Building State Capability Podcast: Recent Episodes
Building State Capability at Harvard University
The Building State Capability (BSC) program at Harvard's Center for International Development (CID) researches strategies and tactics to build the capability of public organizations to implement policies and programs.
BSC has developed the Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA), a process of facilitated emergence which focuses on problems (not solutions) and follows a step by step process (not a rigid plan) that allows for flexible learning and adaptation. PDIA is a learning by doing approach that helps organizations develop the capability to solve complex problems while they are actually solving such problems.
Learn more about BSC's engagement with The Voice Inc in Papua New Guinea.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
To learn more about Rebecca and Prateek's PDIA journey, read their BSC blog post or read about PDIA in Action.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
To learn more about what's discussed in this podcast, visit Leading Economic Growth's webpage, read about our work in Sri Lanka and Albania, and visit the HKS Growth Lab website.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
To learn more about Rebecca and Prateek's PDIA journey, read their BSC blog post or read about PDIA in Action.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
To learn more about Cara's work, visit Mozambique School Lunch Initiative, read this BSC blog post, or read this HKS magazine article.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Links
Funda Wande through the Lens of PDIA: Showcasing a Flexible and Iterative Learning Approach to Improving Educational Outcomes [RISE Insight Note] by Samji & Kapoor: https://riseprogramme.org/publications/funda-wande-through-lens-pdia-showcasing-flexible-and-iterative-learning-approach
Funda Wande [Website]: https://fundawande.org/
What Do Effective Instructional Materials Look Like? [RISE Blog] by Hwa: https://riseprogramme.org/blog/effective-instructional-materials
What is PDIA - Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation? [BSC Video]: https://vimeo.com/262046965
PDIA Toolkit - A DIY Approach to Solving Complex Problems [BSC Guide]: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/files/bsc/files/pdiatoolkit_ver_1_oct_2018.pdf
To solve the learning crisis, start with the problem [RISE Blog] by Marla Spivack: https://riseprogramme.org/blog/solve-learning-crisis-start-problem
Building on Solid Foundations: Prioritising Universal, Early, Conceptual and Procedural Mastery of Foundational Skills [RISE Insight Note] by Belafi, Hwa, & Kaffenberger: https://riseprogramme.org/publications/building-solid-foundations-prioritising-universal-early-conceptual-and-procedural
Aligning Levels of Instruction with Goals and the Needs of Students (ALIGNS): Varied Approaches, Common Principles [RISE Insight Note] by Hwa, Kaffenberger & Silberstein: https://riseprogramme.org/publications/aligning-levels-instruction-goals-and-needs-students-aligns-varied-approaches-common
More on PIRLS Assessment [TIMSS & PIRLS Website]: https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/pirls-landing.html
Guest biography
Nangamso Mtsatse is CEO of Funda Wande (a not-for-profit organization that aims to equip teachers to teach reading-for-meaning and calculating-with-confidence in South Africa). Nangamso is also completing her PhD in Education Policy at Stellenbosch University and is an affiliated researcher at the Research on Socioeconomic Policy (RESEP) group. She has published her research in a number of accredited journals. In January 2019 she was also selected by the International Literacy Association (ILA) as one of the Top 30 Under 30 researchers around the world.
Attribution
RISE is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Programme is implemented through a partnership between Oxford Policy Management and the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. The Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford supports the production of the RISE Podcast.
Producers: Joseph Bullough and Katie Cooper
Audio Editing: James Morris
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
In this BSC podcast, Director Salimah Samji interviews Matt Crowley, Superintendent of the Public School District in Woburn, MA. They discuss how this school system pivoted to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of collaboration and adaptability when leading through a crisis.
Learn more about our Implementing Public Policy executive course and apply to be part of our next cohort.
To learn more about Building State Capability (BSC), visit the website, access the PDIA toolkit, read BSC blog posts, and listen to the podcasts.
Learn more about Dan Honig's research and contributions to the field of international development, and stay tuned for his forthcoming book titled 'Mission-Driven Bureaucrats'.
Read Patchwork Leviathan: Pockets of Bureaucratic Effectiveness in Developing Statesby Erin Metz McDonnell.
Read South Sudan's Capability Trap: Building a State with Disruptive Innovation by Greg Larson, Peter Biar Ajak, and Lant Pritchett.
Read The Limits of Accounting-Based Accountability in Education (and Far Beyond): Why More Accounting Will Rarely Solve Accountability Problems by Dan Honig and Lant Pritchett.
Read Account-based accountability and Aid Effectiveness by Lant Pritchett.
Read The Effect of Increased Autonomy vs. Performance Pay on Procurement Officers’ Performance in Pakistan by Oriana Bandiera, Michael Best, Adnan Khan, and Andrea Prat.
Read the HKS Case Study on the Juba Peace Talks.
