Measuring from the
inside-out
Conventional knowledge is death
Rumi
to our souls and it is not really ours.
We must become ignorant
of what we have been taught,
and be, instead,
bewildered.
We are beginning to explore the creative tension between the need to provide evidence of the impacts of inner-led change, and the inherently emergent nature of this approach which inhabits a radically different landscape to more conventional forms of impact measurement. By inquiring into this creative tension we trust that mutually beneficial solutions will be revealed. We are aiming for a sweet spot that meets the needs of both agents of inner-led change, and those who seek further evidence before committing their time or investment (for example, funders interested in supporting inner-led change or people interested in participating in an inner-led change programme).
We are currently beginning an inquiry around what ‘measurables’ look and feel like from an inner-perspective, and the relative usefulness of developing inner-led measurement criteria that attends to different approaches to ways of knowing and creating truth and meaning. We are in the early stages of compiling tools and resources around this. We are also exploring how we already use inner experience to:
- measure our impact and success;
- navigate and creatively respond to change and difficulty;
- challenge and source transformative ways forward.
It's poignant to note the extent to which all this happens when we take an emergent strategizing approach without recognising, making visible and crediting this as an inner approach to measurement.
For example, in a climate of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, to what extent:
- Do we rely on and listen to our body sensations/ emotions/ feelings/ heart/ gut/ intuition to let us know when something is working, or not and to find ways forward?
- Is this formally integrated into and visible within our lives/ work/ team?
- Is this validated within our workplaces?
- How might it become more validated, visible and integrated within our workplaces?
- And how could we report on these inner-led tools for navigating strategy and measuring impact?
- Is it helpful to draw on measurements such as, wellbeing/ burnout, healthy collaborative relationships/ conflict, creativity/ stagnation, awareness and proactivity around power relations, margins and mainstream and anti-oppression work? How might we usefully measure these?
- Are the following inner-related skills essential to working in the truly transformative and resilient ways demanded by our current climate of uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity? And if so, how can we make them more visible and credible?
Working with emergence, conflict, resilience, power dynamics, identifying and meeting needs in healthy ways, collaborating across difference and tapping into solutions sourced from beyond the consciousness that created our current crises.
At present we are raising the questions and naming the inquiries. If you would like to explore this together, or have insights and perspectives to share, or ideas of how these inquiries could be taken further, we would value hearing from you - please use the feedback form below.
Feedback form
A form for general feedback about the website and Starter Culture's work
