The document discusses establishing a Learning to Innovate (L2i) Topic Working Group. It describes L2i as a hybrid community of practice and work group that would tackle priority issues related to harnessing research for innovation. Membership would be voluntary and focus on people engaged in research coordination and change projects. The working group would aim to strengthen capacity for research innovation, help projects achieve targets, and influence partners. Key questions are around establishing a plausible promise and developing a work plan.
1. A ‘plausible promise’ for the
Learning to Innovate
Learning to Innovate
Topic Working Group?
Boru Douthwaite
Innovation and Impact Director,
Challenge Program on Water and Food
Basin Leader Meeting
Vientiane, 18 January 2011
2. Will L2i be a Community of
Practice?
“A group of professionals, informally bound to one
A group of professionals, informally bound to one
another through exposure to a common class of
problems, a common pursuit of solutions, and
thereby themselves embodying a store of
knowledge”
3. How is a COP different from other
ways of organizing?
ways of organizing?
Purpose Membership Glue Duration
Community Exchange Self select Passion, As long as the
of Practice knowledge identification interest lasts
with group
Work Group Deliver All under Job & Until
product manager common goal restructured
Project Accomplish Assigned or Project Project
Team specific task selected milestones completed
and goal
Informal
Info mal Pass on
P Friends
F iend & Mutual
M t l need As
A long as
networks business business reason exists
information acquaintances
4. We will be a hybrid
We will be a hybrid
Self motivated, self organizing working groups
Self‐motivated, self‐organizing working groups
tackling priority issues reporting back to the wider
community, thus strengthening the practice
5. PLAN ACT REFLECT
Repeated learning cycles
Leads to
Changes in practice; strengthened
New theory, methods,
strengthened core community
g
store of knowledge
competency
Contribute to
Research that fosters innovation
processes
Improved livelihoods, more resilient
systems and communities
6. What is the practice?
What is the practice?
Ensuring research achieves developmental outcomes
Putting research into use
Putting research into use
Scaling up and scaling out
Harnessing research to innovation processes
Harnessing research to innovation processes
7. What we might do?
What we might do?
Pull together and synthesize lessons in what works
Pull together and synthesize lessons in what works
and what does not in harnessing research to
innovation processes
Identify critical capacity development needs and
oversee an initiative to meet them
Arrange exchange visits amongst BLs and C&C
projects
Write a position paper
PLAN ACT REFLECT
10. Resources
Funds from for face to face meetings; moderation
Funds from for face‐to‐face meetings; moderation
Fund to support C&C projects
Facilitation
Gender mainstreaming
Fund could be managed through the TWG
Worst case ‐ $100k
Conservative ‐ $320k
11. Questions
Questions
Do we have a plausible promise?
Do we have a plausible promise?
A kernel upon which we can co‐develop the L2i TWG
together
If so, what needs changing?
What do we do?
Who?
When?
…… a Work Plan by Friday afternoon
15. What is the Practice?
What is the Practice?
Help ensure Coordination and Change Projects and
Help ensure Coordination and Change Projects and
BDC programs‐of‐work are successful in harnessing
research to innovation
Advocate for a CGIAR System that is better able to
harness research to innovation processes
Seek to influence external partners in a similar way
17. How it will be organized
How it will be organized
Moderated by the KM Team
Moderated by the KM Team
Regular face‐to‐face meetings
Other details to be decided
Other details to be decided
20. What is a TWG? What it is not?
• Community of people sharing • Topic in one basin ‐ even
interest on a topic though of high interest from
• A mechanism to foster the basin perspective
th b i ti
learning & produce outputs • A one‐off initiative like a study
across basins (e.g. synthesis,
( g y , tour in several basins
IPG) • Additional funding to do your
• An interface between the research in your project/basin
CPWF and the global
CPWF d th l b l • A blueprint to do cross‐basin
community research
g
• Diverse and wide range of • A ‘command & control’
A command & control
models for implementation approach
• An iterative learning process