Dealing with complexity in development (research) projects
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Dealing with complexity and uncertainty In natural resource management And other wicked problems’ initiatives EAU4Food LPA-CoP facilitation training workshop ILRI Ethiopia, Addis Ababa 13-15 August 2012 Ewen Le Borgne
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Originally posted on the ILRI slideshare (http://www.slideshare.net/ILRI/presentations), this is a presentation I gave for a training workshop on the facilitation of multi-stakeholder processes for the project EAU4Food.
Transcript of Dealing with complexity in development (research) projects
Dealing with complexity and uncertaintyIn natural resource management
And other wicked problems’ initiatives
EAU4Food LPA-CoP facilitation training workshopILRI Ethiopia, Addis Ababa
13-15 August 2012
Ewen Le Borgne
Overview
1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity… What is complexity?
2. What does development (research) too often look like in comparison?
3. What are the implications of complexity for the way we work? How to work around complexity?
1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity
…What is complexity?Credits: Michael Heiss
1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity
Complex issues…• Natural resource management,• Climate change,• Poverty,• Service delivery,• Social change…• …are all complex…• …they relate to…
…wicked problems
Credits: Julian Burton
1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity
What is a wicked problem?
A problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. The term ‘wicked’ is used, not in the sense of evil, but rather its resistant to resolution.
Moreover, because of complex interdependencies, the effort to solve one aspect of a wicked problem may reveal or create other problems.
1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity
Characteristics of a wicked problem?
Highly integrated
Rooted in local & global contexts
Evolving over time
Going through occasional abrupt changes
Difficult or impossible to solve
1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity – what is complexity?
Inter-dependency
Credits: Harold Jarche
1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity – what is complexity?
Fractals / patterns
Credits: Jakyakody200lk
1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity – what is complexity?
Complex adaptive systems
“Systems that have a large numbers of components, often called agents, that interact and adapt or learn.”
Emergence
Self-organizationFeedback loops
Unpredictability
Credits: Trojan Mice
3. What does development (research) too often look like in comparison?
3. What does development (research) too often look like in comparison?
Short lived
Uninspired (not our vision)Disconnected from realities
Imposed from outside
Centralized & heavily bureaucratic
Monitored blindly
Obsessed with silver bullets
Obsessed with scaling up
Obsessed with change
Credits: Howard Lake
3. What does development (research) too often look like in comparison?
Not prepared for change!!!Not prepared for complexity!
4. What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?
What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?
Plan with uncertainty• Check your assumptions
Credits: Superwoman project
What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?
Understand the bigger picture
Credits: InfoNet
What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?
Drive by shared vision and co-creation• Visualize that wicked problem•Motivate people around that bigger picture•Connect forces and capacities•Co-create an agenda for action•Carry out joint activities•Let people self-organise
Empower!!!Credits: ILRI
What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?
Know your network• Institutions
•Individuals
•Interdependencies
What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?
Embed your work in the context
•
Credits: Strawberry Sue
What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?
Know how to respond•To simple, complicated, complex and chaotic problems and issues…
What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?
Document and reflect!
Credits: Adam Cohn
What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?
Connect all the nodes to the main grid•Become the complex adaptive system
Credits: ILRI
What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?
Multi-stakeholder processes can be great for this•Recognising multiple knowledges•Their contributions•Their capacities•Their needs•Their biases
Credits: Valerie Brown
What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?
But they have to work as one collective
Credits: Valerie Brown
The presentation has a Creative Commons licence. You are free to re-use or distribute this work, provided credit is given to ILRI.
More information
http://[email protected]
Better lives through livestock
ilri.org
