Examples of social movement action are recognized

As a precondition to using social movement actions, change agents must understand how powerful social movements have been in achieving transformation. In this section, you will learn about some examples of social movements that have led to innovation in health care and beyond.

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Examples of successful social movements indicate their potential for driving change. By learning about social movement action and some of these examples, we can understand how they can be used to effect change (del Castillo et al., 2016; Grinspun, 2017b; Sustainable Improvement Team and the Horizons Team, 2018).

Social movements have occurred in the context of health care since the 1700s and continue to the present day. "Bottom-up" activists have sought and achieved gains such as: broadening access to services, expanding knowledge from those with lived experiences, advocating and advancing rights for groups of citizens, and implementing evidence into clinical practice (del Castillo et al., 2016; Dementia Action Alliance, 2009).

For example, since the 1980s, civil society agencies or community social groups such as the Alzheimer Society, Alcoholics Anonymous and the AIDS Committee have sought to represent themselves and their needs based on their own lived experiences and understanding. As agencies or groups outside of government or business sectors, civil society agencies have used social movement actions to connect groups of individuals and represent their needs and values (Dementia Action Alliance, 2009).    

Individuals who have engaged in social movements have historically often had little to no hierarchical power. They also often lacked knowledge and experience of social movement thinking and actions, as well as access to resources. Nonetheless, their commitment and drive for a purpose shared by others have led to grassroots movements that have grown and have changed outcomes (del Castillo et al., 2016; Sustainable Improvement Team and the Horizons Team, 2018). 

Examples of social movements and their outcomes show the power a group of committed individuals who are engaged in change - or a critical mass - can have when invested in a shared concern or strongly desired change and achieving goals. This can occur at several levels - the micro level (changes between individuals), meso level (changes at the organizational or community level) and/or macro level (changes at the system level, which often impact policies) (Bibby et al., 2009; Carson-Stevens et al., 2013; del Castillo et al., 2016; Embry & Grossman, 2006; Grinspun et al., 2018; Sustainable Improvement Team and the Horizons Team, 2018).

Social movements are powerful forces that have expanded, improved and advanced health-care services and outcomes to challenge inequities and change trajectories. Social movements have achieved many important victories that positively impact health-care services and outcomes. See some examples in the table below.  

SOURCES: Bibby et al., 2009; Campbell, 2020; del Castillo et al., 2016; Dementia Action Alliance, 2009; Elsey, 1998; Grinspun & Bajnok, 2018; Grinspun, et al; 2018a; Herechuk et al., 2010.

To start learning more about social movements, you and your change team can consider the following strategies: 

• familiarize yourself with some of the examples of social movements linked to in this section to see how they have effectively advanced health and social services;
• learn how informal and formal leaders have used social movement actions to achieve change;
• recognize social movement approaches as valuable strategies that can re-energize your change initiative;
• gain knowledge of social movement components, including those described in the Social Movement Action (SMA) Framework; and
• understand the central role of a shared concern or strongly desired change and common goals as drivers for engaging people in social movements.  

SOURCES: Bibby et al., 2009; del Castillo et al., 2016; Grinspun, D. et al 2018a; Dementia Action Alliance, 2009; Herechuk et al., 2010.

 Other examples of health social movements (videos) include:

Tell us how you and your change teams have used examples of social movements to build your knowledge and skills of grassroots action at #LeadingChangeToolkit

Each of the elements of the Social Movement Action (SMA) Framework is dynamic and interrelated. For example, examples of social movements can be linked to the other two preconditions in the SMA Framework: "receptivity to change" and "change is valued and necessary". When a group of intrinsically-motivated and emerging leaders – change agents – are ready for change and share a common goal, they take individual and collective action to achieve that shared goal.  

Linking to the action cycle phases of the Knowledge-to-Action Framework

You and your change team’s capacity in social movement actions may be enhanced or accelerated by the addition of some of the action cycle phases of the Knowledge-to-Action (KTA) Framework, as the two frameworks are complementary. In addition to the linking example described earlier in this section, there can be many other points of connection between the two frameworks. Here are three more examples:   

• Identify the problem: Leaders of historical and current social movements identified a problem to address at the micro, meso or macro level. Understanding how a shared concern or a strongly desired change can allow you and your change team to visualize how an existing problem can lead to a social movement.
• Assess barriers and facilitators: To assess what worked and what did not work for social movements to succeed, you and your change team can think about the lessons learned in these social movement exemplars. Reviewing the lessons learned includes assessing the facilitators and barriers that helped or hindered the social movement’s success. These assessments may give you more insight into what to look out for in your local setting.
• Evaluate outcomes: Did the past or current social movements achieve their intended outcomes? Evaluating whether these social movement exemplars accomplished their goals can give the team a good idea of what worked for them and why. How did the facilitators and barriers in the course of the social movement contribute to the final outcome? This can give you and your team greater insight into whether your social movement can ultimately achieve its outcomes.

For more discussion about the dynamic links between the elements of the SMA Framework to one another and to the KTA Framework, see the section "Two complementary frameworks".