The speaker for the talk was Mr.Soumen Chatterjee, alumnus from the MBA (Rural Management) batch of 2008-10. He is presently serving as Assistant Program Director, Development Alternatives. Mr. Soumen has diversified work experience in the development sector having worked with various organizations like Hand in Hand India, ACCESS Development Services, AIACA, MAMTA HIMC, CRY and ChildFund India.
In his talk, Mr. Soumen provided valuable insights into systems change, social innovation, and inclusive entrepreneurship, particularly in the Indian context. He emphasized that real and lasting change cannot be achieved through small or fragmented interventions, as these often address only symptoms. Instead, sustainable development requires identifying and acting on root causes by transforming underlying structures, relationships, mindsets, power dynamics, and policies within social systems. Using a systems-thinking approach, Mr. Soumen illustrated how social challenges arise from complex interactions within interconnected systems rather than from isolated issues. A major focus of the talk was deep listening, which was presented as the foundation of effective social innovation. By listening closely to communities, building trust, and understanding lived experiences, solutions can be co-created with people rather than designed for them. These solutions should be tested through small, practical prototypes and then scaled by building partnerships, strengthening ecosystems, and integrating successful models into larger systems and policies.
