Terms as Tools for Practice, Not Just Definitions: Why We Build Conceptual Lexicons
Language is rarely neutral. Words and context travel together.
How we talk about our work, in what context, and with whom, is often just as important as how we deliver our work. For teams and organisations, it’s not enough to have a common vocabulary; it’s about developing a shared language that carries meaning, implications, and accountability.
Most organisations know this and look for ways to align how their teams speak about the work. The default solution is often a glossary: a reference resource of key terms and clear definitions, designed to get everyone “on the same page.”
But the challenge is: a glossary rarely supports the deeper work of alignment. Words don’t live in isolation. They carry histories, sector-wide baggage, and lived implications for the communities an organisation serves. A glossary might tell you what a word means - but not how it works.
That’s why, when one of our learning partners asked us to create a glossary, we proposed an alternative: a conceptual lexicon.
What Makes a Conceptual Lexicon Different from a Glossary?
Unlike a glossary, the conceptual lexicon is designed to:
Contextualise each definition by operationalising it within the organisations strategy, section positioning, and learning journey.
Surface practice implications, highlighting the possibilities and risks associated with applying or misapplying terms, particularly in contexts where equitable and participatory approaches are used with community organisations.
Enable the application of a shared language by providing a framework around which teams can align and know what the term means in their everyday work.
How We Built It
To build this conceptual lexicon for our partner, we established our primary data sources for meaning making:
Sector-wide literature: we analysed salient academic, grey, and practice-based writing to map definitions and applications.
Internal documents: we used qualitative data analysis software to code and track language use patterns across our partner’s strategic and programmatic documentation.
Meaning making from workshop insights: we conducted a thematic analysis of transcripts and notes from workshops conducted during the duration of the learning partnership, for contextual usage and themes.
From this, we generated a long list of terms, then refined it in dialogue with our partner to focus on those most relevant to their needs and existing assets.
What Each Entry Includes
Each term in the conceptual lexicon has four elements:
Sector definition: what is used in organisations in the same sector, thought leaders and wider literature and practice.
Examples in the partner organisation: illustrative examples of how the term surfaced in documents and conversation during the learning partnership.
Implications: the possibilities and challenges resulting from the differences in sector definitions and partner usage, and our perspective on alignment related to usage.
Comparatives: related terms and distinctions that matter (e.g. “accountability” vs. “responsibility”).
Why It Matters
By building a conceptual lexicon instead of a glossary, we helped our partner see language as both a tool and a terrain of movement. It also empowers them to decide where and how they may want to shift how they communicate their work, both internally, and to their peers in the wider ecosystem.
The result for our learning partner wasn’t just clarity of definition. It was a living resource that will help delivery teams and decision-makers reflect, align, and act with greater intentionality.
Because our work at Quotidian Strategies is about examining the everydayness of phenomena within, how lived experiences and practices are shaped and articulated over time, we believe, words should not only be defined, they should be operationalised.
A conceptual lexicon helps organisations move beyond “what does this term mean?” to “what does this term do in our work, and how do we use it responsibly?”
It’s a small shift with significant impact: from static reference material to a dynamic tool for organisational learning.
