Capacity Development Learning Package

Learning Package on Capacity
Development
A joint LenCD – Train4Dev initiative

LenCD
The Learning Network on Capacity Development www.lencd.org
Aim: to promote and facilitate sharing of lessons and learning
on CD and promote changes for better practice at the global,
regional and local levels
An informal and open network of individuals and organisations
sharing a common interest in improving CD practice
Many agencies involved in different ways, UNDP holds as a
project for management of funds
www.LenCD.org & www.train4dev.net

Train4Dev
The Joint Donors' Competence Development Network (Train4Dev)
www.train4dev.net
Objective: to promote improved aid effectiveness for poverty reduction through
enhanced donor co-operation in the field of competence development and
training
An open forum for donor agencies and multilateral organizations. Participating
representatives are senior officials from training departments, technical
departments or policy departments
Operates by means of an annual meeting and Expert Groups working on priority
themes or areas identified and endorsed by the annual meeting – e.g. public
financial management, CD

Rationale for the Learning Package
Current thinking is
that CD is central to
the aid
effectiveness
agenda. However…
Many, especially at
country and sector
level, are struggling
to understand what
this means for
them within the
changing paradigm
articulated in the
Paris Declaration
and Accra Agenda
for Action
The package is
intended to
respond to the
need for practical
learning
opportunities
about CD
A freely available
virtual resource,
designed to help
country and sector
level practitioners
expand their
knowledge and
skills for
facilitating
sustainable CD

Collaborative co-creation
Workshop at the LenCD General Assembly in Kigali in February
Package outline on the LenCD website (end March)
Detailed working draft (end May)
Workshop to review content and progress at Train4Dev annual meeting (1
June)
First phase content ready for field testing (end June)
Piloting use in Nairobi, Phnom Penh and Bad Honnef (August and September)
Revisions and review of first phase achievements (October)
Joint Learning Journey started by GIZ in Bad Honnef (November to May)

Links to and builds on …
• Training and Beyond: Seeking better
practices for capacity development
Which documents the changing paradigm in
CD and what is emerging as a consensus about
good practice
Jenny Pearson (2011) OEDC Development Co-operation Working Papers, No. 1,
OECD Publishing http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/development/training-and-
beyond-seeking-better-practices-for-capacity-development_5kgf1nsnj8tf-
en;jsessionid=4ld21rkgpd5gq.delta

The limits of training and learning
Results based
management
At the
simpler/lower
levels of systems
and their capacity
needs RBM
approaches can
be helpful. The
relevance and
usefulness of
RBM decreases
as the complexity
of the system
increases.
Complexity

Core concept The importance of context
How to … pages Trainer/facilitator’s guide
Capacity
development
Learning Package overview/sitemap

Core concept section
Synthesis and overview: levels, types of capacity and
themes for application
Capacity: definitions and discussion
• Where has it come from?
• The relevance of culture and context
CD: definitions and discussion including
• Main current challenges: clarification of roles and responsibilities;
results; supply vs. demand driven processes; and, starting with existing
capacities
Towards a shared understanding

- Core concept: Levels
Levels are defined in various ways, including the following:
* Institutional means the legal, policy and environmental context. This is sometimes also referred to as the enabling environment.
Individual
•This is the only
level that is
common to all
the different
definitions of
levels.
•Competencies,
skills,
knowledge and
the abilities to
use them,
attitudes, values
and culture can
all be
considered
elements of an
individual’s
overall capacity.
Organisational
•Some
agencies, e.g.
UNDP, call
this the
institutional
level
•Some include
linkages,
networks,
partnerships
and sectors
at this level
Sectoral
•Many
agencies, e.g.
the Swiss
Agency for
Development
and
Cooperation
(SDC) have
this level
•Some include
linkages,
networks and
partnerships
at this level
Institutional*
• This is the
level of laws,
policies and
systems
•This level
exists sub-
nationally,
nationally,
regionally
and globally
•This is often
called the
enabling
environment
Global
•Currently
agencies
concerned
with climate
change
consider it
essential to
work at
global level
because of
the complex
interconnecti
on of many
environment
al factors at
the global
level

- Core concept: Types
Laws, policies and
strategies (enabling
conditions)
Systems and procedures:
management, planning,
finance, human
resources, M&E, PCM,
etc.
The ability to mobilise
resources
Organisational structures
Technical skills, explicit
knowledge and
methodologies (also
called competencies at
the individual level)
Technical – hard – tangible
Note: tangible resources like money, buildings, equipment and documentation can be
considered as the material expression or product of capacity, but they are not
capacity in and of themselves.

