Who we are What we do Our Team
Approach & Models Overview PIALA Design Forum & Foresight Double Diamond (4D)
Methods overview Theory of System Change (ToSC) Participatory Sensemaking Participatory Market Mapping Organy Outcome Harvesting Participatory Statistics Constituent Voice SenseMaker® Sustainable Return on Investment Contribution Tracing Configurational Analysis Conventional Statistics and Quasi Experiments
Projects Overview Evaluation Projects Strategy & Learning Projects Innovation Capacity Projects Partnership Projects Project Locations
Books & Articles Reports & Guides
Work with us Partner Organisations Visual Artists & Story Tellers Clients

OVERALL APPROACH

Systemic. We help our clients and their partners to see through the system (e.g. how behaviours and interventions combine and interact with each other and with the environment to affect change) and address the causes (not just the symptoms) to achieve transformative change and impact.

Participatory. We are also committed to an inclusive, collaborative and engaging process that helps clients and partners build shared ownership of problems and solutions, and develop shared lessons and insights around a common Theory of System Change.

Rigorously Innovative. We strive for the highest ‘quality of thought’ in combining various models and methods to generate robust and credible evidence with optimal learning value for all those involved and affected. Our approach embraces epistemic, ontological and methodological pluralism to uphold ‘inclusive rigour’, based on the premise that single truth claims don’t yield sustainable solutions.

How is it different?

This picture comes from an article in the NY Times (Sept 2017) that talks about how affordable food from Nestle and similar multinationals has helped to fight hunger, but also contributed to creating an obesity epidemic worldwide. The story shows how

This picture comes from an article in the NY Times (Sept 2017) that talks about how affordable food from Nestle and similar multinationals has helped to fight hunger, but also contributed to creating an obesity epidemic worldwide. The story shows how multi-facetted and interconnected the challenges of Sustainable Development actually are (e.g. health, education, agriculture, corporate growth). {Click on picture for accessing the article)

The escalating threats of climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, conflict, and socioeconomic inequality worldwide underscore the urgent need for a global paradigm shift. To reestablish equilibrium between people, nature and economy, prompt and profound systemic alterations are needed in the drivers, behaviours, interactions and mental models of key system actors across local, national and global levels.

To catalyse such a significant transformation, ‘impact’ has to be defined, understood, targeted and assessed in more systemic and participatory ways. This entails engaging key system actors or stakeholders in the analysis and design processes in ways that trigger their excitement and commitment to learning and developing solutions together that equally benefit people and the planet.

We believe that the primary reason many investments don’t yield genuine transformative change is their failure to comprehend the system and to meaningfully engage key system actors who have a direct or indirect stake.

EVALUATIVE LEARNING AND DESIGN MODELS

Featured
Participatory Impact Assessment and Learning Approach (PIALA)
Participatory Impact Assessment and Learning Approach (PIALA)

We use PIALA to co-design and implement strategy and portfolio reviews, MEL frameworks and project/programme evaluations. The approach builds on the premise that rigour, validity and utility are enhanced when evaluation methods and processes are thoughtfully designed and combined to include multiple views, values, realities, types of knowledge, and ways of knowing, taking into account participants’ resources and capabilities to engage. This inclusion leads to deeper and collective understanding of complex change in more authentic and empowering ways. Drawing on our core values, PIALA translates our overall approach into an evaluative learning and adaptive management practice.

Design Forum & Foresight
Design Forum & Foresight

We use Matter’s Design Forum model and principles to structure and facilitate Participatory Sensemaking processes in PIALA-based evaluations. We combine PIALA with Design Forum using Strategic Foresight tools in formative and forward-looking strategy review and design processes, aimed at developing evidence-based transition pathways that are based on variables of the future (rather than the past).

Double Diamond [4D]
Double Diamond [4D]

We use the Double Diamond (or 4D) model combined with PIALA for developing evidence-based innovation pathways and MEL frameworks that require people-centred design thinking.