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Change approaches & management tools SeCtion tWo
THEORIES OF CHANGE (TsoC) Description
Initially developed as an evaluative methodology, the approach is increasingly used to support the development of social change interventions as well as evaluate their implementation. In developmental applications, the focus in on facilitating stakeholders to identify long-term programme objectives and then working back through the sequence of events (‘causal pathway’) required to reach the goals, planning changes accordingly. These sequences are mapped diagrammatically to show the logical relationships between each step. The distinctive elements of the approach lie in the requirement of participants to explicitly model the desired outcomes of an intervention, and enabling explicit comparisons between planned effects and those actually achieved following implementation.
Use
The technique is used in many settings and sectors, with analysis typically following the steps below:
Stages in the TsoC approach
1. Identify long-term goals (and the assumptions behind them)
2. Map backwards from these goals, identifying the preconditions required for the goals to be realised
3. Explain the rationale linking the preconditions to outcomes
4. Consider and identify the optimal interventions required to bring about the required changes
5. Identify performance indicators to measure required outcomes (and so assess the initiative’s performance)
6. Write a narrative which summarises the logic of the initiative
Strengths and limitations
The approach is very flexible and may be used at any point of programme implementation. From the outset, it may be used to inform the development of interventions consistent with planned outcomes. Alternatively, it may be used following implementation to assess the extent to which changes were implemented as planned and the degree to which anticipated benefits were realised. Implementation and evaluation are kept transparent to stakeholders, so that
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