Read Bargaining with the Devil by Robert Harris Mnookin.
Read Timing and Ripeness by I. William Zartman.
Read Theories and Indicators of Change: Concepts and primers for conflict management and mitigation paper.
Watch relevant videos on the conflict in Uganda, led by Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjSh60q0RYA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-wQ7OXs8LI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX1TpN8pml4
In this BSC podcast, Salimah Samji interviews Sandra Naranjo, Former Minister of Planning Development in Ecuador, who was in government when an earthquake of historic magnitude struck the country in 2016. Sandra shares how she contributed to the country's response and recovery and what she learned about public budgeting during times of crisis.
Learn more about Peter Harrington: https://www.opml.co.uk/people/peter-harrington.
Read Building State Capability's Public Leadership through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis.
Listen to other Leading through Crisis podcast interviews and event recordings: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/podcasts/leading-through-crisis.
Learn more about Prof. Mark Moore: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/mark-moore.
Read our Public Leadership through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis.
Listen to our podcast with Rob Wilkinson on the first P: Perception: https://harvardbsc.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-7-4p-leadership-framework-perception.
Listen to our podcast with Rob Wilkinson on the second P: Process: https://harvardbsc.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-8-4p-leadership-framework-process.
Listen to our podcast with Rob Wilkinson on the third P: People: https://harvardbsc.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-9-4p-leadership-framework-people.
Read Eye Movement and Vision by Alfred L. Yarbus: http://wexler.free.fr/library/files/yarbus%20(1967)%20eye%20movements%20and%20vision.pdf.
Read Mindset: The New Pyschology of Success by Carol S. Dweck: https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322.
Read What Leaders Really Do by John P. Kotter: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/files/bsc/files/kotter_what_leaders_really_do_hbr_2001.pdf.
Read Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen: https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Feedback-Science-Receiving-Well/dp/0670014664.
Learn more about Prof. Robert Wilkinson: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/robert-wilkinson
Listen to our podcast with Rob Wilkinson on the first P: Perception: https://harvardbsc.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-7-4p-leadership-framework-perception.
Listen to our podcast with Rob Wilkinson on the second P: Process: https://harvardbsc.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-8-4p-leadership-framework-process.
Read Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate by Roger Fisher and Daniel Shapiro: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Reason-Using-Emotions-Negotiate/dp/0143037781.
Read Thirteen Days in September by Lawrence Wright: https://www.amazon.com/Thirteen-Days-September-Dramatic-Struggle/dp/0804170029.
Listen to Dr. Marc Brackett and Brené Brown's "Permission to Feel" podcast: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/dr-marc-brackett-and-brene-on-permission-to-feel/.
Learn more about Prof. Robert Wilkinson: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/robert-wilkinson
Learn more about Harry Flecther-Wood: https://improvingteaching.co.uk/about/.
Read our Public Leadership through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis.
Read BSC's Public Leadership Through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis.
Learn more about Graham T. Allison: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/graham-allison.
Read our Public Leadership through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis.
Read BSC's Public Leadership Through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis.
Listen to our podcast on the first P: Perception: https://harvardbsc.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-7-4p-leadership-framework-perception.
Read Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagelman: https://www.amazon.com/Incognito-Secret-Lives-David-Eagleman/dp/0307389928.
Read Getting to Yes with Yourself: And Other Worthy Opponents by William L. Ury: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Yes-Yourself-Worthy-Opponents-ebook/dp/B00OP1FIUM.
Read Wiser by Cass R. Sunstein and Reid Hastie: https://www.amazon.com/Wiser-Getting-Beyond-Groupthink-Smarter/dp/1422122999.
Read Collaborative Intelligence: Using Teams to Solve Hard Problems by J. Richard Hackman: https://www.amazon.com/Collaborative-Intelligence-Using-Teams-Problems/dp/1605099902.
Learn more about Prof. Robert Wilkinson: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/robert-wilkinson
Read BSC's Public Leadership Through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis.
Read Errors in Social Judgement by Robert J. Robinson: https://store.hbr.org/product/errors-in-social-judgment-implications-for-negotiation-and-conflict-resolution-part-2/897104
Read Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen: https://www.amazon.com/Difficult-Conversations-Discuss-What-Matters/dp/0143118447
Read 7 Tips for Difficult Conversations in Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2009/03/7-tips-for-difficult-conversat
Learn more about Prof. Robert Wilkinson: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/robert-wilkinson
Read BSC's Public Leadership Through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis
Read BSC's Public Leadership Through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis
Learn more about Peter Harrington: https://www.opml.co.uk/people/peter-harrington
Read our Public Leadership through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis
Learn more about Tolbert G. Nyenswah, MPH: https://www.jhsph.edu/faculty/directory/profile/2734/tolbert-g-nyenswah
Read our Public Leadership through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis
In this BSC podcast, Shruti Mehrotra shares her lessons learned from working on political, economic, and humanitarian crises with Professor Matt Andrews.
