Onzo

What is ‘empowerment’?

“Design is the first signal of human intention” – William McDonough, co-author of Cradle-to-Cradle.

Here at Onzo, we talk a lot about empowerment. When I looked up ‘empowerment’ in the dictionary to write this article, there were a variety of definitions. The two that stood out to me were; “empowerment is how individuals/communities engage in learning processes in which they create, appropriate and share knowledge, tools and techniques in order to change and improve the quality of their own lives and societies” (UNESCO) and; “transfer of control over decisions and resources” (WORLDBANK).

Although the definitions are very different in context, matter and approach, both unite in their talk of change, transfer of control to communities and the tools needed to get there. At Onzo, we believe that it is through ‘behaviour change’ that empowerment can be achieved.

I believe that behaviour change is a key ingredient to energy efficiency but at the risk of sounding like a health coach, just talking about it isn’t going to get anyone anywhere. We’ve got to manage that change and how it’s going to function in a viable manner for the user’s health, pocket and lifestyle. Over this past year, I’ve spoken to 100s of everyday people about their energy use. The principal concern that has arisen is that people don’t feel totally in control of how much they’re consuming because they’re unsure exactly how much they’re using, leaving them with a sense of disillusionment that their consumption behaviour does not make a big difference. What designers could do therefore is to incorporate the principles of empowerment and behaviour change in what they produce; this is what Onzo is committed to doing.

Is behaviour change part of sustainable development?

Positive behaviour change is about a different way of approaching a problem, that is, by viewing it in a new and sustainable light. Although many of us are undertaking a type of sustainable development in the way our decisions and contributions evolve, most of the time we are unaware of it. Demos, questioning the notion of ‘development’ asks, “Is sustainable consumption a more manageable concept than sustainable development? Is it consuming responsibly, consuming less or consuming differently?” I think it’s all three. Yes we have to be more responsible, and of course, reduction will incur some sort of sacrifice here and there. But it is engaging a different way of thinking that will make the long-term difference.

The question is how do we empower people so that we can all make the difference we want to make? The challenge is that it’s not down to purely buying new technology or government cuts. If we are so passionate about a cause such as reducing energy, we should do more than just recycle milk bottles. This is merely a choice. We make choices every day but we’re not empowered every day. What makes these choices different?

As Sue Goss* says “Many of the new priorities – ‘respect’, an end to ‘binge drinking’, ‘recycling’, ‘improved public health’ – cannot be achieved by a smart government delivery machine; they require changes in behaviour from the public. This means not simply considering how to deliver using public or even private resources, but how to access the ‘free’ resources of public energy, engagement and action.” So it’s not only us who need to change. The changes we make must be viewed as a positive and worthy contribution. This means that behaviour change is not a one-way journey; all parties involved need to change.

Behaviour change and social intervention is not a linear process. You can’t expect anyone to just see the light and change. It requires planned steps in preparation that then result in slow changes, that themselves require preparation. As Joel says in his article about home automation, a lot of it we won’t even notice.

*Office of Public Management