Project outline and context
Impact networks (IN) are associations of organizations or of other actors that pursue common goals and are, at least to a certain extent, formally organized. They can be found in all sectors, from international and inter-regional networks of political institutions (e.g. city networks) to corporate networks (e.g. startup associations) to networks in culture (artists’ associations) and civil society (international network of foundations). Just like other impact-oriented organizations, IN are interested in measuring their success not only in terms of their input-output-performance but also in terms of outcomes and impacts within and outside the network, in order to be able to communicate these impacts to stakeholders (“prove”) and to further develop their strategies based on evidence (“improve”).
The special features that network organizations have, compared to hierarchically centralized organizations, however, result in particular challenges for impact measurement (related terms are: impact assessment, impact evaluation). These challenges include, in particular, the decentralized functioning of networks: networks enable contacts and transfers between network members that do not pass through a central “coordination point” and are therefore particularly difficult to record. Conversely, the successes of the advocacy work, which is a typical objective of some IN, are invisible to members and require active communication from the network’s office.
Increased efforts are currently underway in Germany and internationally to further develop impact measurement (and Impact Measurement and Management, IMM) for organizations in business, government and the third sector. The challenge, here, is to account for impacts on people, society and environment. In particular, methods that have been developed in evaluation research are used. The Centre for Social Investment (CSI) is actively involved in this field of research, currently in particular with the BMBF-funded project “Impact of Social Innovations”. It builds on many years of extensive work by the CSI, which has resulted not only in theoretical and methodological results, particularly on SROI, but also several quasi-experimental impact evaluations in the social sector. The aim of the exploratory project Impact Measurement and Management for Impact Networks (IMM4IN) is to build on current knowledge of organizational impact measurement and to adapt it specifically to the context and needs of impact networks.
Researcher
If you are interested in this project, please do not hesitate to contact:
Dr. Filip Zieliński, M.A.
filip.zielinski@csi.uni-heidelberg.de
Forschungsstelle Centrum für Soziale Investitionen und Innovationen (CSI)
Max-Weber-Institut für Soziologie
Universität Heidelberg
Project status updates
- Coming up in 2024:
- A research cooperation with a German network in fall 2024 (more details soon).
- Presentations of the initial findings of the project at two conferences:
- In February 2024, Filip Zieliński completed a six-day training course on the QuIP method, which was conducted by its developers (BSDR, University of Bath, UK, ongoing development since 2016). (Highly recommended!).
- In 2023-2024, Filip Zieliński carried out a partial impact evaluation for The Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC), a European cultural and educational network with around 300 member institutions for professional music training in 57 countries. The evaluation methodology was based on the QuIP method and has helped to further develop the methodology of the IMM4IN project, in particular the qualitative interviews with members. Additionally, he held a presentation on IMM concepts and methods during AEC’s Annual Congress.
Filip Zielinski presenting core concepts and methods of IMM at the AEC congress in Den Haag in 2023 - In spring 2023, Filip Zielinski and Lena Andres conducted, transcribed and analyzed nine interviews with the managing directors of European networks in the culture and media sectors on the topic of IMM. The results show that there is a strong interest in IMM and awareness of the growing demand, including from public funding institutions. The level of knowledge about current concepts and methods of IMM varies greatly, depending i.a. on the personal background of the respondents. It is rather limited for most of the respondents, as are capacities to further develop IMM. Some of the respondents have mentioned SHIFT, an interesting initiative by several culture networks that provides guidance on key SDG-relevant concepts such as inclusion or environmental sustainability, including their evaluation. Generally, the interviews have confirmed that there is a demand of IMM tools and practices that take into account the specifics of network organizations.