The Meaningful Connections Model
A toolkit to help teams reflect on their service relationships
Inspiration and Collaboration
The Meaningful Connections Model emerged as a standalone product as part of a project collaboration with six organisations facilitated by CoCreate called Creating Meaningful Connections funded by CAST.
Creating Meaningful Connections itself is part of a larger initiative called The Sector Challenge Programme which comes under the umbrella of the Catalyst and The National Lottery Community Fund COVID-19.
Creating Meaningful Connections
Note on the project itself
The collaboration has moved at pace to deliver a shared prototype that has been tested with users that speaks to Creating Meaningful Connections. In the process, we have generated combined wisdoms from shared experiences.
The Meaningful Connections Model is a practical toolkit to help teams identify and reflect on the constellations of service relationships whether 1-1, 1 to some, 1 to many, many to many and all the possible variations, taking into account service users, organisation-level, team, stakeholders, partners and other parties.
Layer this over with operation and living with Covid19, we have a service recipe to share.
The Meaningful Connections Model - The Journey
For the project, we started by sharing our personal stories around meaningful connections
Then we carried out surveys with service users and staff to dive deeper
Through a series of workshops we undertook analysis and uncovered themes and insights as part of our discovery work
Next, we moved from ideation to prioritisation with a focus on user needs
From there, we designed digital prototypes for testing, which was the intended outcome of the project
The pace was fast and although we had prioritised the right things to take forward, the group felt there were lots of golden nuggets too valuable to leave behind completely.
Six organisations collaborated and this resulted in the emergence of additional elements such as The Meaningful Connections Model demonstrating that the sum of the whole is greater than the parts.
The Meaningful Connections Model
This is a practical tool to help organisations reflect on service relationships and to identify which areas need further consideration.
In the model, we have 5 themes that are underpinned by Safety. Each theme has a subset of core elements to serve as a checklist for health with an overarching concept that addresses why is it important.
The model can be applied from the perspective of service user, team member, team or organisation; from anywhere in the constellation or service ecosystem.
We have expanded four levels to self-identify the starting point for the journey and where the ambition lies for next steps.
Safety
Safety sits at the heart of The Meaningful Connections Model. It is a theme that underpinned many of our conversations and for now we have placed it at the heart of the model as it sits across everything.
Safety considerations include:
Working with The Meaningful Connections Model
The Meaningful Connections Model holds:
Themes. These are overarching themes we distilled from our collaboration
Needs. Each theme holds an overarching need
Elements. The overarching need comprises a subset of needs that can be used for evaluation
Indicators. The indicators can be used for self-reflection and measurement regarding the current and desired maturity of the service relationship. This could be from the perspective of where am I and/or where are we?
Theme | Feelings | Space | Tools | Skills | Relationship |
Need | To have a sense of belonging | To know I am in the right place | To be comfortable with digital tools | To cultivate trust in communications | To offer hope and to surface choices |
Elements | We/I need to: feel heard feel listened to feel supported feel understood safe | The space needs to be: accessible reassuring comfortable caring safe | We/I need to invest in: time training and practice building confidence the right tools safety | We/I need to respect: diverse learning styles professional boundaries being adaptable being fully present safety | Our connection needs to be: motivating genuine focused realistic safe |
Indicators Current & Desirable | Embedded Maturing Forming Early stages | Embedded Maturing Forming Early stages | Embedded Maturing Forming Early stages | Embedded Maturing Forming Early stages | Embedded Maturing Forming Early stages |
The Meaningful Connections Model
Compiled by
Nel Mathams & Jane Salazar March 2021
For further information contact: lucy.armitage.cocreate@gmail.com
Additional resources
During May 2021 we undertook supplementary work in order to test the model further and provide instructions and guidelines for usage.
The Meaningful Connections Model
user research
5 user testing sessions - up to 30 mins each
We tested the model with:
A team in the domestic violence space
A team working in the public sector
A person who has experienced domestic violence and is now a volunteer
A person who has experienced domestic violence and has started to express this
A person who has started experienced trauma, but not domestic violence
A member of a small central team facing challenges with leadership in their company
Profile 1 - team engagement with service users
Team working for a domestic violence agency | | |
There was discussion around ‘forced-digital’ impact which impacted scores. Levels of confidence were higher prior to lockdown for tools and skills. A lot of time has been invested in ‘space’ and great leaps have been made, but there are some unknowns still, where additional training would help. | Outcomes Improve team sharing of learning and skills Revisit volunteer training programmes Increase number of regular whole team meetings |
Profile 2 - team working in a wider space
Team working in the public sector | Feelings - 1 Space - 2 Tools - 3 Skills - 2 Relationship -1 | |
This team of fifteen, working remotely for seven months, asked for support on how to better connect with each other in order to have difficult conversations without resulting in misunderstanding. Fundamental issues were uncovered as there were people who did not know if they were being heard or listened to where screens were turned off in remote meetings and interaction was minimal. | Outcomes Agreement from everyone on setting basic protocols to show everyone is being heard and listened to Acceptance that boundaries can be different for everyone 1-1 follow up conversations |
Profile 3 - service user perspective, later in journey
Person who has been supported by domestic violence organisation | Feelings - 4 Space - 4 Tools - 4 Skills - 4 Relationship - 4 | |
Seen through the eyes of a service user the end-result determines how what was discussed. For them, trust in the organisation and the team that provided 1-1 support, determined that they would overcome challenges. | Outcomes I got the help I needed and it changed everything. Now I’m a volunteer, I want to give back. |
