When the Middle Ground Moves: Tempering, Untempering, and Driving Change from Within

When the Middle Ground Moves: Tempering, Untempering, and Driving Change from Within
Insiders who push their organizations to address societal challenges have long had to hold two commitments at once, to the organization and to a cause that sits uneasily with it. Meyerson and Scully called them tempered radicals: people who work for change through moderation and small wins. That approach assumed a middle ground to stand on and organizations moving, however slowly, toward more sustainable futures. What happens to change from within when both assumptions give way? In this talk I draw together several years of collaborative research on these insiders. We have learned a great deal about how they win small victories, but much less about how those victories build into larger change. Today's overlapping crises and political backlash make that question harder, because the future itself feels uncertain. Insiders are asking what is really changing, whether they still have the standing and allies to act, and whether they have the energy to continue. Some freeze or look away; others find new ways forward, by keeping a low profile, protecting hard-won gains, or imagining very different futures. I then argue for (un)tempering insider radicalism. Insider social change lies in what insiders do, not who they are; and knowing when to temper and when to untemper efforts depends on reading, and reshaping, the organizational opportunity structures where they work. Moving between the two keeps change going and lets small wins add up. I close by reflecting on the roles we may play as insiders at our own university.