In his 2013 Annual Letter Bill Gates, Co-Founder and Chairman of Microsoft, talks about the importance of using measurement to improve the human condition; incredible progress can be achieved when you set a clear goal and find a measure that you can directly connect interventions to in order to continuously improve and ultimately move the dial.
See: http://annualletter.gatesfoundation.org/
Strive could not agree more with his fundamental insight. We have learned from experience that while the idea of using measurement may seem pretty basic, it is amazing how often it is not done and how hard it is to get right. The challenge in the social sector of identifying the right measures, developing effective collection systems and analyzing data to understand impact is incredibly difficult.
As Gates points out, unlike business where profit is the clear “bottom line,” foundations and governments – we would also add other community partners from the non-profit, business and civic sectors – have to work to come to agreement on what they are truly working to accomplish together. This process alone is fraught with landmines as partners cling to what they hold dear or what they are required to measure by an array of grants. Population level impact can only be achieved if leaders at all levels are able to agree on a common goal, common metrics, and common ways to collect and analyze data with fidelity.
As Gates notes, “….a lot of efforts fail because they don’t focus on the right measure or they don’t invest enough in doing it accurately.”
This is where innovation around how to effectively use data can make a big difference. Gates describes a process of setting clear goals, picking the right approach, measuring results to get feedback and continually refining the approach-this helps to deliver tools and services. These are the fundamental steps of continuous improvement; the basic building blocks of using data to get better.
Once again, this point seems so logical and basic, but when data has typically been used in a punitive way by funders to pick winners and losers, using data to actually get better is simply a foreign concept or a risk not worth taking. Despite these challenges, the partnerships of cross –sector leaders working to build “cradle to career civic infrastructure” are working to practice continuous improvement and find creative solutions. Their efforts to bring leaders of all types – teachers, principals, school administrators, board members, funders, non-profits, etc. – together to use data to improve how they serve children are cutting edge and helping to build a new field around using data in the social sector.
Ultimately, it will require people like Bill Gates to encourage providers the world over, whether in government agencies, non-profits, or other social services, to use data for constructive purposes. When funders encourage and enable those working in the field to use data as an invaluable tool to learn from their mistakes as well as reward excellence, we will be able to turn the corner and apply a level of discipline in social investments we have not seen before. This discipline is a key piece of the puzzle for getting the population level results we all so desire.
This post was written by
Jeff Edmondson – who has written 13 posts on Striving for change.
Jeff Edmondson is the managing director of the Strive Network
