Research Summer Week 1 Reflections
The first major lesson I’ve learnt on my Laidlaw Research Summer is that producing impactful research starts with asking the most incisive questions. This is what my team and I have been focusing on this week.
Our project aims to investigate how we can better measure the value created by social enterprises, focusing specifically on those in Oxfordshire. In partnership with the Oxfordshire Social Enterprise Project, we aim to compile a comprehensive database of the thousands of social impact organisations across the region. While this, on its own, is no small task, the team also aims to delve into the question that underpins the whole project of collecting data: what does “impact” actually mean, and how ought we to measure it?
Solidifying these key objectives was one of my main responsibilities this week. The team needed to identify a set of clear, achievable, and ambitious goals. We discussed how quantitative economic measures, such as value-added, or change in income or employment, do capture key facets of what mission-led organisations aim to do. However, we were interested in how these economic measures alone are insufficient to understand the broader contribution that these groups make to their communities. How does one quantify features such as wellbeing, local resilience, and community cohesion? It is notoriously difficult. Yet, these forms of value are, in my opinion, just as important. After discussing this extensively, the team concluded that, as well as collecting data on the landscape of social enterprise in Oxfordshire, we wanted to find a way to recognise and measure these alternative forms of value they provide.
This week also focused on allocating responsibilities and establishing strong organisational systems to help us work together. I suggested that our team use an online project management platform to allocate tasks, and monitor progress. I have also taken responsibility for ensuring that we stay on schedule and meet key deadlines, whilst maintaining flexibility.
Additionally, I began working closely with my teammate Rian on the project’s literature review. Using Google Scholar, I identified foundational literature that will inform both our assessment framework and our data collection methodology. Together, Rian and I have begun reviewing these articles, exploring existing approaches such as Theory of Change and Social Return on Investment. It has been both fascinating and challenging to compare the strengths and limitations of the array of existing approaches, and the task has highlighted just how complex measuring social change is. However, this complexity has only strengthened our enthusiasm and motivation to contribute something truly meaningful to the sector.
Another key responsibility of mine was outlining additional skills we would need to develop to deliver the project successfully. We then began to address any shortcomings immediately. Workshops arranged by the Oxford SDG Impact Lab on Excel and Nvivo proved invaluable. Excel will underpin our preliminary database, while Nvivo will help us interpret the qualitative data that will shape our assessment framework. It’s super encouraging to see how quickly the team has picked up these new skills and begun to use them in our research.
Overall, I feel we’ve laid the groundwork for an amazingly rewarding six weeks. I’m very excited to continue working alongside such a dedicated, energetic team, and I look forward to engaging with the inspiring social enterprises contributing to our Oxfordshire community.
Please sign in
If you are a registered user on Laidlaw Scholars Network, please sign in
Thank you for a thoughtful and engaging first journal entry.
What stands out most strongly is your recognition that good research begins not with data collection, but with asking the right questions. The challenge you identify, understanding what we really mean by 'impact' and how it can be measured, is exactly the kind of complex and important issue that sits at the heart of meaningful social research. I was particularly pleased to see your team engaging critically with the limitations of purely economic measures and beginning to explore wider concepts such as wellbeing, resilience, and community cohesion. These are difficult concepts to define, let alone measure, and the fact that you are already grappling with these questions suggests a strong foundation for the project.
It was good to see the initiative you have shown in helping to establish the team's organisational structures. Research projects often succeed or fail on the quality of their planning and communication, so your contribution to project management, task allocation, and maintaining momentum will be invaluable over the coming weeks. It is encouraging to see you thinking not only as a researcher, but also as a collaborator and leader within the team.
Your discussion of the literature review was also important. Engaging with frameworks such as Theory of Change and Social Return on Investment demonstrates a willingness to engage with both the practical and conceptual dimensions of impact measurement. As you continue this work, I would encourage you to reflect on how your own understanding of impact evolves. For example, have you encountered ideas in the literature that challenge assumptions you previously held about how social value should be assessed? Some of the richest reflections emerge when we recognise that a problem is more complicated than we first imagined.
Looking ahead, I would also encourage you to continue reflecting on the skills you are developing through the project. You mention the technical benefits of the Excel and NVivo workshops, which is excellent and I hope they are of some use in the present of in the future. It will be valuable to consider how your leadership, project management, critical thinking, and research skills are developing alongside the technical aspects of the work.
Overall, this is a promising start. Your enthusiasm for the project comes through clearly, and it is evident that you have already made a meaningful contribution to shaping both the direction of the research and the way the team is working together. I look forward to seeing how your thinking develops as you move from the initial conceptual discussions into the data collection and analysis phases of the project.