Using outcome mapping to get research into use in East and Southern Africa - Research to Action

"I recently published a learning report which documents my organisation’s experience using outcome mapping to plan, monitor, and evaluate research uptake. I work for the Sanitation and Hygiene Applied Research for Equity (SHARE) consortium, based at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and we have research projects in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. This blog shares a summary of our experience for academic organisations, research consortiums, M&E specialists – and anyone else aiming to engage policymakers and practitioners with their research! Why outcome mapping? Many have observed that policy change takes place in a complex system over many years and involves multiple stakeholders who all use different influencing approaches. Pathways of change are difficult to predict in advance using linear representations of change such as logical frameworks. It’s also challenging to attribute change to any single influence and to define impact. Outcome mapping (OM) is a participatory approach for planning, monitoring, and evaluation developed by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). It focuses on identifying, engaging, and influencing key stakeholders to change their behaviour. Importantly, outcome mapping recognises that we contribute to change in collaboration with others and in relation to wider contextual shifts. In SHARE, we were particularly influenced by ODI’s Rapid Outcome Mapping Approach (ROMA), which is designed to engage with policy...."