The mindset shifts

It is intuitive to pilot, validate, and grow, linearly from 1 to 10 to 20 to 30. However, when we imagine solving a problem at the scale at which it is prevalent, we may get limited by how we think. If we have to solve education access for 200 million children, we could believe it’s our responsibility to align resources and capacity to go from 1 to 200 million by ourselves – a task as daunting as it is impossible to achieve in our lifetime! We need to think differently, to shift our mindset to one that asks critical questions such as “If I cannot solve the challenge for everyone, how can I create conditions for many to solve together?” These shifts are:

• From scaling what works → To designing what works at scale – What works, may not scale and what scales, may not work. While pilots often succeed, their scale-up may fail when the context changes. Designing for scale at the outset is important.

• From viewing diversity as a challenge → To embracing diversity as the solution – One idea or solution can't solve a complex problem. Instead, enable a unified ecosystem where multiple effective solutions co-exist, adapt and respond to local needs.

• From piloting–testing–replicating → To distributing the ability to solve – We assume that one solution, once tested, can be deployed effectively in all contexts. However, this is rare. We must enable many to solve problems closest to them.