Most Significant Change
- Objective: To reflect on what changes have happened over the course of a period of time and evaluate why changes happened, as well as analyze implications for future intervention strategies.
- Materials/Preparation: Agreed-upon set of basic questions.
- Participants: Men and women from communities where CARE works, as well as staff.
Steps
Staff researchers first pose questions to individual or a small group of men and women, staff, participants, community members or other stakeholders, to gain their story:
- Looking back over the last month (or specific time frame), what do you think was the most significant change in your life in terms of women’s empowerment (or specific domains within it)?
In listening to the story, staff researchers note who collected the story, when events occurred, the story itself (a detailed and descriptive account of who was involved, what happened and where), and the significance of the story from the story-teller’s perspective.
To analyze the stories, a committee (of participants, staff, the research team and perhaps other stakeholders) reviews the stories and sorts them into different categories based on the change described. From this analysis, the team discusses and selects one story that represents the most significant change. Throughout the process, teams carefully document the discussion and reasoning behind the selection.
Based on this story, teams reflect on a singular question: How should project interventions be modified to respond to the positive or negative things happening?
Based on the question, teams develop concrete recommendations and next steps. Teams then share these recommendations, the process leading to the recommendation and the story through various discussions within CARE, with the community as well as with broader stakeholders.
Variations
Variation 1
Following these steps, teams may verify stories through qualitative data collection in the field with additional participants to gain more detail on the change and verify the story.
Variation 2
Each story collected could be coded into different categories to understand the frequency that each categories arises within women’s and men’s stories of change. Teams may also want to monitor:
- Types of change discussed in relation to women’s empowerment sub-dimensions, positive and negative,
- Key stakeholders within the story and their influence on the story-teller,
- Factors within the story that influenced or enabled or restricted change, and
- Why the story was significant from the story-teller’s perspective.
Variation 3
CARE Burundi decided to undertake this method to understand the changes that had appeared in the organizational climate between 2003-2008. While the organizational climate survey showed immense changes in the composition of staff across levels in the organization, as well as general perceptions of equality, CARE Burundi’s leadership wanted to understand why. For the study, CARE Burundi commissioned a consultant to facilitate the research, training staff to apply the Most Significant Change Analysis in the context of the CARE Office. Teams interviewed staff around three main questions:
- In reflecting on CARE’s values, what has been the most significant change that has taken place in your place of work?
- Why is this change significant for you?
- What possibilities for change exist but have not yet been introduced?
Across responses, the research team culled key theme areas of change and key recommendations for the organization based on staff responses.
Related Tools
View more tools related to:
Resources
- J Buter (2008). Reflexion sur le genre et la diversité sur le lieu de travail à CARE Burundi. MDF Training and Consultancy.
- CARE India (unpublished). Strategic Impact Inquiry 2005 Annex of Tools.
- CARE (2007). Ideas and Action: Addressing the Social Factors that Influence Sexual and Reproductive Health.
- R Davies and J Dart (2004). The Most Significant Change Technique: A Guide to Its Use.