What Nonviolent Communication Teaches Us About System Change

Across Europe, a new social contract is being discussed. The EU is trying to shape a future through initiatives like the Green Deal and the European Pillar of Social Rights, where sustainability and social protection are balanced. But while policymakers formulate technocratic solutions, places like Marinaleda in Spain show us that real transformation begins with something much more fundamental: re-centering on human needs.

From the perspective of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) – developed by Marshall Rosenberg – this is exactly what system change is about. No longer focusing on metrics, competition, and control, but on empathy, equality, and the fulfillment of universal human needs.

1. Human Needs at the Center – Not Markets

Nonviolent Communication rests on one core principle:

“Behind every behavior is a (sometimes unmet) need.”

Our current economic systems are built on scarcity, competition, and utility. But in Marinaleda, landless farmers reimagined value through cooperation and built a community centered on work, housing, and dignity.

Their society is organized around shared values — not market pressures. This aligns perfectly with NVC’s vision: to build societies where the meeting of needs takes precedence over the pursuit of more.

2. From Hierarchy to Equality

In NVC, power is not used to dominate, but to serve.
Marinaleda demonstrates this through direct democratic governance: weekly community assemblies, binding decisions, and no corporate lobbying.

We can apply the same logic in organizations:

• Create space for co-creation
• Build cultures of trust, not control
• Share power instead of concentrating it

3. Systems that Make Empathy Possible

Empathy thrives not only in one-on-one interactions, but within systems that support safety, transparency, and connection.

In Marinaleda:

• Housing is collectively built, without profit motives
• Healthcare, education, and food systems are community-run
• “Red Sundays” bring neighbors together for public works

Imagine applying this to policies and organizations: fewer walls of mistrust, more shared ownership.

4. From Judgment to Connection

Markets often reduce people to roles or economic value. NVC invites us to look beyond behavior and labels to the human being underneath.

A social contract rooted in empathy asks us to:

• Label less (“low-skilled,” “migrant,” “successful”)
• Listen more — to feelings, context, and needs
• Make space for diversity without exclusion

5. Dismantling Systemic Violence

Rosenberg didn’t only speak about personal conflict — he named structural violence: systems that normalize poverty, inequality, and exclusion.

A society like Marinaleda — or a renewed EU social contract grounded in equality and wellbeing — dismantles these systems at their roots.

“Structural violence only becomes visible when we dare to institutionalize empathy.”

Final Thought: Leadership from Within

So what does this ask of us?

• Awareness of who is at the table — and who is missing
• Courage to turn walls into bridges
• Willingness to create safety without exclusion
• And above all: the choice to listen — to ourselves, to others, and to what gives life meaning

As Marshall Rosenberg said:

“Empathy requires vulnerability. Not because it’s soft, but because it’s real.”

Reflective questions for leaders, policymakers, and changemakers:

• Is your organization a place where everyone feels seen?
• Which systems promote connection — and which unintentionally exclude?
• What would it mean to design policy based on human needs rather than interests?

Maybe it’s time to rewrite the social contract — not from Brussels, but from connection.

Want to explore Nonviolent Communication, systemic leadership, or culture transformation in your work? Feel free to share your thoughts or reach out directly.

Govert van Ginkel

This article is written by Govert van Ginkel. Govert specializes in Nonviolent and Effective Communication and is active in this field as a trainer, speaker, coach, and mediator. More information about Govert can be found here. The current training offer can be found here