Session Description
IA professionals face unique challenges such as institutional tensions, complex multi-stakeholder dynamics, and heavy emotional labor. Addressing these requires more than trainings on leadership and wellbeing; it requires deeper reflections about who we are as professionals and how our identity intertwines with these challenges.
This session proposes a human-centered workshop to map “who we are” in impact assessment and to promote a collective reflection on our identity and the tensions it creates. The session builds on 2026 session “War on projects” and the SSHRP survey, both highlighting that identity and agency are critical to our professional wellbeing and motivation.
Using rotating pairs, participants will engage in a reflection about:
- Identity: "Who are you? What defines you?";
- Motivation: "Why did you come into IA? What is are your motivations?";
- Agency: “What do bring into your practice? What are secure and afraid of showing?”; and
- Influence: "How is profession influencing you? How have you changed in this profession overtime? "
Responses will be posted on an interactive wall and a group of invited experienced facilitators will synthesize these live into clusters shaping our identity map. In larger groups participants will then discuss i) what the identity map says about themselves and about IA professionals as a group and ii) what can we do to improve our wellbeing and collective impact.
In line with the "ka mua, ka muri" theme, this session is rare opportunity to look back to who we are so that we can move forward towards a healthier, connected, and impactful profession.
Session Summary
This session provides a human-centered space for practitioners to reflect on their identity and collaboratively build strategies for professional wellbeing, agency and alignment.
Additional Information
Experienced facilitators will be invited to be part of the session. SSHRP survey methodology and results available here: https://sshrp.netlify.app
Session Chair
Sergio Moreira
CIG / University of Lisbon
Portugal