The Strategic Perspectives help you understand where you think you can have most impact. You don’t have to choose between them - rather, it’s a tool you can use in discussions with colleagues and to help shape your change pathway and impact assessment. You might also want to use it to shape your impact narrative or to evaluate your impact approach.
Download the strategic perspectives canvas! ⬇️
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About the strategic perspectives
Some projects are explicitly geared to contribute positively to society, like the House of Memories project, which aims to help people diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Others are designed to evaluate economic effects, like the British Library impact assessment. Most will have a bit of both and also contribute to the internal organization and its ability to be innovative in the future. Don't get locked into one of the boxes, but try to get a feel from the room for what seems to be the dominant perspective in this assessment.
Social impact
Social impact occurs when people (our stakeholders), their communities and wider society experience a positive change in their behaviour, attitude or belief because of the things that we do for them.
For example, the restoration and preservation of built heritage can lead to increased civic participation and feelings of local pride, and digitisation can create a sense of a connection to heritage in different locations. Read more in the Fondation du Patrimoine impact assessment.
Economic impact
Economic impact occurs when our activities deliver economic benefits to stakeholders or to the organization.
For example, digitisation efforts can lead to new research opportunities which in turn lead to economic impact. Take a look at the Natural History Museum economic impact assessment.
Innovation impact
Innovation impact occurs when our work to provide access to digital cultural heritage enables innovations which lead to a positive change, economic benefits or operational efficiency in our stakeholders.
For example, the actions of EuropeanaTech brought the possibilities of IIIF beyond national institutions in the UK to a much wider group of museums, creating innovation impact for them in the application of the standard. Read the EuropeanaTech and IIIF impact assessment.
Operational impact
Operational impact occurs when the process of providing access to digital cultural heritage leads to innovations which in turn lead to an improvement or refinement of internal processes.
For example, taking part in the Europe at Work project led to a new way of working for some organisations involved, and they are likely to use the skills gained and the approach of the heritage collection day in future work. Read more in the Europe at Work impact assessment.