This interview is conducted with a small number of participants within an organisation, or those who are closely related to a particular goal. They are asked how they see other key players in the system, positioned within two dimensions relevant to specific changes that the clients want, usually having the power to create a change and see change as a gain. This format of interviews helps structure the discussion on how different constellation factors affect whether or not the changes happen.
Just as the Milestone interview, the interview „Factors of Change“ can be carried out at any time and, usually, it is not part of the M&E plan, but designed to complement it. Instead, staff can use these interviews to:
- discover how changes occur in specific situations, and not in other similar situations, regardless of the effort invested;
- identify different groups and individuals who in different ways affect the speed of change;
- identify which different groups were interested in specific goals;
- identify who among the stakeholders has the power or influence to achieve those goals;
- identify any change within these group interests in achieving program goals;
- explore how these strengths improve or hinder program goals;
- identify important dimensions that help explain why interventions sometimes succeed, and sometimes do not.