2.3 Applying a change analysis tool
Transcript
Watch the video to view a change analysis tool that can help you understand how change happens. The tool was developed as a way to think about gender equality, highlighting the ‘rules’ held in place by power dynamics within communities and to map a strategy for change. It is adapted from ‘Gender at Work’ by Rao, Kelleher and Stuart and locates change processes in four quadrants that all influence each other.
It is a useful way to build on your initial context analysis, guiding you in what questions to ask to better understand the issue you want to tackle, to recognise if change is already happening, and steering you in how you can foster change in a number of different ways. It presents a model of how change can happen.
There is an inter-connectedness between the different types of change in each of the four quadrants and change in one quadrant can influence or help change in other quadrants. Often all four of these quadrants are important for change to be significant and sustained. An assumption in this model is that if action is taken within multiple quadrants, change will potentially come about more quickly and ultimately be more lasting.
It is the task of the changemaker to identify where it is best to focus efforts across or within the quadrants to contribute to the positive changes that we want to see happen. It may be that certain quadrants are being adequately addressed by other groups in society, leaving the concerned activist to focus on where they can add most value to the challenge at hand. Different individuals and activist organisations will have different strengths in influencing in each of the quadrants. Different stages in the change process will generally require greater focus on certain quadrants, and less attention to others.
Sometimes using this tool helps identify areas of change that we might not have expected to be relevant but which are actually important to consider.
Example of applying this change analysis tool
Let’s consider the issue of the climate crisis and how all four of the quadrants are important to both understand the issue as it is now and to identify what needs to change to address it. The issue has roots in both individual and systemic responsibility, and in formal and informal responses. Therefore, change must happen in all these spaces to fully address it.
Formal and Systemic Change: Campaigning for the government to change or adopt policies to tackle or respond to climate changes.
This should be complemented by Informal and Systemic Change.
Informal and Systemic Change: Awareness raising and government incentives for significant numbers of individuals to change their attitudes and behaviours which contribute to the climate crisis, such as driving and flying less, changing what people buy or eat.
Formal and Individual/Collective Change: People and organisations having increased access to resources and money to make changes at home, in their community or in their organisation, such as installing solar panel or energy efficient devices.
This should be complemented by Informal and Individual/Collective change.
Informal and Individual/Collective Change: People having the confidence and knowledge to take personal responsibility for the choices they make.
As another example of this change analysis tool being applied to a real world issue, take a look at FRIDA’s ‘garden of change’ [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] . It looks in depth at the problem of young feminist leadership being undervalued and unrecognised in local social justice movements and what can be done to address this. Each quadrant identifies how greater access to resources and changed policies, attitudes, and norms can all contribute to a change wherein young feminist organisers are central to change movements.
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2.2 Analysing the context of change
