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Presentation at the DevCom working Group Meeting. Paris, OECD Headquarters 6 February 2009. By Peter Da Costa, OECD Consultant. For more information about DevCom, go to http://www.oecd.org/dev/devcom/
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MANAGING FOR AND COMMUNICATING RESULTS
Presentation to DevCom Working Group Meeting Paris, 6 February 2009
Peter da CostaOECD [email protected]
Road Map… Results being taken seriously
Communicating for and about
Results
Common Cause
Key Challenges
Defining Results
Way Forward
Results being taken seriously…
Growing emphasis on managing for results
Growing recognition of communication
Evidence it can make aid more effective
Ministries & agencies acting accordingly
Still some way to go…
Effective ways to communicate results not yet found
Challenge is threefold:
Coming up with communicable results
Ensuring they are well disseminated
Embedding communication as key tool for delivering more effective aid
Communicating about results (1)
‘Corporate communication’
Aimed at communicating that aid is working
Seeks to strengthen accountability to publics & parliament
Generally directed at external stakeholders
Communicating about results (2)
Most agency communicators have this in their mandate
Pressure on emerging donors with rising budgets
Wide variance across OECD countries
Different opportunity structures
Communicating for results (1)
‘Communication for Development’ or ‘Strategic Communication’
Tool as well as process for effective aid delivery
Works throughout program cycle
Internal & external dimensions
Communicating for results (2)
1/3 integrate communication in dev. projects/programs
10% have formal communication strategy
Management dispersed & ad hoc
C4D works where staff see its direct impact
Communicating FOR results
Setting of goals, agreeing on targets and
strategies
Allocation of available resources
Service Delivery /
Results
Monitoring and Evaluation
Reporting to the Public
Feedback
Feedback
Communicating FOR results
Communicating ABOUT results
Common Cause…
MfDR & Communication linked
Both use evidence to convey progress
Attribution is key to both
Collaboration to date limited
DevCom & JV MfDR seeking to bring about a shift
Key Challenges (1)
Multiplicity of aid modalities
Results culture underdeveloped
Data not easily available
Trust deficit between publics & govts
Institutional resistance to communication
Resources insufficient
Technical reports often inaccessible
Communication seen as cost, not benefit
Key Challenges (2)
Communication seen as ‘downstream’
Departments could collaborate better
Communication seen as added work
Gap between HQ & field offices
Partner capacity impacts results info
Multiple reporting impacts partners
Comm about results remains donor-driven
Communicators not part of JV MfDRCoPs
Defining results(1)
Lack of common understanding
Results = output, outcome or impact
Medium, long-term hard to nail down
Focus on reporting inputs & outputs
Communicators need:
Quantitative results - numbers
Qualitative results - stories
Neither is mutually exclusive
Defining results(2)
Quantitative information templates
Identifying success stories
Supply-demand, upstream-downstream
Communication incentives for RBM?
Mutual learning
‘Virtuous circle’
Make the case
Way Forward: Key Principles
Use full range of available tools
View communication as ‘upstream’
Emphasise common ground
Storytelling key, attribution residual,
Focus on donor publics & partner country citizens
Way Forward: Success Factors
Senior management commitment
Clear mandate = funding + impact
Right incentives for sharing results info
What can Bilateral Donors do?
Improve quality of stats, evidence
Ensure demand orientation
Keep objectives measurable & communicable
Make communication staff priority
Strengthen networking, mutual learning
What can Multilateral Donors do?
Communicate development as global public good
Invest in developing good practice
Develop unified accounting framework
What can Partner Countries do?
Ensure strong ownership by putting in place the foundations
Accra provides momentum
Strengthen domestic accountability mechanisms
What can Communicators do?
Recognise complexity of MfDR/RBM
Be pragmatic – start with the believers
Strike balance between qual & quant
Engage at high level, convince politicians first, support internal champions
Build took-kits & story templates
Provide funding, awards for results stories
Use evidence base to lobby for staff acceptance
Be honest, credible in managing public expectations
User credible third parties to get message out
What can Aid Managers do?
Involve communicators in producing annual results reports
Design templates that help tell results stories
Provide increased budgetary support to communication
What can Evaluators do?
Communication evaluation an emerging field
Look for ways to forge synergy
Integrate communication tools, processes, indicators in results measurement frameworks
THANK YOU!
Presentation to DevCom Working Group Meeting Paris, 6 February 2009
Peter da CostaOECD [email protected]
