Starting with Purpose – What Change can be Made?
In the PLANET4B project, the impact strategy was influenced by research highlighting the multiple ways change can be understood and measured, including instrumental, conceptual, capacity building, behaviour change, and enduring connectivity (Edwards and Meagher, 2020; Selinske et al., 2020; Zolyomi et al., 2023). Drawing on these perspectives helped create a framework that recognised not only direct outcomes, but also shifts in values, relationships, and governance practices that shape conditions for biodiversity.
- Instrumental change refers to direct and tangible shifts, such as new practices adopted, policies influenced, or resources mobilised. For example, Community Mapping can be used to influence policy.
- Conceptual change reflects shifts in understanding, awareness, or values. This might involve participants seeing biodiversity in new ways, or recognising connections they had not considered before. For example, Participatory Theatre can open space for dialogue around land use.
- Capacity building involves developing skills, confidence, or organisational strength that enable people to engage more fully in future work. For example, Photovoice can help participants develop advocacy skills.
- Behaviour change includes the adoption of new actions or routines, as well as more subtle shifts in how knowledge is applied in daily life. For example, Biodiversity in the Cupboard can influence people’s shopping habits.
- Enduring connectivity describes the relationships, networks, and collaborations that continue beyond a single project, creating conditions for longer-term transformation. For example, the work of a Learning Community that combines multiple methods can result in enduring connectivity.
To identify where such impacts might occur, it can be useful to ask:
- What are the needs, strengths, and priorities of the people involved?
- What existing structures or dynamics may support or constrain change?
- Who is likely to benefit or be excluded from this work?
- What assumptions are shaping ideas of what counts as valuable or successful?
- How do behaviours, cultural practices, and governance arrangements influence conditions for biodiversity?
- Where might relationships and collaborations generate longer-term impacts beyond the immediate project?
Alternative strategies:
The Arts Council has developed a set of metrics specifically for assessing the outcomes of creative methods. The Arts Council have developed a list of metrics for creative methods. This may include:
- Verbal indicators, such as the language people use to describe their role or understanding
- Behavioural indicators, such as participating in a meeting, leading an activity, or initiating collaboration
- Creative indicators, such as metaphors, drawings, or photographs that illustrate a shift in feeling or perspective
Another common impact inductor is SMART objectives, these are used to
- S - Specific
- M - Measurable*
- A - Achievable
- R - Relevant
- T - Timebound
* While SMART objectives can support clarity, it's important to interpret 'measurable' broadly – recognising (as noted in the earlier lesson) that meaningful change can also be reflected through stories, relationships, and creative expressions, not just numbers.
In this video Amélie Dakoure introduces key principles for identifying indicators of impact:
Indicators and Signals of Change
To make sense of any transformation, it is first necessary to understand where things began. Therefore, it is necessary to establishing a starting point of indicators. When working with a group across multiple sessions to deliver a project or method, such as a learning community, indicators and metrics can be established during the initial meetings. Facilitated conversations, informal mapping, or simple self-assessments can help surface existing attitudes, relationships, and levels of engagement.
In shorter or one-off activities, a baseline can still be established through a brief pre-session question, a quick survey, or a visual prompt that invites participants to share their expectations or current perspective. These early inputs create a reference point for later reflection.
Without first establishing a baseline, it becomes more difficult to notice subtle shifts or to assess the direction of change. Gathering information on the current situation does not need to be complicated. What matters is that the information reflects the priorities and realities of those involved. Some creative tools that support the development of indicators include:
The evaluation wheel is a simple yet powerful visual tool used to help individuals or groups assess different dimensions of a project or experience. Participants reflect on specific areas by rating them along spokes of a wheel, creating a visual pattern that can prompt deeper discussion and comparison over time.
Is a conversational game designed to support reflective, values-led dialogue in groups. Players draw cards with prompts related to identity, power, ethics, and social responsibility, using them to guide honest and open discussion. The game is particularly useful for exploring complex topics and building trust in collaborative or educational settings.
Stories, which allow participants to share what felt most meaningful and why. The emphasis is on personal reflection, with each participant choosing an experience that stands out to them and explaining why it matters.
Involves looking back on what has happened in a project or activity, identifying key moments, and drawing out lessons that can guide future work. Rather than focusing only on outcomes, it encourages people to consider the processes, relationships, and contexts that shaped their experience.
- Other Visual or Narrative Tools:
- Any tools that you are aware of are or already using that help identify where change is hoped for, who is involved, and what assumptions are at play can be valuable. A simple option could be to ask people to write their hopes on post-it notes at the start of a meeting and then return to them later in the session and further on in the process.
These approaches incorporate reflection on both short-term activities and longer-term ambitions. Establishing a shared and realistic understanding of purpose creates the foundation for the impact planning process that follows.
If you're working across multiple case studies, it's important to adopt a methodologically cohesive approach. This often involves identifying shared indicators of change to allow for comparison or trend analysis. However, fairness and relevance to each context matter too. To reflect the unique dynamics of each case, you may choose to combine common indicators with case-specific ones - ensuring both consistency and sensitivity to local meaning and experience.
In this video Amélie Dakoure introduces key principles for evidencing change:
