editor
Dmitry Krupenya
Spanish translation
LatinLingua
Website
Olga Shirobokova, Santiago Del Giudice, Hasan Bhatti
Feel free to contact us with feedback and ideas
for cooperation at [email protected]
Agence de Coopération Internationale de la Confédération Suisse (SDC)
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is Switzerland’s international cooperation agency. In operating with other federal offices concerned, SDC is responsible for the overall coordination of development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as for the humanitarian aid delivered by the Swiss Confederation.
Agence de Coopération Internationale de la Confédération Suisse (SDC)
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is Switzerland’s international cooperation agency. In operating with other federal offices concerned, SDC is responsible for the overall coordination of development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as for the humanitarian aid delivered by the Swiss Confederation.
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