Guide I

COMMUNITY LISTENING

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This is a collection of 4 guides addressed to current and future organisations, by the Work4Progress (W4P) Programme of ”la Caixa” Foundation:

I.- Community listening process II.- Co-creation III.- Prototyping and scalingIV.-Evaluation and communication

These guides are intended to compile a series of best practices based on the working experience of the three W4P platforms and to establish a common language for them all.

They have been produced by the Innovation and Technology for Development Centre (itdUPM) of the Technical University of Madrid in a process of co-creation and comparison with the organisations that work on the Programme.

They include real examples from the experience of the W4P Programme, which will be updated and expanded in future editions.

W4P is a “la Caixa” Foundation programme intended to promote employment among women and young people in regions of Mozambique, India and Peru, through the creation of a platform for action and learning upon which innovative solutions may be scaled.

1st edition July 2019

Work guide. Work 4 Progress Programme

Listening

Co-create

Prototyping

Scale

Peru

India

Mozambique

Evaluation

Community

Methodologies ofcommunity listening

Initiatives and solutions with the community

Detecting challengesand opportunities

Test and selection of initatives

Between public andprivate agents

and beneficiaries

In real conditions

With the objectiveof generating impact

Knowledgeand innovation

Academia

Private sectorCommunity org.International o

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Fou

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Public

sectorThink tank Do tank

ContentsWhat is community listening? The relation with CO-CREATION and PROTOTYPING of

initiatives

What is the listening process like on social innovation

platforms?

Narratives: importance of the cultural dimension in

interventions

Elements of community listening

Questions

People Listening group

Contrast Group

Channels or tools Collective interpretation space How should the narratives identified be presented?

How to cross-check the narratives identified?

Performing the listening process

Facilitating team

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ReferencesThe teams involved in the activity are shown here

References to other guides are indicated with the icon of those guides.

You will find fantastic TIPS and advice accompanied with this symbol. Make sure you bear them in mind to make sure the process is successful.

Working group

Facilitating team

Guide I: Community listening process

Guide III: Prototyping and scaling

Guide IV: Evaluation and communication

Guide II: Co-creation

Evaluation team

Online templates

Work guide. Work4Progress Programme. Guide I. Communnity listening

Download this and more tools at “la Caixa” Foundation web page.

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Community listeningWhat is What is community listening?

The relation with CO-CREATION and PROTOTYPING of initiatives

It is a set of qualitative tools that, when complemented with quantitative data, can unravel a community’s narratives and reveal in-depth needs, challenges and opportunities.

As well as identifying the Community’s narratives, the listening process will also reveal the Community’s specific needs and opportunities, as well as potential ideas for dealing with these needs and opportunities.

It is precisely these discoveries that connect the listening process to co-creation and prototyping.

TIP: Community listening requires an open attitude by the Facilitating Team to allow for the emergence of a true understanding of the reality of the Community in which we are working.

Co-creationPoorly

defined ideas or outlines

Defined ideas

Existing initiatives Innovative initiatives

Connection of supply and

demandPrototyping

New ideas or opportunities that

must be explored and developed to make

them a reality.

Well-defined ideas that directly respond to a need identified in the listening process

and for which there are already initiatives in progress.

Defined and very innovative ideas

that must be tested and adapted to the

context.

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What is the listening process like on social innovation platforms?

On social innovation platforms, like those of “la Caixa” Foundation W4P Programme, each Platform can establish the listening process on a coordinated basis with participating organisations.

Each organisation can adopt a specific function in the listening process and together they will create a common space for collective interpretation of the information gathered.

Narratives

Narratives inevitably INFLUENCE interventions and may even determine the success or failure of initiatives for socio-economic change.

REVEALING THE NARRATIVES IS ESSENTIAL. THEY MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT FOR THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF TRANSFORMATIVE ACTIONS.

In the community listening process it is not only a matter of collecting a large volume of information, but also of performing shared analysis among the region’s main stakeholders that construct common narratives and encourage collective action.

