A ‘plausible promise’ for the Learning to InnovateLearning to InnovateTopic Working Group?

Boru DouthwaiteInnovation and Impact Director, 

Challenge Program on Water and FoodBasin Leader Meeting

Vientiane, 18 January 2011

Will L2i be a Community of Practice?Practice?“A group of professionals, informally bound to oneA 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 DurationCommunity Exchange Self select Passion, As long as the of Practice knowledge identification

with group interest lasts

Work Group Deliver product

All under manager

Job & common goal

Until restructuredproduct manager common goal restructured

Project Team

Accomplish specific task

Assigned or selected

Project milestones and goal

Project completed

Info mal P on F iend & M t l need A longInformal networks

Pass on business information

Friends & business acquaintances

Mutual need As long as reason exists

We will be a hybridWe will be a hybridSelf‐motivated, self‐organizing working groupsSelf motivated, self organizing working groups tackling priority issues reporting back to the wider community, thus strengthening the practice

PLAN ACT REFLECTPLAN ACT REFLECT

Repeated learning cycles

Leads to

Changes in practice; strengthened core

strengthened community New theory, methods,

store of knowledgecompetency

g

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 outcomesPutting research into usePutting research into useScaling up and scaling outHarnessing research to innovation processesHarnessing research to innovation processes

What we might do?What we might do?Pull together and synthesize lessons in what worksPull together and synthesize lessons in what works and what does not in harnessing research to innovation processesIdentify critical capacity development needs and oversee an initiative to meet themArrange exchange visits amongst BLs and C&C projectsWrite a position paper

PLAN ACT REFLECT

MembershipMembershipVoluntaryVoluntaryOpen but focussed on the people in the CPWF engaged in our practice (‘harnessing research to g g p ( ginnovation processes’)

Potential benefitsPotential benefitsHelp the Basin Leaders, C&C projects and BDCHelp 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

ResourcesResourcesFunds from for face‐to‐face meetings; moderationFunds from for face to face meetings; moderationFund to support C&C projects

FacilitationFacilitationGender mainstreamingFund could be managed through the TWG

Worst case ‐ $100kConservative ‐ $320k

QuestionsQuestions 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

AvalancheAvalanche

Tugboat turning Super TankerTugboat turning Super Tanker

What is the Practice?What is the Practice?Help ensure Coordination and Change Projects andHelp ensure Coordination and Change Projects and BDC programs‐of‐work are successful in harnessing research to innovationAdvocate for a CGIAR System that is better able to harness research to innovation processesSeek to influence external partners in a similar way

How does research achieve developmental outcomes?developmental outcomes?

How it will be organizedHow it will be organizedModerated by the KM TeamModerated by the KM TeamRegular face‐to‐face meetingsOther details to be decidedOther details to be decided

Tugboat turning Super TankerTugboat turning Super Tanker

AvalancheAvalanche

What is a TWG? What it is not?

• Community of people sharing interest on a topic

• Topic in one basin ‐ even though of high interest from th b i ti• A mechanism to foster 

learning & produce outputs across basins (e.g. synthesis, 

the basin perspective• A one‐off initiative like a study tour in several basins( g y ,

IPG)• An interface between the CPWF d th l b l

• Additional funding to do your research in your project/basin

CPWF and the global community• Diverse and wide range of 

• A blueprint to do cross‐basin research • A ‘command & control’g

models for implementation• An iterative learning process

• A  command & control  approach