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Social value is often considered through the lens of what an organisation delivers. The COMMONS Approach invites us to widen that view.

The COMMONS Approach has been developed by the University of Liverpool, with input from various ISV members, asking how organisations can think more holistically about social value and the conditions that shape lasting change.

Rather than focusing only on delivery, the approach encourages organisations to consider the wider context in which social value is created. This includes the decisions organisations make, the conditions they operate within, their organisational priorities, the markets they participate in and the way they interact with others.

Together, these factors can influence what happens beyond an individual project or intervention. They can shape whether change is sustained, how different organisations contribute to shared outcomes and how people and places are ultimately affected.

Asking broader questions

At the heart of the COMMONS Approach is an invitation to broaden the questions we ask about social value.

What conditions are shaping the outcomes we are seeing? How do organisational priorities influence the value being created? What happens when we look beyond an individual organisation and consider the wider relationships, markets and systems around it?

These questions matter because social value does not exist in isolation. Organisations operate alongside others, contribute to shared environments and influence outcomes that cannot always be understood by looking at one activity alone.

The COMMONS Approach proposes core areas for attention and ways of navigating social value with the aim of supporting more lasting change. In doing so, it offers a way to consider social value beyond individual commitments and towards a broader understanding of how organisations, people and places interact.

A collaborative piece of work

The report has been developed through engagement events with social value professionals from a wide range of organisations. This collaborative element is an important part of the work, bringing different experiences and perspectives into the development of the approach.

For ISV, the work has also been an opportunity to contribute to the conversation around how the social value field continues to develop. ISV provided the foreword to the report, alongside involvement from numerous ISV members and other partners.

Our CEO described the COMMONS Approach as an important piece of work that challenges us to think more holistically about social value, particularly by considering how decisions, conditions, priorities and interactions with others combine to influence lasting change.

The intention is not simply to introduce another framework, but to support reflection and encourage practitioners to consider how the approach can help us take shared impacts into account and work together to help people and places flourish.

Continuing the conversation

The launch of the report is the beginning of the conversation rather than the end of it.

Further events are planned for this winter, with dates to be confirmed, providing opportunities for social value professionals to reflect on the COMMONS Approach and consider how it can be used in practice. ISV will be involved in this ongoing activity and will share further information as plans develop.

For a field that continues to evolve, creating space to ask broader questions can be just as important as finding new answers. The COMMONS Approach adds to that conversation by encouraging us to look at the wider conditions in which social value takes shape and to consider how our collective actions can contribute to lasting change.

Read the COMMONS report →