Social - soft - intangible
Ability to analyse and
adapt. Change
readiness and change
management
Ability and willingness
to learn and self-reflect.
Tacit knowledge and
experience
Leadership
Relational skills:
negotiation, teamwork,
conflict resolution,
facilitation, etc.
Political relationships
and functioning
Confidence,
empowerment ,
participation and
legitimacy to act
Intercultural
communication
Organisational culture
and values

- Core concept: Themes for application
• Human capacity; human resource development; leadership
• Fragile states (this is also considered to be a context)
Examples of themes for application according to need
are:
• Democratic governance; accountability and transparency; citizen
participation; ownership
• Institutional arrangements; systems and procedures; incentive
structures; managing for capacity development results;
organisational structures and interrelationships
• Knowledge and knowledge management
Examples of themes as drivers of change are:

Examples of themes used to create CD frameworks
• human capacity
• systems and procedures
• organisational structures and interrelationships
Ethiopian Civil Service Reform Programme:
• capacity creation
• capacity utilization
• capacity retention
• each of which is applied at individual, organisational and
institutional levels
Rwandan Public Sector Capacity Building Secretariat:

• accountability
• institutional arrangements
• knowledge
• leadership
UNDP:
• leadership transformation
• citizen transformation
• knowledge and evidence based innovation
• utilizing African potential, skills and resources
• developing capacity of capacity developers
• integrated planning and implementation for results
NEPAD Capacity Development Strategic Framework:

Definitions of capacity
Capacity is the ability of
people, organisations
and society as a whole
to manage their affairs
successfully. OECD
That emergent
combination of
individual
competencies,
collective capabilities,
assets and relationships
that enables a human
system to create value.
ECDPM
The availability of
resources and the
efficiency and
effectiveness with
which societies deploy
these resources to
identify and pursue
their development goals
on a sustainable
basis. WBI

The ability [of an organization]
to function as a resilient,
strategic and autonomous
entity. CDRA (NGO)
Capacity or “the ability to get
things done” goes beyond
formal qualifications and
technical skills development to
include the cultivation of
intangible or “soft” attributes
such as the ability to drive
change and to build processes,
organizations, and institutions
which can deliver public
services over the long term.
President Paul Kagame of
Rwanda:

- CD section
Definitions
Where has it come from?
• The origins of capacity development
• The Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda for Action
The relevance of culture and context
Reflection questions
References for further reading

Definitions of capacity and capacity
development
Many of the leading aid and development institutes have
come to their own definition of capacity and capacity
development
However, the OECD definitions have been adopted by many
other agencies, for example EuropaAid, GIZ and ADB
• Capacity is the ability of people, organisations and society as a whole to
manage their affairs successfully.
• Capacity development is the processes whereby people, organisations and
society as a whole unleash, strengthen, create, adapt and maintain capacity
over time.

Other definitions of capacity development
CIDA: The activities, approaches,
strategies, and methodologies which
help organizations, groups and
individuals to improve their
performance, generate development
benefits and achieve their objectives.
WBI: A locally driven process of learning
by leaders, coalitions and other agents
of change that brings about changes in
sociopolitical, policy-related, and
organizational factors to enhance local
ownership for and the effectiveness and
efficiency of efforts to achieve a
development goal.
USAID: Approaches, strategies, or
methodologies used by USAID and its
stakeholders to change, transform, and
improve performance at the individual,
organizational, sector, or broader system
level.
ECDPM: The process of enhancing,
improving and unleashing capacity; it is
a form of change which focuses on
improvements.

Where has it come from?
• Capacity development builds on several previous approaches to aid and
development. These are the building blocks of the current paradigm.
PRACTICES STARTED ASSUMPTIONS
Institution building: to create the institutions needed to
manage the flow of aid 1950s and 60s
Developing
countries
need money
Institutional strengthening/development: Shift from
establishing to strengthening institutions 1960s and 70s
Developing
countries
should just
model
themselves
after the
developed
ones
Development management/administration: Systems of public
programs and capacity of government to reach target groups 1970s
Human resource development: Shift to thinking that
development is about people with focus on education, health
and population.
1970s, 80s
New institutionalism: Focus on shaping national economic
behaviour. Set the scene for the emergence of the
‘governance’ focus that is now prominent
1980s, 90s

Capacity development has been emerging as a central approach within
development for more than two decades, alongside continuing emphasis
on aid, technical cooperation and technical assistance.
The result is a development paradigm that is very complex, with many
different – sometimes conflicting – components, agenda and priorities.
The Accra Agenda for Action clearly set out the need for national
ownership and leadership together with increasing emphasis on
approaches such as South-South capacity development cooperation.
The new approach is still emerging because it takes time to change
attitudes and behaviour, and for new practices and experience to inform
policy, practice and theory.