Narratives: importance of the cultural dimension in interventions

Are the perceptions that people and the community have about their own lives;

Are subjective, and decisively influence what is believed to be possible or impossible;

Do not necessarily coincide or correspond with the opinion that the Facilitating Team has of the reality or with the quantitative data available.

Collective interpretation of narratives is an essential part of the listening process, as it complements and legitimises the information collected in the Community.

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First iteration of the community listening process

The first iteration of the community listening process on the W4P Peru Platform was performed from May to September 2018 in 5 communities in the districts of Andahuaylillas, Ccatca and Ocongate in Quispicanchi Province. 250 people were involved.

The team responsible for implementing the process was formed by professionals from different disciplines: 3 anthropologists, 2 economists and 1 forest engineer with experience in entrepreneurship and youth employment. In addition to professional diversity, difference in origins was also considered (Quechua, Limeña and European). The process was focused on compiling communities’ stories, narratives and dynamics, capturing the nuances of reality and identifying possible movements of change. The process arose gradually as trust grew between the team and the Community. Initial contact was made through the president of each community.

Building the trust necessary requires clear, transparent and extensive communication with everyone in the Community right from the start of the process.

The tools used were:

Compilation and analysis of quantitative data;Ethnographic research;Social photography.

Compilation and analysis of data: data from the latest national censuses were analysed to establish –among other things– the territory’s economic and production characteristics, and the number and size of agriculture and fishing units, their farming and fishing activity, and existing production services. Data were also obtained on demographic characteristics, access to health, education, connectivity, housing and basic services, levels of poverty and income and social programmes implemented.

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The analysis was completed with consideration for past projects and initiatives and those planned for the future by other key private organisations and public institutions in the territory, in order to compile the community’s previous experience in other projects, to identify allies and to prevent the duplication of actions.

on the W4P Peru Platform.

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Ethnographic research: this involved a 4-day stay in the community. During this stay, in-depth interviews were held with young people and women from the community. The typical dynamics of the community’s organic life, interfamily relations, commercial relations, its customs and its celebrations were observed, and a photographic record was made. This research yielded 7 ethnographic profiles.

Social photography: Images captured through social (or community) photography provide documentation of a personal kind and of family life and displays their economic activities through images that would be hard for a photographer from outside to obtain.Here, cameras were loaned for ten days to women and young people from the communities (2 to 3 persons) so they could capture the aspects of their daily lives they considered most significant. Each participant chose one of their photos to be printed. These photos were also used at workshops with the communities.

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Exhibiting the selected photographs in Community encourages reflection on the value of the activities –production, social, etc.– they perform and the variety of resources they have

Management of expectations:

The presence of the team responsible for listening in communities with a lot of needs or a tradition of welfare interventions may be seen by the population as a commitment to going ahead with projects.In this case, one community association thought that a project would be performed with them because the listening team had stayed at their institutional premises when it visited their community. Although the team had expressed the objective of performing the listening process with the whole community, the interviews held with people (not members of that association) led to disgruntlement in the association.To avoid any misunderstanding or minimise false expectations, it is recommended that agreements are recorded in writing –associations and communities generally have minutes books– and meetings are held on premises agreed by the community.

Collective interpretation and ethnographic profiles

The ethnographic profiles were put forward for consideration by the Community at collective interpretation sessions to be validated, extended, corrected or rejected by members of the Community themselves. This activity also served both to involve them in reflection and analysis on their personal problems, their economic activity and their relations with other people and to sketch out and share proposed solutions.

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Contrast Group

Source: ‘Listening Phase Global Report –

Quispicanchi’ produced by the Territorial

Technical Team of W4P Peru, March 2019.

The Contrast Group was established with other local stakeholders: public institutions, civil society organisations and companies present in the territory that have another perspective of reality. Workshops were organised to cross-check what these other stakeholders from their environment think, say, hear, see and do and later therefore to consolidate and systematise these new findings. In this case, although it was relatively easy to bring these stakeholders from civil society and local governments together, it was very hard to attract private companies.

