Are you hitting your target but missing the point?
Is your performance reporting lacking some of the profound impact you know you’re making?
Most Significant Change (MSC) is a qualitative evaluation method based on storytelling. It is based, first, on people telling their stories of significant change because of a project/service; and second, them explaining why they think their story is significant.
“You’re never going to kill storytelling because it’s built into the human plan. We come with it.” – Margaret Atwood
MSC is based on the belief that people learn best when they talk and think collectively through democratic dialogue. MSC provides information about impact, including unintended consequences, because it is primarily about clarifying the values held by different stakeholders, particularly where there is diversity and plurality of views and experiences among people.
“Stories create community, enable us to see through the eyes of other people, and open us to the claims of others”. – Peter Forbes
MSC does not generate any numerical or quantitative data but is a very person-focused and person-centered method. It privileges the perspective of a participant and allows for a deep exploration of their views, opinions and experiences. It also helps create more impactful case studies.
“This approach is powerful for capturing those sometimes emotive areas of great practice or change work which are challenging to evidence for commissioning purposes.” – Health Board worker
We at Grow Social Capital use MSC in our evaluation work and can build your capacity in it too via training and mentoring. Contact us via [email protected] to have a discussion about building Most Significant Change into your work.
“I found the panel and the stories shared incredibly powerful.” – Armed Forces Liaison Officer