The relevance of culture and context
In general terms a
country’s culture is
the beliefs, norms
and practices of its
society, including
religious and
traditional beliefs,
and they vary a great
deal from one
country to another.
Culture can be very influential in terms of the
achievement of development goals.
An example is the belief in some cultures that it is more
important to educate boys than girls.
Context describes
the combination of
factors in a place or
situation at any given
time including:
political and
institutional systems,
regional
relationships,
economic and
physical factors.
Context changes constantly, for example through the
election of a new political party, new legislation, or the
loss of important trade with a neighbouring country.
Sometimes the context can change very quickly, as in
several Asian countries in a matter of hours following the
tsunami of 26th December 2004.

Culture and context define the
relevance and limits of any type of
capacity development intervention.
Both are significant for scale up and
transfer of good practice.

Approaches to CD
For technical knowledge and
skills
• Academic study programmes
• Blended learning
• Didactic or participatory training
• Distance learning
• E-learning
For soft skills
• Coaching and mentoring
• Communication techniques
• Experiential learning
• Exposure to good practice
• Leadership development
For organisation and system
level needs
• Knowledge management
• Organisational strengthening
• Partnerships and networks
Growing recognition that CD calls for multiple approaches, depending on type of need

TOWARDS A SHARED
UNDERSTANDING

Why is agreement needed?
The challenges now are how to operationalise what is known to be good
practice in order to achieve sustainable capacity and development results.
There is a big need for a shared language and understanding, underpinned
by some shared principles and values, of what capacity development is, why
it is needed, and how to approach it.
The point is not to try to make everyone think and work in exactly the same
way: it is about having everyone operate within the same general framework
so that we can be more effective in finding solutions relevant to each culture
and context.

What is agreement needed about?
Capacity development as a locally driven process
Start from and build on existing capacities
Shift from supply to demand driven initiatives
Defining and measuring results

Capacity development as a locally driven process
Local ownership is a prerequisite for sustainable capacity
development.
Donors are external actors, with a role to support the process of
achieving local defined objectives and tasks.
Ownership implies true and realistic commitment from the
partner countries as well as flexibility from the donor’s side to
follow local leadership.
More transparency is needed for joint accountability to
achieving capacity development results.

Start from and build on existing
capacities
This is about the recognition of existing capacities and how to
use them as the basis for moving forward.
The shift to starting with an appreciation of what already exists
and how to build on endogenous processes is not yet complete
– too often the focus is on the ‘gap’ which can be a very
negative starting point for action.
All actors can do a lot to make this shift by changing the way
they approach capacity assessments and the formulation of
capacity goals and assessments before designing interventions.

Shift from supply to demand driven
initiatives
The Accra Agenda for Action recognised that the ownership and
commitment of the partner countries is a prerequisite for
sustainable capacity development.
This means that local actors need to learn how best to define
what capacity they need, how they think it can be developed in
their culture and context, and how to negotiate and manage
appropriate support from development partners.
This also involves shifting towards longer term, programmatic
approaches linked to locally formulated capacity development
strategies.

Defining and measuring results
While development results are relatively easy to define, there are many
different ideas about how to define and measure capacity results within
specific contexts.
Capacity development is a long-term process tied to political agenda,
without a predictable, linear path. Contexts like large urban systems or post-
conflict countries are multi-dimensional, multi-level and multi-sectoral and
require responses of similar complexity.
In such circumstances the overall expected results can only be defined in
broad terms and formats that do not always fit easily to current demands for
measurement of results.
The challenge is not so much about ‘what’ do we want to achieve, as about
‘how’ do we measure the effectiveness of our efforts to achieve it in ways
that are meaningful for all stakeholders, not just donors.

The importance of context
• Resource listings on:
– Definitions, frameworks and theories
– General CD resources
– Internal agency learning resources
– Useful CD websites
– Useful books
– Other useful websites

‘How to …’ pages, for practical ideas
• Map and influence
stakeholders to get started
• Define and map a change
process
• Work with incentives to
stimulate change
• Assess change readiness,
including analysis of the
political economy
• Assess existing capacity and
capacity needs
• Design the overall CD
approach and an evolving mix
of ‘best fit’ methods and tools
• Establish partnerships and
networks for scale up
• Formulate capacity goals and
objectives
• Formulate capacity indicators
for different contexts and
levels
• Measure capacity outcomes
and results for different levels
and contexts
• Develop M&E processes to
foster learning
All available on the LenCD website, under the learning package section

Example: How to map stakeholders to get started
• What are the capacity issues you need to work on?
• Who are the other stakeholders with an interest?
• How - which methods, tools or approaches will be most effective?
• Gives a worked example of a provincial department where individuals have
capacity but can’t use it because of party political power struggles in senior
management. The CD intervention needed is NOT technical skills.

Trainer-facilitator’s guide
• Not a training manual
• Guidance notes on how to use the
resources
• Sample workshop plans
• Sample exercises and reflection-learning
questions

Capacity Development Learning Package

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Capacity Development Learning Package

Similar to Capacity Development Learning Package (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Capacity Development Learning Package