As a result, the first iteration of the listening process has shown that these communities have a current negative narrative as regards employment and possible work.

Theme Current narrative identified

Rural entrepreneur The farm is not productive enough.

Young people They only have a future outside the community.

WomenTheir work in agricultural activities is not very profitable, while their husbands bring income from outside the community.

Production factors There is a scarcity of water, grazing land and land.

Products Agricultural and crafted products are not profitable.

Communication with must be clear, transparent and simple and take place in the language and according to the codes of the Community. Being attentive, amenable and sincere helps to generate trust.

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QuestionsThe questions that will guide the listening process are selected on the basis of the information that we are interested in obtaining. On the W4P Programme these questions are associated with the occupation and employment of women and young people. Those that appear below are examples1:

1.Adaptation of questions based on Engle and Samantha Slade, Chapter: “Listening for social change: transformative tools to unleash community innovation”, in “Platforms that trigger innovation”, Page 22, “la Caixa” Banking Foundation, 2018.

Questions

People

Channels

Places

The main elements of the listening process are: questions, the people who will be listened to and those with whom we shall cross-check findings, listening instruments or channels and collective interpretation sites.

Elements of community listening

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People

Channels or tools

Listening group

Contrast Group:

It is made up of the people who are to be listened to. These must represent the diversity of the Community from an economic, gender, age, etc. perspective and an effort must be made to include people who do not take part in traditional associative networks.

Selection: An initial list of 5-10 people can be drafted. These people will make suggestions for extending the network. This is what is known as “snowball” sampling.

It is made up of people who belong to organisations on the Platform, public authorities, private companies, NGOs, schools, universities and any other stakeholder that is involved or works in the area of intervention.People from the Listening Group may also be included here.

This refers to different qualitative research tools and methodologies such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups, participatory and ethnographic research, participatory video or photography, etc.

Qualitative analysis must also be complemented with quantitative-type information from traditional sources of data such as public statistical data (data on population, on access to medical services, on the environment, on rainfall, etc. for example), and from alternative sources of data (such as data from participatory digital applications or private databases)

The start of the process is always imperfect. The identitfication of these 5 or 10 people contacted initially is not very important because the group will grow in number as the process advances.

The information recorded during the listening process may be used for Platform communication and learning.

Questions

People

Channels

Places

Questions

People

Channels

Places

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Listening method/tool Record of the information

Audio, video, photographs, interview forms, notes from the field, etc.

Video, audio and notes on the activity.

Maps drawn on the floor, flip chart, blackboard or other collaborative resource.

Listening and analysing to individual narratives, promoting personal and collective reflection on the past, the present and the future.

Observing collective dynamics, drawing attention to structural connections and the Community’s capacity for action.

Understanding the attitudes and the roles of institutional stakeholders.

Objectives

Source: Adapted from Jayne Engle and Samantha Slade, idem 2018.

What should be considered in selecting qualitative channels or tools?

Ethnography (including interviews and participant observation)

Dialogue group (focus group) with different stakeholders from the Community

Community participatory maps (on mobility, on places and/or on stakeholders)

Visits organised and guided by Community members

Interviews and workshops with key stakeholders and institutional representatives

Dialogue group (focus group) with key informers and collaborators in the field.

Observation of participants in community activities.

Video, audio and notes on the activity.

Video, audio and notes on interviews.

Field notes and documents.

Field notes.

Participatory video or photography

Individual participatory maps (on mobility, on places and/or on stakeholders)

Digital recounting of narratives

Photographs, notes, audio or video with the narratives of people analysing or explaining the photographs.

Maps drawn by hand or with digital tools on everyday movements, spatial connections, etc. or photographs of these.

Podcast, short films, etc.

