A Seven Step Approach to Using the Relationship Framework

Step 1: Opening up the Context

Step one involves identifying which conflicts are dangerous in terms of their destructiveness or violence (including structural violence and psychological or organizational destructiveness). Every society and community has groups with different interests and identities that contend with other groups. What is the scope of the Do No Harm analysis? What are the groups?

Step 2: Analyzing Dividers and Tensions

When the significant schisms or challenges in a community have been identified, the next step is to examine what exactly divides the groups.

Using the SAVES categories, examine the interactions and relationships between the groups. How are they divided? What do they do with and to each other that demonstrates division? What causes tension between these groups?

Step 3: Analyzing Connectors and Local Capacities for Peace

Now examine what connects these groups. Connectors always exist, though they may be weak or even currently suppressed. Even in conflict-prone, active conflict, and post-conflict situations Connectors continue to exist.

Using the SAVES categories, examine the interactions and relationships between the groups. How are they connected? What do they do with and to each other that demonstrates connection? What decreases tension between these groups?

Where are people attempting to live normally? The effort to bring normalcy into complex and challenging environments points to places where people are trying to build for the future.

Also look for those people and structures that emphasize peace and collaboration. These offer an opening for supporting people in rebuilding non-war relationships.

Step 4: Critical Detail Mapping

Review all aspects of the intervention, using Critical Detail Mapping. Identify the criteria used to make decisions. Identify the groups involved in and with our intervention. Be thorough.

Step 5: Using the ABCs, Analyze the Intervention’s Impact on Dividers and Connectors

Check each element of the critical details against each Divider and Connector.

Who gains from our intervention? Who loses from our intervention? Who did we overlook in our intervention? Do these groups overlap with the divisions we identified as potentially or actually destructive? Are we supporting military activities or civilian structures?

Are we missing or ignoring opportunities to reinforce Connectors? Are we inadvertently undermining or weakening them?

What Resources are we bringing into the context? What impact are our Resource Transfers having? Which groups gain advantages or lose them based on our Resources? How do other groups feel about the gains or losses?

What Messages are we sending through the way in which we work? What impact are we having through our Messages? Which groups feel supported and respected by our Messages?Which groups feel neglected and disrespected by our Messages? How do other groups feel about the Messages of support or neglect we are sending?

Step 6: Generate Options

If we are having negative impacts, then we must think about how to shift a critical detail or details so that we can stop the negative. We should have identified the Resource Transfers and/or Messages involved. Using that knowledge, we can transform the Resource Transfer and/or Message into one that has a positive impact (or at least not a negative one).

Negative impacts are not just increasing Dividers. Decreasing or weakening Connectors must be avoided.

If we are having positive impacts, we must also note those. How can we make them even more effective and stronger?

Step 7: Test the Options and Redesign the Intervention

Take our Options back through the Framework. How will that Option have an impact on both Dividers and Connectors?

Just because an Option might decrease a Divider, it does not mean it will not also decrease a Connector. Just because an Option might support a Connector, does not mean it will not also support a Divider.

Test our Options. Adapt to the changing social dynamics. Improve our interventions.

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