Culturally and contextually adaptive indicators of organizational success: Nunavik, Quebec

This study aimed to develop a preliminary guide to culturally and contextually relevant indicators to assess community resources in the 14 communities of the Inuit territory of Nunavik, Quebec.

As part of the Community Component of Qanuilirpitaa? of the 2017 Nunavik Health Survey, data were collected from 354 organizations located across Nunavik. Data were collected via short structured interviews with representatives of the organization. An inductive qualitative analysis was conducted to identify emerging themes describing the contexts that influence organizations, how key informants conceptualized what is a successful resource, and the facilitators and needs to achieving these indicators of success. Inuit partners were involved throughout the project to offer insight and to ascertain its pertinence and validity.

Interviews revealed structural and community realities that influenced organizations. Three main indicators were used to describe successes: (1) team efficiency and dynamics; (2) accessibility of the resource; and (3) ability to impact clients and the community. The third indicator was by far the most discussed indicator of success. Participants and leaders offer suggestions as to how to achieve these indicators and advocate for the conditions necessary for organizational sustainability.

This data-driven framework suggests that the measures of success that are frequently used by funding agencies (e.g., number of people reached, number of activities) may not fully represent the potential of local services in a given community. Indeed, services may be creating job opportunities for Inuit, instilling pride, offering cultural opportunities, and increasing capital (human, economic, health) within the community, all of which are equally important indicators of success that may more adequately further improve the social determinants of health among communities.