In this Impact Session, Erica Chenoweth – Academic Dean for Faculty Development at Harvard Kennedy School and one of the world’s leading scholars on civil resistance and political change – shares what their groundbreaking research reveals about how small, committed groups can shift entire systems.
Chenoweth’s work, including the influential 3.5% finding, shows that large-scale transformation often begins with a minority willing to act with discipline, courage, and strategic clarity. Their award-winning books and global datasets (NAVCO, WiRe, Crowd Counting Consortium) have changed how governments, organizations, and movements understand power.
In this session, they will explore:
Why nonviolent movements succeed more often than violent ones,
What patterns distinguish impactful collective action and
What leaders can learn from social movements about navigating resistance and dri ving change.
Leadership means designing systems – not just managing your own career. This session explores how we can create collective impact, how evidence-based strategies advance equality, and how we can move closer to our 50:50 leadership mission. This session is more than inspiration – it is a call to collective action.
Chenoweth’s work, including the influential 3.5% finding, shows that large-scale transformation often begins with a minority willing to act with discipline, courage, and strategic clarity. Their award-winning books and global datasets (NAVCO, WiRe, Crowd Counting Consortium) have changed how governments, organizations, and movements understand power.
In this session, they will explore:
Why nonviolent movements succeed more often than violent ones,
What patterns distinguish impactful collective action and
What leaders can learn from social movements about navigating resistance and dri ving change.
Leadership means designing systems – not just managing your own career. This session explores how we can create collective impact, how evidence-based strategies advance equality, and how we can move closer to our 50:50 leadership mission. This session is more than inspiration – it is a call to collective action.