Evaluation, reflection and sense-making

Evaluation

Before proceeding to the next phase, take some time to evaluate the quality of the process you have conducted so far, along with the quality of the data, information and content generated through this process. Use the list of conditions below to guide your evaluation. You may want to rate your process and outputs, are they better, adequate or less than you expected? Why? If you feel that you have not covered all points, we encourage that you revisit phase one and see how to improve on the process or content before moving on.

  • The range of aspirations for a better future held by different stakeholders are properly captured
  • Aspirations are realistic and well aligned with global sustainability goals
  • The social-ecological dilemmas people face in this system are clearly articulated, and fairly agreed upon among stakeholders
  • There is a conceptual model of the system, where both social and ecological components are included, and important cross-scale interactions and drivers for change have been considered
  • A first draft of a collective change narrative has been created, which is both plausible and sufficiently motivating to continue the process

Reflection

Having self-evaluated your work, it is useful to reflect a bit more deeply on what you have learned from the Wayfinder process thus far. Use the questions below to guide this exploration. Make sure to capture your understanding, as it will be important to guide you later on in the Wayfinder process.

  • How much agreement is there between people’s aspirations? If the aspirations diverge a lot, can the conflicting goals be managed within this process? Is there alignment between the motivation in the coalition and the motivations of the wider group of stakeholders for conducting a Wayfinder process?
  • Do you have some evidence to support the framing of the dilemmas? What kind of evidence is that (scientific, experiential etc). Are you clear about the assumptions made so far in the process?
  • What trajectory of development is the system currently on? What does the historical analysis, the benefits analysis and the mapping of cross-scale interactions tell you about the direction for change in the system? Would overcoming the dilemmas and start moving towards the aspirations primarily require adaptive or transformative change?
  • What insights did you get from developing a collective change narrative? Are key people involved in the process? Have you identified any new individuals or groups of people that should be involved? Are there any barriers or opportunities to creating change right now? If so, can you refine your Wayfinder process to align with any strategic opportunities (e.g. to contribute to scheduled planning documents and/or opportunities to influence policy)?

Sense-making

Finally, try to make sense of what all this means for your ambition to navigate the system towards a more sustainable, safe and just future. This is crucial to make sure you keep moving in the right direction.

  • Where is the Wayfinder process situated in relation to the system it tries to change? In other words, what is your collective sphere of influence?
  • Will the process as it is currently developing lead to deeper change or will it reinforce business as usual approaches, further entrenching current patterns?
  • To what extent can the change be accomplished within existing power structures, or to what extent must the Wayfinder process challenge the current state of affairs? Is it possible to influence those dynamics from within the current system? If not, are there other ways to influence change during the process?