Power Tools for Maximizing Impact

We are generally interested in the principle of maximizing impact in the areas of influence and program design. There are at least four power tools in these areas that make a big difference in an organization’s ability to maximize its impact: creativity and generative thinking, systems design, research, and cross-sector collaboration.

Innovative Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Tools

Traditional methods are often used for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL). However, as the social sector landscape is ever-evolving, so must our MEL methods! Using technology and a bit of creativity, we can innovate our MEL practices. Check out some of these innovative tools!

From Roads to Air: Rebooting the Mind for Creativity

Would you throw random ingredients into the oven to see if they form a cake? Neither should you expect original ideas from following a recipe. Instead, shift your mind to creativity mode with these FROM > TOs.

Change Management Lives in the Nexus

Why do so many change management efforts fail? It might not be the fault of the management textbooks, executives, consultants, or even the economy. One reason could be a change management philosophy that was over-reliant on one or two "tried and-true" approaches or pieces of expert advice. Instead, organizations need to tap their creativity by finding the right nexus of approaches for their particular situation. This approach also works for strategy creation and program design, as you'll see from our example!