There are many definitions out there. Sociologists are debating which historical events qualify as social movements, while political scientists are reading their own stacks of books on political movements. And of course corporate marketers have their own set of pithy definitions. As our work here at Movement Builders involves aspects of all these fields, we are in need of a new, more holistic and manageable definition.
\’müv-ment\ An ongoing, informal group action that is inspired by a passionately shared idea and directed toward positive change
Let’s look at the components of this definition in more detail.
Ongoing: A movement is not a once and done sort of event. A well attended press conference, a big release party for a new product, or even a good turnout for a volunteer event doesn’t qualify as a movement. These may be well positioned to launch a new movement, but that momentum must be continued.
Informal: A movement is not fully controlled by anyone. Though you can shape and coordinate a movement, there is no formal hierarchy able to seamlessly pass down orders. This is a trade-off, but the outstanding organic growth and word-of-mouth marketing that a movement offers almost always outweighs the loss of formal, hierarchical control.
Group Action: At its heart, a movement is a group of people simultaneously acting in a similar fashion.
Passionately Shared Idea: The members of this group share a common belief, discovery, or piece of knowledge that has led them to act in this similar fashion. And this idea is not of the boring variety. Members are excited about the idea and the action, and so they actively pass it throughout their group
Positive Change: People become involved in this group action to make a positive change. That positive change could be a broad and sweeping such as the Civil Rights movement, or it could be on a more individual level such as adopting an amazing new product or service to improve your own life. But in all cases the idea is being spread and the action is being taken because of a positive change which excites the members of the group.
All these components are essential for a powerful and long-lasting movement. Comparing the current results of your organization’s work against this benchmark gives a starting place for developing your organization’s unique movement-building plan.
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8 Comments at "Movement Defined"
[...] I’m going to address some common misconceptions about movements by spelling out what a movement is NOT. If you are looking for information on what a movement actually is, well then check out our article Defining a Movement. [...]
This definition is useful because it is all encompassing, which I am sure is the aim. But it is also useful to have an understanding of the unique attributes of the type of movement you are trying to build. Social movements, political movements,etc. all have unique characteristics.
I agree, Samantha, that there are unique attributes to each type of movement. Not only does this mean that they address different issues, but they also apply somewhat different approaches — how they get the word out, what actions they request from their audience, how much they use media, and so on. This definition was meant to get people thinking about their similarities, realizing that despite apparent differences there are still many similarities.
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[...] article on Movement Defined lays out a benchmark in his holistic definition of movements. A clear [...]
[...] articles on the subject matter in http://movementbuilders.com. The first one sought to define what a movement is; the second one what it isn’t. The following excerpt from the second article is exactly what [...]
[...] Movement Defined Says: “An ongoing, informal group action that is inspired by a passionately shared idea and directed toward positive change.” [...]
[...] Movement Defined from Movement Builders, “An ongoing, informal group action that is inspired by a passionately shared idea and directed toward positive change.” [...]
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