Navigation Metaphors for ‘Impact’
Suddenly everyone’s talking about ‘impact’ but what does it actually mean?
Over the last decade the idea of ‘having an impact’ has taken flight as a strategy and an outcome — and suddenly it seems that everyone has started talking about ‘impact’! This is part one of a two part exploration of the framing and ‘measuring’ of impact in systems innovation.
Some of our colleagues have argued that ‘impact’ is tied up with metaphors of ‘force’ and ‘collision’. Others have argued that the term has become tainted with a fixation of short-term ‘fixes’ even if everyone acknowledges that the issues are complex. And still others complain that ‘impact’ is conflated with outputs and outcomes, so that even short, small projects are now expected to create ‘impacts’.
In the face of this context, we set out to explore the word, its history, how we used it and how others used it. We have ultimately decided to keep using it — but to do so with a clear awareness of how and why and what it means for our work.
We learnt that ‘impact’ has a longer history as a verb meaning to ‘press closely into’ and that it has developed into two directions in the twentieth century — one that signals an ‘impact on’ us or others or objects; and one that relates to how something ‘impacts’ us or others or something else.
We want to acknowledge and respect all these limitations of the word. Yet we also remain committed to walking forward with a more robust and multi-faceted perspective on impact. Similarly, we will continue to challenge loose, unjust, frivolous and hyperbolic uses of the term so that there remains a space for talking of change that requires commitment, rigour, debate and depth.
Does this matter?
Well yes, we think so! If we want to be clear about how we use language, and want to share openly what we mean, what we intend through the use of language, we think it is important to unpack words, metaphors and concepts (and be open to alternative view points!)
So here we explore five metaphors that shape the ways in which we use ‘impact’. They draw on both meanings and applications of the word, and they shape the ways in which we speak, use, visualise and translate this word in our practices. We welcome other viewpoints as we seek to open up a deeper dialogue about how language shapes the change we seek to contribute to alongside many others.
Contributors to this post and graphics:
Prof Ingrid Burkett and A/Prof Joanne McNeill
