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Action Inquiry Initiatives - FAQ
1. What does the Change Alliance mean by action inquiry?
In action inquiry, groups working together to make change agree to build in time for group reflection at various points in the change process. This ongoing assessment and reflection, which pays attention to both action and the thinking that informs it, helps the groups be more responsive to shifts in context and more able to adapt strategies to achieve stronger results. The Alliance intends to support and accompany change initiatives in action inquiry in order to achieve greater effectiveness on the ground.
2. How can action inquiry within the Change Alliance add value to a specific change initiative?
By providing access to expertise and knowledge, financial support and links to a practitioner network, the Alliance will help create the conditions for the change initiative to engage meaningfully in action inquiry. This will contribute to greater success in achieving desired and sustained outcomes, more robust learning and greater capacity for the current and future change initiatives. Finally, through a global learning platform, the Alliance will provide a vehicle for the initiative to expand its learning and impact by connecting its experience to that of a broad, diverse community of practice.
3. How can action inquiry in a specific change initiative contribute to the global learning platform?
The purpose of the Change Alliance is to make multi-stakeholder processes more effective at bringing about sustainability and social justice. The documentation of a particular action inquiry in a change initiative not only supports effective action on the ground but also serves as the basis for sharing and connecting that experience and learning with others. The global learning platform will link experiences and learning from many change initiatives across the boundaries of geography and issue areas to pursue its broad learning agenda. This will enhance the common understanding about the use of multi-stakeholder processes in complex situations and the mobilization of political support for the solutions that change initiatives can offer.
4. What concrete outputs are expected from the action inquiry component of the Change Alliance?
One output will be documentation of the unfolding of the change initiative. This documentation will capture assumptions and thinking about context, strategy and results and record the changes in strategy and/or implementation that occur as the initiative unfolds. Another concrete output, which could take various forms (written report, video, web site) will capture the learning and knowledge developed along the way. Action inquiry will also produce an enhanced set of practical tools, techniques and more robust methodologies that can be used in facilitating change in a flexible way.
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5. What are the anticipated outcomes of the action inquiry initiatives?
The Alliance anticipates that its support of action inquiry will contribute to positive impacts on the quality of individual and collective thinking, the quality of communication and interaction, the quality of strategy, and ultimately the effectiveness of action. Another anticipated outcome is increased capacity for working effectively in a multi-stakeholder context, based on the individual and collective learning that takes place in the action inquiry initiative. Finally, we anticipate that the knowledge creation that comes from systematically articulating and capturing the choices made and the results from those choices will be a significant outcome contributing to the broader interests of the Change Alliance.
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6. What are the characteristics of a change initiative that are likely to make it a good candidate for action inquiry?
The Alliance is particularly interested in working with change initiatives that:
- Are multi-stakeholder, meaning that they are engaging people from different backgrounds and perspective;
- Show interest across stakeholder groups in engaging in the action inquiry;
- Show sufficient support from key decision makers in the change initiative to ensure the necessary time and level of engagement can be committed to the action inquiry initiative;
- Show openness to allowing what emerges from the action inquiry to influence strategy and implementation on the ground;
- Are interested in working in partnership with the Change Alliance to advance both work on the ground and the broader goals of the Alliance.
7. How will the Change Alliance identify and select among potential sites, organizations and/or coalitions for action inquiry?
The Alliance will actively engage with partners, members and their networks to identify action inquiry sites, exploring the potential benefits, challenges and specific requirements of possible action inquiry processes. Based on availability of funding, generated by alliance partners themselves or sought externally, partners can invite the Change Alliance to support the action in quiry. As the work of the Change Alliance unfolds, the organic development of action inquiry sites may evolve into a more structured selection procedure.
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8. Specifically, what might an action inquiry initiative with the Change Alliance look like?
Who would it involve? With what roles?
The Alliance includes a network of practitioners that can be called upon to provide the change initiative with capacity development and/or technical assistance as needed. In addition, the Alliance proposes the creation of a small team composed of both stakeholders in and outsiders to the change initiative. This team will provide leadership in the co-design and implementation of the action inquiry process. The action inquiry will engage all the participants in the change initiative to the extent that they take part in regular meetings where the action inquiry plays a role or in meetings devoted specifically to the action inquiry.
What kinds of activities would it involve?
While the choice of specific activities will depend on the context and needs of the change initiative, the following are some likely possibilities:
- Training for capacity development;
- Engagement of stakeholders in the action inquiry initiative through interviews and dialogue;
- Regular meetings of the team leading the action inquiry;
- Design and facilitation of an action inquiry segment of key meetings of the change initiative;
- Documentation of the action inquiry as it unfolds, to be used as a basis for ongoing reflection;
- Participation in activities related to the global learning platform.
How much time would it require?
Action inquiry will require taking time for group reflection, and it will leverage the time already invested in the planning and implementing cycle. For example, it might involve adding a day or two to an already organized stakeholder meeting or on occasion organizing a separate workshop devoted to issues specific to the action inquiry. There will be additional time needed for those participating in the team giving leadership to the action inquiry process. The actual time required in all cases will depend on the scope and duration of the change initiative.
How long would it last?
Action inquiry can be useful at any stage in a change initiative. It could involve anything from a short-term interaction at a key moment to a longer engagement in which the Alliance accompanies the initiative over a period of years. These are design questions depending on the needs and interests within a given context. The Alliance is committed to accompanying and supporting the action inquiry for as long as it is valuable to both the action initiative and the Alliance. Recurrent reflections on the inquiry processes will inform this commitment.
What would be the deliverables?
The key deliverable is the documentation of the action inquiry process, packaged in a way that can support learning and action within the change initiative as well as sharing the learning with others.
How would it be funded?
The Change Alliance will use the principle of co-funding to make action inquiry happen. Change initiatives interested in undertaking action inquiry will contribute to the process their own funding, which can be matched by funds from the Alliance drawing from different resources. It is envisioned that a Responsive Fund shall be instituted to support, with both financial resources and expertise on a competitive basis, innovative proposals for research, action inquiry, capacity development and strategic engagement.
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9. What other expectations would participation in the Change Alliance place on selected initiatives?
The Alliance expects that those involved in action inquiry will engage with and contribute from their experience to the global learning platform.
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10. If we are already doing action inquiry in change initiative, what can a link to the Change Alliance add?
The Alliance can offer the possibility of accessing resources and support from a broad network of others also engaged in serious reflection on their change strategies through action inquiry. The Alliance also offers a platform for sharing successes and learning in a way that can benefit the work of others.
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