Results Frameworks
As we work to improve social conditions that seem intractable, results are often difficult to characterize and track. Results in the field of social change are complex, affected by myriad factors, and not immediately apparent. Achieving results is a long-term process. Yet it is important and increasingly feasible to articulate desired results for improving social conditions. The T. L. Hill Group facilitates members of organizations interested in affecting social change in clarifying desired results for their initiatives and identifying milestones along with strategies for attaining them.
Issue-Centered Strategies
Social change initiatives often integrate multiple aims and partners. As these initiatives grow in complexity, it becomes increasingly beneficial to unite layers of people and organizations around a set of strategies that create a "least common denominator" - a unifying principle or action around which various tasks can be organized. By finding issue-centered strategies, several partners in a multifaceted initiative can find ways to connect and add value based on their respective expertise. The T. L. Hill Group works with members of client organizations to identify compelling issues and think creatively about how they might be strategically considered for a variety of activities, including developing messages that highlight an organization's accomplishments.
Environmental Scanning
In the field of social change, information is constantly expanding. Our knowledge of what works to improve access to jobs for low skilled workers or what it takes to help five-year-olds enter school ready to learn improves with each new strategy. Whether we learn what to do or what not to do, the knowledge base grows with each effort. Information about the issues we address may be traced to numerous sources ranging from academic journals to periodicals and recently released news not yet published. The purpose of environmental scanning is to conduct a systematic search for knowledge that might inform or otherwise enhance our understanding of the issue we are addressing. This practice is widely used by private sector firms to remain competitive. The T. L. Hill Group constructs environmental scans with members of client organizations in an effort to transfer this skill while uncovering meaningful information as part of the scan.