This article overviews how to use the SenseMaker method to shift analysis away from external experts to project teams. The article reflects experiences of leading teams of international NGOs and local NGOs in group analysis in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Timor-Leste. The mix of technology used by SenseMaker and social process (i.e. Robert Chambers, power reversals) can create groundedness for project implications in complex environments. If you are interested in a simple review of SenseMaker go to Making Sense of Complexity. Robert Chambers masterfully compared the development industry to Hans Christian Anderson’s classic “The Emperor’s NewRead more
Posts tagged: #grounded theory
Research: Grounded, Emergent and Trustworthy for Complex Environments
Grounded Theory is ideal for complex environment that need flexible, evolving, iterative and trustworthy research frameworks. I have used grounded theory on numerous development research projects and found it to be a powerful concept. Grounded Theory is a method of analysis that ties research to peoples experience. As the name suggests it is valuable for creating theory that emerges from context and experience. Grounded Theory uses both qualitative and quantitative methods and theoretical sampling. “The purpose of theoretical sampling,” as Corbin andRead more
Mapping the Means to Citizen Action
“A crowd whose discontent has risen no higher than the level of slogans is only a crowd. But a crowd that understands the reasons for its discontent and knows the remedies is a vital community and it will have to be reckoned with. I would rather go before the government with two people who have a competent understanding of an issue, and who therefore deserve a hearing, than with two thousand who are vaguely dissatisfied”. –Wendell Berry, The Art ofRead more
Flourishing is…? The Good Life in Conflict: A Perspective from South-East Asia
The flourishing project. For over a year I asked people to tell stories of their best moments in life. I asked people -young and old, female and male- who would have a unique perspective. Their perspective is unique because of their social disadvantage and the conflict that surrounds them. Because of their ethnicity the people I asked face many hurtles. However, -possibly as a result of the disadvantage- they are resilient, strong, friendly, and respectable people. I asked people who are of Yakan decentRead more
Theories of Change: Grounded for Complex Environments
Theories of change need to be grounded in context and derived from an understanding of complexity. Starting new projects –or scaling proved projects in new contexts- is complex. Applied to development complexity happens when there are high levels of social disagreement and low levels of technical expertise. Since projects are complex emergence, nonlinearity, and systems thinking are important for both project development and continued change (Patton, 2010). Complex projects managed in a linear way often miss their mark. Further, ifRead more
THE MODEL FLOURISHING: Tipping Points for Social Innovation
A model to create flourishing societies Grounded in context and necessity, THE MODEL FLOURISHING is a powerful method for social change. It originally was developed for use with socially excluded people who live with the ebb and flow of conflict. Using a combination of human capabilities, human rights, human security, complexity theory, and grounded theory, the model takes a participatory action research approach to increase people’s agency and to create organizational and societal change. Previous capabilities approaches have been theoretical—notRead more
A Tipping Point in Terror: “Those who Tell the Stories Rule Society.”
The discourse of terror is vicious cycle- moving from bad to worse. After writing the article Mistaken Identity and the Discourse of Terror I began to think of other tipping points research I had done revealed. Local terrorist movements that have been developing for many years can shed light on the global crisis. The local stories reflect global the global story. The local story I am most familiar with is the Southern Philippines. One tipping point is that the discourseRead more
The Discourse of Terror, Mistaken Identity and Reframing the Story
Terrorists control and perpetuate terror through using identity and creating a discourse of power. Terror controls reality through creating fear. Terrorists use identity to make themselves seem stronger than they are. Reactions -personal, political and media- reinforce terror and the discourse that birthed it. A counter discourse that is stronger and moves more quickly needs to be created to silence the voice of terror. Nine months ago I sat in a small grass hut in the Southern Philippines. I interviewed a womenRead more
“If Peace is Missing we Can’t Do Anything but Hide.” Peace a Priority in Mindanao.
A few weeks ago a colleague and friend (in the southern Philippines) organized a petition to the Philippine government. His petition was to hasten the transition to the new Bangsamoro government. The Mindanao conflict has seen over 120,000 people die in the last 40 years. Bangsamoro is a new political entity. The hope is it will create peace and increased development for Mindanao. Individuals, people’s organizations, non-for profit organizations, and government employees from Basilan signed the petition. My friend organizedRead more
flourishing and disadvantage 