Questions

People

Channels

Places

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Listening method/tool DrawbackAdvantage

Ethnography (including interviews and participant observation)

Participatory video or photography

Participatory maps (on mobility, on places and/or on stakeholders)

Digital recounting of narratives

Dialogue Group (focus group)

Source: Adapted from Jayne Engle and Samantha Slade, idem 2018.

What are the advantages and drawbacks of each listening method?

It encourages production of ideas, the generation of shared outlooks; and makes it possible to combine external perspectives with local history and knowledge.

People who take part favourably evaluate photography and video as a means to express what they like and dislike, their values, concerns and aspirations.

It allows access to knowledge from multiple sources. Thoroughly listing all local and international organisations, bodies and groups with work that affects the Community, and the guidelines for travel in the Community and perception of everyday spaces.

Multimedia format underlines the value of the work done and helps the mass dissemination and impact of the stories.

Focus groups allow for social learning and the detection of meta-discourse or meta-narrative.

Ethnography entails an intensive process that requires involvement and a major investment of economic, professional and time resources.

There is a chance of potential misunderstandings. Those who take part may perceive the process as a photography training activity.

Volume of low-precision data (for example, non-existence of scale, lack of details in representation of the geography or existing buildings)

Those who take part are very often unaware that the process lasts a long time and requires a lot of time, energy and skilled people.

Sometimes expectations about the activity’s results are not very realistic.

Questions

People

Channels

Places

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Collective interpretation spaces: These consist of sessions to which the Contrast Group are invited to:

The sessions may be held at different places ranging from community sites, institutional centres, companies to educational centres.

How should the narratives identified be presented?

There are several tools for presenting the narratives identified. The use of ethnographic profiles is recommended on the W4P Programme.

Ethnographic profiles are a simplified representation of people, their main problems and needs.

They can be used to make the information from the listening process simpler and easier to understand, and to provide a basis for collective interpretation, and later on, in co-creation sessions.

Further information on how to use these profiles at a co-creation session in Guide II Co-creation and for Platform communication actions in Guide IV Evaluation and communication.

Present the narratives identified;

Cross-check these narratives and thus legitimise and back up the results of the listening process;

Promote encounters and dialogue among people and institutions that normally do not coincide spontaneously in areas for discussion and exchange (for example: management personnel of a local company with young people from the Community).

Bear in mind that “How to prepare a co-creation session” (Guide II Co-creation) also applies to collective interpretation sessions.

Questions

People

Channels

Places

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How to cross-check the narratives identified?

To encourage cross-checking, the ethnographic profiles should be presented and a dialogue should be initiated on the basis of questions such as:

Individual ethnographic profiles: these represent individual people with their main problems and needs. Group ethnographic profiles: these represent a group of people or collective from the Community with their main problems and needs.

Do you know anyone like that?

What do you think the profile lacks? What would you add? What do you think of the profile? Do you agree?

Who else should we speak with to understand the problem better?

Personas tool for producing ethnographic profiles developed by Dansk Design Center, available at https://danskdesigncenter.dk/en/personas.

There are two profile types:

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Performing the listening processThe listening process is iterative and permanent or, in other words, it is not restricted simply to the early stages or to diagnosis, but may rather be repeated every given period of time. This is known as iteration of the listening process.

Design

Listening

Summarise results

Summarise results

Collective interpretation

(Questions, choosing tools, selecting the listening group, etc.)

Connecting results with existing initiatives, advancing to co-creation or prototyping.

(Ethnographic profiles)

(Visual maps, other, etc)

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Facilitating team

The Facilitating Team on a social innovation platform may be formed in different ways, depending on the platform’s characteristics. On W4P Platforms the Facilitating Team is formed by at least one person from each organisation on the platform.

The functions of this team include planning, incentivising and monitoring all the stages of the process: listening, co-creation, prototyping, scaling, evaluation and communication.

Support for this team’s work essentially requires having specific profiles for determined stages of the process:

The Facilitating Team should, lastly, have an additional function that includes:

The listening process requires profiles specialised in qualitative and/or ethnographic research.

