Theory of Change: Quality & Project management for impact organizations

Theory of Change (ToC) is a key approach wherever social change is involved. It is relatively new. Yet more and more often essential, for example for impact measurement or to attract funding.

We offer an e-learning on ToC-thinking that is:

• Available: anywhere, study at your own pace
• Engaging: with lots of visualisation, assignments and examples
• Practical: as applied immediately to your own practice
• Gamification: Screencasts, quizzes, videos, animations, assignments, badges
• Interactive: 18 modules, 12+ hours plus many assignments that work towards a first draft of your very own ToC
• Graphic: Combination of strong didactic principles and elements that make learning fun

Theory of Change

Theory of Change is more than just a tool or instrument. It is a mindset! A mindset to optimise impact management.

As the cornerstone of impact management it is indispensable to any purpose-driven organisation targeting social or environmental value creation. It offers you the cornerstone of a learning approach toward change and impact. A way to build a mindset and organisational culture of critical reflection, co-creation with stakeholders and constant analysis of what works, why, for whom and under what circumstances.

Are you ready to take impact management to the next level with the help of Theory of Change? We offer you the premier online course to learn everything about this approach.

Who is this course for?

For anyone who is interested in developing a Theory of Change approach within their organisation, or wants to improve their organisation’s impact and learning practice more generally.

What will you learn?

Theory of Change practice
– Purposes for which to use ToC
– Value of ToC in management of social and environmental change
– Underlying issues that led to the development of ToC
– Critique ToC sometimes receives

What is a Theory of Change
– Important characteristics of a ToC (change process vs. intervention, product vs. process, visual form vs. narrative form and organisation vs. ecosystem)
– The role of assumptions
– ToC as a compass to help navigate a change process

Theory of Change thinking
– ToC thinking as a process and culture of constant analysis, critical reflection and co-creation
– How to draw on stakeholder engagement and co-creation for ToC development and implementation
– How to apply the three levels of probing (causation, warrant and causal assumption)
– How to apply the Necessary, Sufficient, INUS framework

Assumptions and theory
– Difference between theory and assumptions
– How to bring assumptions to the surface
– How to use theory to develop your ToC
– Distinguish between different types of assumptions
– How to build on different types of mechanisms

The development process
– The ToC development steps
– How to apply three complementary approaches: backward mapping, start with what you do, and an actor-based approach
– To look for validation at three levels
– How to align to context on different levels
– How to use nested ToCs
– How to apply the behavioural-based generic pathway created by Mayne

Pathways and causal chains
– The meaning of arrows in ToCs
– Chain of causality
– How to construct ToC pathways
– Different features of causal relationships: INUS, size, validation confidence, likelihood, attention, and forms of causality (linear vs non-linear, threshold, ceiling, delay, and reinforcing vs weakening)

Theory of Change elements
– How to distinguish between inputs, activities, output, outcomes and impacts
– The Theory of Action
– To define the desired attributes the ToC elements
– The structure to formulate an outcome
– The importance to acknowledge side-effects and unintended effects
– How to distinguish between spheres: of control, of influence and of interest

The narrative
– The general narrative: Situation analysis; Vision of success; Purpose & scope; Change story
– How to use focused strategic narratives to zoom in and offer details behind your ToC relevant to your social and environmental success
– How to use strategy narratives to encourage stakeholder engagement and the kinds of input and feedback stakeholders may provide
– How a ToC is related to building a measurement framework

ToC as an adaptive, learning approach
– How to approach a ToC as a living, breathing document
– Practical ways to build the appropriate organisation culture
– The value of a flexible and emergent Theory of Action
– Scoping and focusing

Quality assesment
– How to recognise 16 common ToC pitfalls
– How to assess the level of detail and completeness of a ToC
– How to conduct a quality audit of a ToC

Your very own Theory of Change
– Throughout the course you apply the lessons learned and develop your very own ToC
– You’ll create an action plan about how ToC thinking can be implemented in your own organisation
– You’ll create a learning agenda based on the formulated assumptions

Changeroo

To build your own Theory of Change, as part of this course, you receive a 6-month subscription to Changeroo for free.

Changeroo is a software platform to help you build high-quality Theories of Change.