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
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” 
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
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
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
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
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
Membership
 Voluntary
 Open but focussed on the people in the CPWF 
 engaged in our practice (‘harnessing research to 
    g g         p        (          g
 innovation processes’)
Potential benefits
Potential benefits
 Help the Basin Leaders, C&C projects and BDC 
 Help the Basin Leaders, C&C projects and BDC
 programs achieve their outcome targets
   Mechanism to bring resources to bear
 Help build the CPWF core competency in managing 
 research for development
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
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
Avalanche
Tugboat turning Super Tanker
Tugboat turning Super Tanker
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
How does research achieve 
developmental outcomes?
developmental outcomes?
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
Tugboat turning Super Tanker
Tugboat turning Super Tanker
Avalanche
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

07 twg bl-learning to inovate

  • 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? “Agroup 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 bea 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 thepractice? 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 mightdo? 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
  • 8.
    Membership Voluntary Open but focussed on the people in the CPWF  engaged in our practice (‘harnessing research to  g g p ( g innovation processes’)
  • 9.
    Potential benefits Potential benefits Help the Basin Leaders, C&C projects and BDC  Help the Basin Leaders, C&C projects and BDC programs achieve their outcome targets Mechanism to bring resources to bear Help build the CPWF core competency in managing  research for development
  • 10.
    Resources Funds from for face toface 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? Dowe 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
  • 13.
  • 14.
  • 15.
    What is thePractice? 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
  • 16.
  • 17.
    How it willbe 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
  • 18.
  • 19.
  • 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