The co-creation and prototyping stage requires profiles that combine knowledge of social innovation and experience in community work, and professionals specialised in developing new initiatives.

For the stage of scaling initiatives it is useful to include profiles with knowledge and experience in business models, alternative financing resources, marketing, etc.

The evaluation stage should include profiles of evaluation professionals with an evolutionary approach, see details in Guide IV Evaluation and Communication.

The communication stage also requires personnel with expertise in unique skills for the Platform’s work, see details in Guide IV Evaluation and Communication.

Identification and systematisation of the knowledge generated by the Platform,

Design and production of training material to make use of this learning,

Provision of training in the tools and specific skills used by the Platform.

It is important for everyone involved to work on a joint and integrated basis from the very start and not as if they belonged to differentiated stages of the process.

This platform has no username or password (if someone asks you for them to enter, they clearly are unaware of what they are in for).

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GlossaryCommunity-led process via which solutions are found.

Set of people from a territory or who share a common problem. In a broad sense, this concept includes various actors: informal (people), non-profit organisations (third sector), social enterprises, educational establishments, businesses, government and state organisations.

Group formed by, at least, one person from each organisation that makes up the W4P Platform of each country. Its function, among others, is to plan, run and monitor the process of co-creation, prototyping , scaling, evaluation and communication processes.

Ethnography is a method of social research that allows cultural knowledge to be recorded, it details patterns of social interaction, allows for a holistic analysis of societies, is descriptive and allows theories to be developed and verified.

A specialist, with knowledge or experience in a subject.

A group of people constituted by the network’s organizations, public authorities, private companies, NGOs, schools, universities and any other actor who is affected by or works in the sphere of the intervention.

The perceptions that people and the community have of their own lives. They are subjective and have a major influence on the actions they believe can, or cannot, be carried out.

Co-creation

Community

Facilitating team

Ethnography

Expert

Contrast group

Narratives

A set of changes in the economic, social, political and cultural spheres that are necessary for a specific community to be able to develop in terms of sustainable human development (structural changes that allow for a more comprehensive change).

Community transformation

These are rules that enable us to keep the working values that we accept and share in mind during co-creation and prorotype process.

Design principles

A set of instruments and processes to get an in-depth understanding of the needs, challenges and opportunities of the community.

Listening platform

The materialisation of an idea or solution so that we can try it out, learn from it, adapt, modify or, possibly, discard it.

Prototype

It is a simplified representation of people, their main problems and needs. It allows us to translate the information obtained via the listening process into a simpler form which is easier to understand.

Ethnographic profile

Group of people with diverse profiles who represent the Community, at least 60% should be women and 50% young people.

Listening group

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Glossary

This is a hypothesis that outlines a strategic vision of the desired change by thoroughly analysing and describing the hypotheses behind each step (...) identifying the conditions that allow or deter each one of them, as well as the activities that produce the conditions and explain how these activities could work...

Theory of change

Meeting places where, for example, events, meetings and workshops are held, and in which the dialogue and control groups take part with the aim of comparing the information gathered.

Set of people participating in a co-creation or prototyping session, made up of different profiles of people, both from the community - in a broad sense - and experts. Its composition can be modified, and its number increased or decreased depending on the progress made as regards the idea being developed.

Set of ideas or solutions, related in terms of topic or scope, identified during the listening process.

Spaces for collective sense-making

Working group

Thematic group

“new ideas (products, services and processes) that simultaneously satisfy the needs of social networks in a more efficient way than existing ones and create relationships or new and long-lasting social collaborations. They are innovations that are not only good for society, but also also improve its ability to act.”

Social innovation

Set of elements available in order to satisfy a need, carry out an initiative or explore opportunities. They can be of different types: economic, technical, human, etc.

Resources

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Texts: itdUPMwww.itd.upm.es

First edition: July 2019.

Design and illustrations: VINDUEwww.vindue.es

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.