The Vicissitudes of Running From to the Same
Leopold Bhoroma (Local Governance and Policy Analyst)
1. Introduction
In our daily lives and engagements,
we often encounter the paradoxical nature of systemic and personal escape. The
phenomenon where efforts to flee entrenched dysfunctions often lead back to
their reconfigured manifestations. The notion of “running from to the same”
captures the circular trajectory wherein efforts at reform or escape deliver us
back into the arms of the very structures or behaviours we sought to evade. This
phenomenon is especially pronounced in governance systems, where political
change, administrative reform, or leadership renewal often yields little
substantive transformation.
This article unpacks the underlying causes of
this pattern and offers pathways to break the cycle. Through a conceptual
analysis of structural inertia, individual cognition, and policy failure, it
calls for a transformative approach that prioritises self-awareness, systemic
disruption, and adaptive learning as pathways to authentic change.
2. The Illusion of Escape
The idea of an escape
is often romanticised, whether in revolutionary politics, decentralisation
efforts, or institutional reform. Yet, beneath these movements lies a
persistent tension: the failure to sever ties with the ideologies, practices,
or conditions of the past. A pertinent example is Zimbabwe’s post-liberation
governance trajectory. While independence marked a symbolic break from colonial
rule, many postcolonial governance practices retained the centralised logic of
their predecessors, from bureaucratic control to land governance and public
participation models. Zimbabwe legislated and had directives on
decentralisation and devolution. However, the efforts towards implementation
have largely been rhetorical, constrained by unreformed fiscal, legal, and
administrative architectures. The pre-independence ideology was to break from
the chains of excessive centralisation and exclusion, create an egalitarian and
accessible governance system. The escape has been to the same.
Public sector institutional reform has encountered similar patterns.
Over the years, local authorities and development partners (World Bank, EU,
UNDP, CLGF, FCDO) invested concerted efforts restructuring departments, service
level benchmarking, digital systems and changes in personnel, yet the core
challenges of the culture of performance, political patronage, lack of
accountability, rent-seeking behaviour and weak citizen participation in
governance remain intact. This underscores the illusion that change in form
equates to change in substance.
3. The Structural and Cognitive Trap
This
cyclical tendency can be traced to two interconnected forces: structural
inertia and cognitive continuity.
3.1.
Structural Inertia
Structural inertia refers to an
organization's resistance to change, stemming from its established structures,
processes, and culture. This resistance can make it difficult for
organizations to adapt to new environments or opportunities, potentially
leading to a competitive disadvantage. Local authorities in Zimbabwe suffer
from structural inertia, resisting change even if it is necessary. This stems
from the fact that local authorities are governed by deeply embedded rules;
political, legal, cultural and procedural that resist change. These
path-dependent dynamics often override new policies or leadership intentions.
Even progressive initiatives such as digitalisation, local economic development
programs, performance-based budgeting and revenue mobilisation risk failure if
not accompanied by foundational structural shifts.
3.2. Cognitive Continuity
Cognitive continuity explains why change
in structure does not always lead to change in practice because the mindset
driving action remains the same. At the individual and leadership level, the
mindsets, fears, and biases forged in old systems continue to influence
behaviour. Leaders and officials may adopt new policies or structures,
but their underlying assumptions, biases, or ways of thinking remain rooted
in the old system. As a result, they often reproduce similar behaviours or
decisions, despite operating under different frameworks. Leaders who rise from
oppressed movements sometimes replicate the authoritarianism they once
resisted. Institutional actors, too, tend to revert to familiar practices even
after procedural reforms, driven by habit, risk-aversion, or a lack of capacity
for adaptive thinking.
4. Running
Without Reimagining: The Cost
The
cost of running without reflection and reimagining is stagnation disguised as
movement. It produces superficial reforms, policy fatigue, and public
disillusionment. When change agents, whether technocrats, politicians, or
activists, fail to address the root causes of dysfunction, society experiences
a chronic déjà vu: revolutions breed new dictators, reforms produce old
inefficiencies, and development programs repeat past mistakes under new
slogans.
5. Breaking
the Cycle: From Flight to Transformation
To
disrupt this cycle and reorient escape towards progress, a threefold approach
is essential:
5.1. Conscious Reckoning
Transformation begins
with a candid interrogation of what is being escaped and why. This includes
self-reflection by institutions and leaders, acknowledgement of historical
legacies, and an honest audit of the current system’s failures.
5.2. Structural Reengineering
Meaningful
change requires redesigning the architecture of power, authority, and
accountability. For example, effective devolution is not just about passing
responsibilities to lower tiers, but ensuring legal empowerment, fiscal
capacity, and political legitimacy at the local level.
5.3. Adaptive Learning
and Iteration
Finally,
change must be informed by continuous learning, experimentation, and
responsiveness. Institutions and individuals must embrace failure as a guide
and allow feedback mechanisms to inform their evolution.
6. Refocusing
The vicissitudes of running from
dysfunction, control, or past trauma reveal a deeper truth: that movement
without introspection leads to repetition, not revolution. Whether in the
corridors of public administration or the pathways of personal development, the
same cycles will reappear unless disrupted by conscious thought and systemic
reconfiguration.
Ultimately, transformation demands not merely fleeing the old, but
forging the new through vision, design, and the courage to break with the
familiar. The destination must be different in both direction and substance, or
we risk arriving yet again at the same.
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