ABSTRACT
This chapter explores why it is difficult to initiate more radical and far-reaching transformative change. It begins by discussing two common barriers to change: complexity and resistance to change. It shows how resistance to change relates to all five facets of the social. It then discusses how the proliferation of “solutions” risks becoming a barrier to, rather than a catalyst for, transformative change. This is discussed in terms of piecemeal solutions and the “problem-solving” mindset. Many so-called solutions are ineffective or misleading, and can even become barriers to transformative change. Therefore, there is a growing need to critically scrutinize proposed solutions by fostering a critical-constructive capacity to recognize when solution packages are potential components of a broader process of transformative change rather than mere talk or flawed solutions. To facilitate this, the chapter develops ten critical questions that should be asked when scrutinizing something that is claimed to be a solution. The chapter concludes that there is a strong need to move away from the limited problem-solving mindset and to avoid wishful thinking, and instead to adopt a general framework of transformation in which more limited proposals can play a role as part of a broader agenda of social transformation.
