How Do You Know If You Are Making a Difference?

Sarah Morton is Director and Co-Founder of Matter of Focus and Honorary Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. She has been at the forefront of the emerging field of knowledge mobilisation over the last 25 years and has pioneered research impact assessment methods that are used internationally. She has a PhD in Social Policy, has worked in the third and public sectors, and held several posts at the University of Edinburgh including Director of Knowledge Exchange at the Usher Institute. Ailsa Cook is Director and Co-Founder of Matter of Focus. Ailsa is a leader in the field of outcomes. Through her research and work with policy and practice, Ailsa has made a significant contribution to shifting the focus of public services in Scotland towards the outcomes that are important to citizens and communities. She is co-originator of the Talking Points Personal Outcomes approach, now used across 1000’s of organisations internationally. She has a PhD in Sociology and Social Policy and before setting up Matter of Focus was Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh.

1. Why is it so hard to know if you are making a difference?


2. Why complexity thinking can help you understand public services


3. What data and evidence do you need to see what difference you are making?


4. Owning your initiative’s outcomes and impacts


5. Embrace the complex context


6. Clarify the change you want to see


7. Get going on your data, evidence and feedback improvement journey


8. Tracking progress towards outcomes and impacts


9. Telling the story of the difference your work makes


10. Using this approach in different contexts and sectors


11. Becoming an outcome- and impact-focused organisation