When Systems and People Fail Their Social Contracts
Lately, I find myself increasingly disillusioned. As I work across different systems; healthcare, education, government, nonprofits, the pattern is hard to ignore. Institutions, leaders, and staff who serve the public too often fall short of the very social contracts that justify their existence.
Social contract theory, from Hobbes to Rousseau, rests on a deceptively simple premise: individuals surrender certain freedoms and contribute to the collective, trusting that systems, institutions, and those within will, in turn, safeguard their rights, provide security, and uphold justice. It is the invisible agreement that makes living together in a society possible.
But what happens when that agreement is intentionally or unintentionally broken?
When I look at institutional mission statements or I see healthcare professionals take an oath to serve the public, I do it with great skepticism and ask if they understand what is being said or is it a thing they have to do for optics and process. I see the disassociation when healthcare systems prioritize financial outcomes over human outcomes. I see it when education systems proclaim access and equity, but quietly underfund programs for the most vulnerable students. I see it in government bodies that speak the language of service, while creating bureaucratic barriers that alienate the very people they claim to represent.
The common thread is betrayal of trust. When systems fail to uphold their end of the bargain, people retreat. They disengage, they grow cynical, they stop believing that institutions or those entrusted to carry-out a process are capable of delivering on promises. And in that vacuum, extremism, inequity, and fragmentation thrive.
Social contracts are not philosophical abstractions. They are lived realities. Every time a veteran waits months for care, every time a nurse is told to do more with less, every time a student’s potential is capped by underfunded schools and taught by unqualified faculty, the social contract is weakened. These aren’t policy debates, they are human consequences.
And when people stop believing in the contract, the very legitimacy of the system erodes. That’s when we see radicalization, distrust in government and institutions, and the fracturing of our communities.
Despite my disillusionment, I remain drawn to this work. Not because I think the systems are beyond repair, but because I believe social contracts can be renegotiated. They must be.
We need to ask hard questions: What do people owe to systems? More importantly, what do systems owe to people? And how do we hold those systems, their boards, and leadership accountable when they fall short?
Exploring these questions is not an academic exercise, it is a moral imperative. The health of our democracy, our professions, and our communities depends on it.
For me, consulting is no longer just about fixing processes or delivering outcomes. It is about asking whether the organizations I touch are living up to their side of the social contract. If they aren’t, my role becomes not only to point out the cracks, but to help chart a path toward repair.
Because when systems fail their social contracts, it is not only institutions that crumble, it is trust, belonging, and the very fabric that holds society together.
