In today’s complex world strategy needs to be built around questions, not plans. Plans are fine when you already have all the answers and it’s just a matter of organizing resources to execute. But we do not have answers for many of the complex questions we face in aid and philanthropy. Closing feedback loops means accepting we do not have all the answers. And to do that, we need new approaches.
Market development programmes operate in highly complex environments. This isn’t new insight. We spend countless hours and resources analyzing markets. We attempt to create systemic change through behaviour change. We meticulously monitor our progress and (usually, always) prematurely demand results. We acknowledge the need to experiment – to learn better about what is happening ‘on the ground’ and adapt our interventions accordingly.
Maria del Camino Hurtado September 2, 2016 This post was originally published on USAID Learning Lab and is reposted here…
Like spaceflight, truly putting citizens at the heart of development – whether in the US or internationally – can seem impossibly complex. It is one thing to set out to close feedback loops, to want to genuinely adapt based on what citizens tells us they want and need.
By Renee HoJanuary 29, 2016 Patient records. Long considered property of the doctor’s secret trove where facts about you went…
A Response to “What is my role in the story of poverty’s end?”
A mid-term update from our Collaboration Fund Winners
Open licensing privatizes technology and data usability. How does that affect equality and accessibility?
Donald Trump led the polls but lost the caucus. Can we trust the polls to measure public opinion?
A mid-term update from our Collaboration Fund Winners