Profile 4 - service user perspective, earlier in journey
Person who is being supported by domestic violence organisation | Feelings - 3 Space - 2 Tools - 3 Skills - 4 Relationship - 2 | |
Being invited to a group and just listening to other people’s stories and conversation is a brave step. Courage to take the next step is forming from a position of group safety. They can see the organisation and the team have the skills and the relationship is forming. They feel they have arrived at a place of safety and is getting used to this feeling of being understood. | Outcomes Engagement and trust is being formed. This person has decided to take the next step, but needs a little more time being held in this space to be ready. |
Profile 5 - service user perspective, wider than domestic violence
Person in trauma supported by organisation specialising in childhood issues | Feelings - 4 Space - 2-4 Tools - 3 Skills - 4 Relationship -4 | |
Connection involved group work and and 1-1 support. Space - this developed as this went along; ‘it started off middling’ but then trust developed and connection with the team and the group grew. In the end it was sad when it finished. | Outcomes Left feeling progress had been made. Left feeling knowledge had been gained. Left with a toolkit to deal with the trauma. Went back to help with research as ‘wanted to give something back - to provide input into the system that doesn’t understand things.’ |
Profile 6 - individual, in a wider space, relationship to organisation
Individual working in private company | Feelings - 1 Space - 1 Tools - 2 Skills - 1 Relationship -1 | |
They have been working at the company for over a year, and it felt like a good thing because they had safe employment during lockdown. They have ended up working over the weekends and into evenings as there is little investment in processes and software. Boundaries are being crossed with communications via WhatsApp into the evening and a lack of clear communication. It makes them feel like they are failing but at the same time realises there’s a problem with ethos and values in the company. They do not feel respected, listened to or appreciated by leadership, but have good camaraderie with others in the team who feel the same way. | Outcomes This person is not motivated but has a strong work ethic. They have decided to accept how it is and look after their well-being, doing just above the minimum to get the work done. The impact on wellbeing is that many people are impacted by the lack of organisation and it’s not a comfortable or safe space to work. They are looking for a new position. |
Key insights from using the model
It’s an easy tool to invite conversation
It can unearth moments of truth
The themes are easy to understand
People have referenced the elements which sit beneath the themes and those along have worked as conversation starters
It’s important to introduce the model
It’s essential to ask the right question to kick-off the conversation
People like to go back to their ‘scores’ and re-evaluate in the light of the conversation
The Meaningful Connections Model
instructions
Use context
The Meaningful Connections Model is a practical toolkit to help teams identify and reflect on service relationships whether 1-1, 1 to some, 1 to many, many to many and all the possible variations, taking into account service users, organisation-level, team, stakeholders, partners and other parties.
And then explain why you are sharing it - what is your context?
Describe the model
This is a practical tool to help organisations reflect on service relationships and to identify which areas need further consideration
In the model, we have 5 themes that are underpinned by Safety. Each theme has a subset of core elements to serve as a checklist for health with an overarching concept that addresses why is it important
The model can be applied from the perspective of service user, team member, team or organisation
Explain what is the model made up of
The Meaningful Connections Model holds:
Themes. These are overarching themes we distilled from our collaboration
Needs. Each theme holds an overarching need
Elements. The overarching need comprises a subset of needs that can be used for evaluation
Indicators. The indicators can be used for self-reflection and measurement. This could be from the perspective of where am I and/or where are we?
Theme | Feelings | Space | Tools | Skills | Relationship |
Need | To have a sense of belonging | To know I am in the right place | To be comfortable with digital tools | To cultivate trust in communications | To offer hope and to surface choices |
Elements | We/I need to: feel heard feel listened to feel supported feel understood safe | The space needs to be: accessible reassuring comfortable caring safe | We/I need to invest in: time training and practice building confidence the right tools safety | We/I need to respect: diverse learning styles professional boundaries being adaptable being fully present safety | Our connection needs to be: motivating genuine focused realistic safe |
Indicators Current & Desirable | Embedded Maturing Forming Early stages | Embedded Maturing Forming Early stages | Embedded Maturing Forming Early stages | Embedded Maturing Forming Early stages | Embedded Maturing Forming Early stages |
Ask the right question for the perspective you need feedback on
Organisation/team/employee perspective/partnerships:
How does this model reflect the relationship between…?
Service user perspective:
How does this model reflect the relationship between…?
Some prompts -face to face
Have a look the model, start with the themes, how do they relate to your relationship with xxx?
What do the needs, in the circles, suggest to you about the themes?
Which theme would you like to talk about now? Tell me more about xxx
Which elements in any of the lists under each theme stand out for you?
Evaluation
Score each theme with a number 1 to 4 where you believe it sits in terms of the relationship we are talking about here.
1=early stages or where there are clear gaps
2=forming means you’re off the starting blocks but it’s not stable
3=it’s maturing and happening
4=where it’s embedded, it’s a given and there’s little or nothing more to be done
Additionally an additional score for each theme can be added relating to what they would like the score to be in the future.
Assigning this as an individual task to do separately
Information from these slides can be used to pull together information and instructions for feedback.
You can invite people to prepare, bring scores, notes and reflections to share in a group or 1-1, or any variation that suits.
Always provide an explanation of why the exercise is being done, and the intention for how resulting information and feedback will be used to make positive change.