A System for Measuring Change through Stories

I stumbled across a reference to the Most Significant Change process a week or so ago.  For the life of me, I can't recall exactly where.  A search on Google brought up a PDF that presents both the concept and the process for implementing MSC. It is designed as a participatory monitoring tool for social change campaigns that have complex goals, involve organizations with many layers and where conventional monitoring systems are proving less than effective at furthering the mission.

LINK to PDF.

What most impressed me about MSC was it's focus on stories of significant change and a system for evolving and growing the values of an organization around such.  The stories that most resonate with the organization are the same stories that slowly transform all levels of the organization.  A wonderful use of social phenomenon to shape and grow an organization (as opposed to market norms).

1. It is a good means of identifying unexpected changes.

2. It is a good way to clearly identify the values that prevail in an
organisation and to have a practical discussion about which of
those values are the most important. This happens when people
think through and discuss which of the SCs is the most significant.
This can happen at all levels of the organisation.

3. It is a participatory form of monitoring that requires no special
professional skills. Compared to other monitoring approaches, it is
easy to communicate across cultures. There is no need to explain
what an indicator is. Everyone can tell stories about events they
think were important.

4. It encourages analysis as well as data collection because people
have to explain why they believe one change is more important
than another.

5. It can build staff capacity in analysing data and conceptualising
impact.

6. It can deliver a rich picture of what is happening, rather than
an overly simplified picture where organisational, social and
economic developments are reduced to a single number.

7. It can be used to monitor and evaluate bottom-up initiatives that
do not have predefined outcomes against which to evaluate.

Again, here is the link to the PDF for those interested in learning more.