Where does lasting progress come from? 

If you ask social reformers and politicians today, many would say that only “sweeping change” and “bold action” can solve the problems confronting the United States – from government gridlock to racial injustice to surging immigration. 

The concept of slow change may not sound appealing in the face of such challenges. But two practitioners of gradual reform, Greg Berman and Aubrey Fox, argue that incrementalism is baked into the American system of government, and even historic events, like the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, that appear as giant shifts can often be traced back to small, continuous adjustments over time. 

In their book “Gradual: The Case for Incremental Change in a Radical Age,” Mr. Berman and Mr. Fox wanted to counter the argument that bold action is the best way to reform unjust or broken systems. 

“We were seeing a lot of people making big promises and talking about change in a way that didn’t feel tethered to reality,” says Mr. Fox in a video interview.

“Often, your best strategy for making a big change is to break it down into a lot of small pieces,” says Mr. Berman. “There’s a wisdom and common sense” to that approach. “If it’s forgotten, people lose the tool they could be using to get the result they want,” he adds. 

Polls show that Americans favor a slower pace of reform. “Most people don’t like dramatic change. They don’t feel comfortable with it,” says Mr. Fox. 

A “go slow” or “do no harm” approach doesn’t lend itself to slogans on T-shirts, but it does allow for many other benefits. The authors make a compelling case that incrementalism rooted in honesty, humility, nuance, and respect can begin to move the needle on even the most intractable problems.