It’s Who You Know: Examining the Intersection of Influence and Relationships in a System-Level Change Effort

Abstract

In this capstone, I examine the interplay of power, influence, and relationships in the context of a systemwide effort to improve Madison Metropolitan School District’s capacity to support its Opportunity Youth, a population of students put highly at risk of dropping out of the system. To some degree, my emphasis on meaningful relationship-building helped to align organizational resources, support, and public value. However, the uneven distribution of these connections, coupled with a quickly shifting environment driven in part by local and national events, complicated support-building efforts to create a dedicated districtwide office to directly support Opportunity Youth. I analyze the role of other contextual factors that influenced the degree of capacity, support, and public value I organized to move this work forward. Implications highlight the potential benefits of Opportunity Youth–focused efforts led by community-based organizations, population-specific central office teams, and intentional relationship-building engagement. The work discussed in the capstone is a potential case study for idealistic and emerging leaders who have yet to deeply explore the reality of enacting change at the system level.