Interest
Interest is something that benefits a person or group or institution or community. Self-interest is a way to cross boundaries.
- Not everyone has the same interests and our interests change over time
- We need to identify our interests and our opponent’s interests.
- Our problems are usually a result of our opponents’, interests.
- The process of achieving a solution to our problems is by making our problems their problems, or said another way, making our interests their interests.
To do this we need to build an organization that has the power to act.
In the workplace or community we have a problem that is not being addressed…
Problem |
Solution |
| They don’tknow about our problems | Inform Them |
| Bad/IncompetentManagers/Leaders | Change managers/trainthem |
| It’s in the companies/govinterest to have these problems | Change their interests |
Their Interests |
We Can |
Our Interests |
| Money | Cost Money | Higher Wages |
| Image | Tarnish/Destroy Image | Respect |
| Doing Business | Disrupt Business | Job Security |
We need to have an organization that has the power to make our interest their interests. It can have:
Organized people, Organized money and Organized actions.
In the Saul Alinsky model of interest based organizing there are no permanent allies, no permanent enemies. He worked to bring worker and community interests together.