Are we measuring what matters?

Wellbeing. Flourishing. Holistic impact. What do these concepts mean to you? We often use these aspirational terms in the NGO sector to describe the big-picture changes we want to see in the lives of the individuals and communities we work with.

But do we really understand what we mean by these terms? What changes are we hoping to see? How do we measure whether this kind of “whole-life” change is actually taking place?

The limitations of traditional monitoring, evaluation and learning tools

Traditional monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) tools typically focus on measuring material and quantifiable outcomes in areas such as income, health and education. But there is now growing recognition that many intangible factors, such as social connectedness, agency, environment and faith, impact people’s wellbeing just as significantly, if not more so.

To truly understand people’s lived experiences, and what matters most to them, we need tools and indicators that are broader, more flexible and measure transformation in these less tangible areas of life.

What’s more, if we really want to measure what matters most then we need to invest in participatory MEL tools. Such tools give space for communities to define what progress means to them, in contrast to traditional top-down approaches.

Taking a relational approach

Concepts of human “ flourishing” and “wholism” are not new. Ancient Indigenous philosophies across many different cultures have long understood the interconnectedness of humans with each other, with nature and with the divine, and the importance of finding harmony within these relationships. Examples include the Latin American concept of Buen Vivir, the Māori Whānau Ora or the southern African Ubuntu.

As a Christian organisation, Tearfund also sees flourishing relationships at the heart of what it means to live well. That’s why we take a relational, holistic approach in our response to poverty.

In the development sector, at a global level, we are seeing a growing understanding of the need to broaden definitions of development and how progress is measured. Global initiatives, such as Harvard’s Global Flourishing Study and the UN’s Beyond GDP project, are researching different wellbeing indicators which go beyond economic measures to instead look at what people really value (e.g., social, emotional and spiritual dimensions). These global initiatives could revolutionise future policy and decision making.

As the UN’s Beyond GDP Report puts it:

Better decisions require better measures.

How can we measure what matters?

As NGOs working with local communities and actors, we need practical, participatory MEL tools which have been locally created, are available to all and can be easily adapted for use in different local contexts.

In 2013, Tearfund first developed a multidimensional wellbeing framework, known as the Light Wheel, for conceptualising, working towards and measuring holistic impact. Co-created with staff and partners globally, the Light Wheel has now been tested, refined and applied in over 50 countries.

It is a flexible framework that can be used in many ways. It is, first and foremost, a conceptual tool to help people reflect on their experiences and wellbeing from a whole-life perspective. It also has a set of MEL tools that enable communities to take the lead in assessing their situations holistically.

Jonathan Simpson, a Light Wheel practitioner in Zimbabwe, describes the Light Wheel as a tool that “enables us to capture the richness of people’s lived experiences and the depth of change they are experiencing.”

The Light Wheel is made up of nine domains of wellbeing (see figure 1). These are presented as interconnected spokes of a wheel to show their interdependence and equal importance. The nine domains include more typically measured aspects (such as material assets and physical health) alongside more intangible areas (like emotional wellbeing, participation and social connections) to give a fuller picture of an individual’s or community’s life.

The Light Wheel toolkit has a variety of qualitative and quantitative data collection tools. These enable people to assess their situations in each of the nine aspects of wellbeing. Then work towards, and measure, the change they want to see in their lives.

The tools are designed to be participatory and visual, so they are accessible to people with low levels of literacy. Many of the tools can be facilitated by people with little or no prior MEL experience (such as the local faith actors and churches that Tearfund works with).

Local communities often find the experience of taking part in a Light Wheel activity to be transformative in itself, as they become co-creators in evaluating their own situations and sharing their perspectives on what is meaningful to them.

The data generated by the Light Wheel helps us to design interventions that take a more holistic view and meet the needs of local communities more closely.

Omar Herrera, Director of PRODAD in Nicaragua, says:

We often assume what people need or want, but the findings from our Light Wheel evaluation help us to know more about what the community really thinks and feels.

Want to find out more about the Light Wheel?

The Light Wheel tools are a tried and tested way of thinking about, planning for and measuring holistic wellbeing. They are freely available on Tearfund Learn for download and use in English, French and Spanish, with more languages coming soon.

We encourage people to explore how the tools might help their work take a more holistic view and to design MEL approaches that capture more of what matters to the people we work alongside.

Visit Tearfund Learn to find out more.