INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIES
Systems, process, and performance improvements at an organisational level
TECHNICAL CAPACITIES
Knowledge and practical skills on development research and social impact management
FUNCTIONAL CAPACITIES
Management skills that allow for planning, implementing, and evaluating social investments
DEFINING CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
DEFINING CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
Capacity Development is a conceptual approach to social or personnel development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibit organisations and their human capital from realizing development goals while enhancing their abilities to achieve measurable and sustainable results. Capacity building and development means much more than training activities as it includes not only human resource development but also organisational and institutional development (UNESCO, 2010)
Capacity-building methods and techniques result in increased abilities of individuals, groups, and organisations to define and achieve objectives, perform core functions, solve problems, and deal with development needs within a local context and a sustainable manner.
Capacity-building occurs at three levels. At the individual level, it refers to the process of imparting knowledge, developing skills, and changing attitudes and behaviours while maximizing the benefits of participation, knowledge exchange, and ownership. At the organisational and institutional levels, capacity building of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) departments and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) focuses on the overall organisational performance and functioning capabilities.
OBJECTIVES OF CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
OBJECTIVES OF CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
- Cultivate Competent and Motivated Teams: To nurture capable and motivated personnel unified by a shared social purpose.
- Establish Effective Learning Systems: To create robust learning and training systems that drive continuous improvement.
- Enhance Knowledge and Awareness: Strengthen understanding and use of evidence and results-based approaches.
- Provide Technical Expertise: Offer technical insights for designing social programs, frameworks, tools, and community engagement methods.
- Develop Practical Skills: Build skills in project planning, implementation, and evaluation, for strengthened social impact.
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT TOOLS AND METHODS
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT TOOLS AND METHODS
Training is the backbone of an organisation’s success. All training programmes are built on capacity-building strategic plans and customised to individual organisations. The elements of capacity-building training programmes include the following:
- Corporate social responsibility programmes and policy development
- Fieldwork assessment methods
- Impact evaluation and social audits
- Development communications
- Proposal development
- Technology-aided programme monitoring and evaluation
Training focuses on informing participants on effective social programme design, understanding nuances of social impact, and enhancing their capabilities in designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating projects.
Online learning opportunities target development practitioners who are interested in virtual discussions on social impact and want to engage in peer learning opportunities that offer practical insights into theoretical topics. Multiple modules are developed with the chief aim to strengthen the capabilities of implementation personnel and improve programme outcomes.
Shaped by multiple training modalities (methods, frequency, and budgets), modules address the following themes:
- Programme development
- Research methods
- Impact evaluation
- Reporting
- Documentation
These equip social development organisations and professionals with the capacities to conceptualise and implement social programmes that are impactful, measurable, and sustainable.
Solution-focused, hands-on training involves joint visioning exercises, systems thinking, sequencing, and strategic planning techniques – to improve workplace performance. Guidance templates and reflection exercises are coupled with peer learning opportunities. These programs offer customised advisory support and strategic direction to organisations.
Technical input sessions ensure that participating organisations learn about emerging development needs. They subsequently also deliberate on how they could address these new needs by enabling continued appropriateness of activities.
Events and workshops facilitate discussions on social impact by scoping problems and exploring solutions through interactive, participatory, and engaging delivery methods. Capacity-building methods and techniques could include the following approaches:
- Design thinking that includes creating, testing, learning, and improving solutions
- ‘Fishbowls’ which are useful for sharing ideas and information from multiple perspectives
- ‘World Café’ which is an effective and flexible format for hosting large group dialogues
These events help build personnel capacities and facilitate dialogue on social change that corresponds to people’s needs and priorities.
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH
Global programme design and evaluation frameworks of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Social Value International, Social Impact Project, Institute for Development Studies (IDS), World Bank, and others are contextualised to local settings.
Capacity development strategies are built on supporting local knowledge capture mechanisms in a more robust, systematic, and concerted manner. Along with theoretical insights, the capacity-building programmes help to identify and support programme champions and change agents and strengthen feedback loops to enhance institutional responsiveness and enforcement mechanisms.
Capacity development training is customised based on an in-depth understanding of ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)-led community development programmes. The curriculum focuses on identifying problems and building solutions related to project design, implementation, and evaluation.
Theoretical concepts of research questions, sampling, indicator development, research tools (focus on participatory methods), data analysis, and others are discussed in light of real-world applicability, challenges, and best practices.
Capacity-building methods and techniques move beyond theory-based instruction and include practical exercises and coursework. Tools comprise the following:
- Case study reviews
- Data exercises on excel
- Worksheets
- Group exercises and problem-solving
- Modelling
- Prototyping of solutions
Participatory research methods like visual aids, card sorting, and games for change are used and promoted to develop social investment strategies and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) systems within local contexts. Tips and tricks are offered on varied topics through guidance templates.
All modules and presentations are designed to be visual-based, interactive, and participatory. Design aesthetics and case studies/live examples contribute significantly to good instruction.
Elegant and well-designed data visualisations offer insights and enable storytelling to understand the message and gain value from the data. Sessions leverage best practices in visual design and storytelling and are applied to case studies or specific client scenarios.
