Introduction
Shifting mindsets for social change is a long game, but short-term policy change must be a part of that calculus, as it can make or break the long-term potential of any culture change effort.
Here’s how we can think about the short and long term in advocacy playbooks.
The Long and the Short of It
Mindset shifts are long games that require short-term wins along the way. Mindset shifts both enable and result from changes in behavior, policy, institutions, and structures.
That means enduring, sustainable social change requires attention to short-term policy wins while always keeping a steady eye on long-term goals. It’s not a question of short-term wins or long-term gains; the short term and the long game must be mutually reinforcing.
It’s tempting to focus on the short-term policy-change layup—a win is a win—and early victories can certainly help catalyze mindset shifts and policy change.
Short-term policy gains without a mindset shift strategy risk backsliding and may not be sustainable. Without a long-term focus, we run the risk of decisive, even dangerous, defeat.
The PlayBook
So how do we do this?
How do we pursue short-term advances while remaining disciplined and focused on the long-term change goals? It requires orchestration and—above all—commitment to a strategy.
Here’s the game plan.
Go for the Game-Changers
When advocating, ask yourself: Would this near-term policy win actually change lives in ways that support the mindset that we need to shift to realize our long-term goal?
Those are the early wins we want to focus on.
Say Something
Short-term policy wins support mindset shifts when they communicate something that advances our mindset shift strategy.
Advocates should consider: What does the policy express? What ideas and narratives does it tap into and advance?
Make the Story Stick
A mindset shift strategy requires a story arc that runs through and ties together each short-term policy win and pulls together others working on the issue.
A narrative through line enables campaigns to build on each other over time and generate the momentum required to shift the public discourse and cultural mindsets.
Advocates and funders should consider: Does the issue campaign have narrative consistency across activities and over time? What partners need to be mobilized and organized?
Policy campaigns include people and groups working on different pieces of strategy; issue campaigners might not be also crafting legislative strategy, while others may be working on grassroots mobilization. Narrative consistency across activities requires a high degree of collaboration since narrative strategies should ideally connect with subsequent campaigns.
The Recap
(and your next play)
Issue advocates need both short- and long-term perspectives.
That requires identifying short-term policy wins that change how people live and have potent symbolic power and making sure there is a consistent narrative strategy across campaign activities over time.
When people marvel at the way that “marriage equality happened overnight,” they aren’t seeing the whole story. That movement succeeded in accomplishing the lessons in this “playbook,” thanks to coordinated efforts among extremely dedicated people with a range of experiences and expertise, rigorous research, and millions of dollars of funding, among other resources.
Movements need a robust infrastructure. Those in the philanthropic sector, the academy, think tanks and non-governmental organizations should think seriously about their particular role in ensuring that infrastructure is built to sustain the larger movements they are helping advance.
Conclusion
No matter what you advocate for, the imperatives for sustainable mindset shifts are shared: Understand the kind of shift you’re after, balance short-term gains with long-term milestones, and aim to bring both policymakers and the public along with you.
Mindsets are challenging to shift, but they’re worth it. The fight for social change requires persistence but ultimately pays off in transforming lives for good.
Access Full Report
Moving Mindsets: A Playbook for Building Momentum (PDF – 6 pgs)
About the Author
The FrameWorks Institute is a nonprofit think tank that advances the missiondriven sector’s capacity to frame the public discourse about social and scientific issues. The organization’s signature approach, Strategic Frame Analysis®, offers empirical guidance on what to say, how to say it, and what to leave unsaid. FrameWorks designs, conducts, and publishes multi-method, multidisciplinary framing research to prepare experts and advocates to expand their constituencies, to build public will, and to further public understanding. To make sure this research drives social change, FrameWorks supports partners in reframing through strategic consultation, campaign design, FrameChecks®, toolkits, online courses, and in-depth learning engagements known as FrameLabs.
Explore Further
- Mindset Shifts: What are They? Why do they Matter? How do they Happen?
- You’re not Failing, Social Change can Be Slow
- Measuring Narrative Change: Understanding Progress and Navigating Complexity
- Windows and Cycles: How Policy gets Made
- Movements and Leaders have Seasons – it’s Important to Know which one you are in
- The Features of Narratives: A Model of Narrative Form for Social Change Efforts
- Narrative Change: Start Here