Read more in this blog post: https://buildingstatecapability.com/2020/03/25/public-leadership-through-crisis-10-lessons-from-experience/
You can also read our Public Leadership through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis
Read BSC's Public Leadership Through Crisis blog series: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/public-leadership-through-crisis
Listen to Prof. Matt Andrews podcast with Shruti Mehrotra of Open Society Foundation on Applying Lessons from Experience to COVID19: https://harvardbsc.simplecast.com/episodes/applying-lessons-from-experience-to-covid-19
Read Peter Harrington's blog post on Coronavirus and behaviour: Why leaders need better ‘risk communication’: https://buildingstatecapability.com/2020/03/23/coronavirus-and-behaviour-why-leaders-need-better-risk-communication/
Read Peter Harrington's blog post on Seeing Pandemics as Complex Adaptive Problems: https://buildingstatecapability.com/2020/03/20/seeing-pandemics-as-complex-adaptive-problems/
Learn about our Implementing Public Policy Executive Education course and apply today: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/ipp
Find more information on the Harvard Project on Negotiation: https://www.pon.harvard.edu/.
About Prof. Robert Wilkinson: Robert Wilkinson teaches courses on negotiation and leadership, specializing in team and group dynamics. He is on the faculty at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and was previously a faculty member of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Rob successfully supports numerous Fortune 500 companies, major government agencies, international organizations, and charities, helping them to build their negotiation, leadership and team management skills, and to increase their overall effectiveness. He has more than 25 years of experience, in over 50 countries, across the public, private and not-profit sectors.
Non-profit and public sector clients include the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Wildlife Fund, National Urban League, US Postal Service, CARE International, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the White House, where he trained Presidential Appointees in negotiation, management and leadership.
Corporate clients include companies such as Deloitte, Chevron, IBM, Merck, Fidelity Investments, ExxonMobil, Johnson & Johnson, Bank of America, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Thermo Fisher Scientific and many others.
Previously, Rob worked overseas for 15 years, on a variety of international negotiation projects. This included spending three years in Rwanda working with Hutu and Tutsi communities, two years working with the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Angola, and 18 months in Laos, consulting on a variety of community development programs. He began his overseas work in Nicaragua, in both Sandinista and Contra areas. His most recent publication is a teaching case based on his work supporting a negotiating team in the Paris Climate Accords.
Rob earned his Masters of Science (MS) from Stanford University, and Bachelors of Science (BS) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Case reference: https://case.hks.harvard.edu/negotiating-toward-the-paris-accords-wwf-the-role-of-forests-in-the-2015-climate-agreement/
Read the Public Policy Failure: ‘How Often?’ and ‘What is Failure, Anyway’? working paper: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/publications/public-policy-failure
Learn more about Building State Capability: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/
Apply for our Implementing Public Policy Executive Education course: https://go.hks.harvard.edu/l/378242/2020-01-27/899ky
In this BSC Audio Policy Paper, Dr. Alice Evans, Lecturer at King's College London and BSC Faculty Associate reads her paper "How Cities Erode Gender Inequality: A New Theory and Evidence from Cambodia".
To read the paper: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/publications/how-cities-erode-gender-inequality-new-theory-and-evidence-cambodia
To learn more about BSC: https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu
To learn more about the Implementing Public Policy executive education course, visit www.hks.harvard.edu/EE/IPP.
About Prof. Monica Higgins: Monica Higgins joined the Harvard faculty in 1995 and is the Kathleen McCartney Professor of Education Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) where her research and teaching focus on the areas of leadership development and organizational change. Prior to joining HGSE, she spent eleven years as a member of the faculty at Harvard Business School in the Organizational Behavior Unit. Her book, Career Imprints: Creating Leaders Across an Industry, (2005) focuses on the leadership development of executives in the biotechnology industry. In education, she studies the effectiveness of senior leadership teams in large urban school districts across the United States and the conditions that enhance organizational learning in public school systems. As a long-time member of the Public Education Leadership Project, a joint initiative between HBS and HGSE, Higgins co-authored a book in 2015 with her colleagues on managing central office-school relationships called, Achieving Coherence in District Improvement; this book is based upon their work with large urban districts over a ten-year time period.
Higgins also works with entrepreneurial education organizations to help them navigate the constraints and opportunities they face in the education reform movement. Central to this work is HGSE’s Scaling for Impact initiative, which she leads. Here, along with colleagues from HGSE, HBS, and HKS, she is engaged in research and teaching that focus on helping entrepreneurial teams both within and outside of traditional district structures scale their work for even greater social impact. Her latest research in this area focuses on sources of funding and strategic opportunities for nonprofit education organizations.
She served as an appointee for Education Secretary Arne Duncan of the Obama Administration from 2009-2016 and currently sits on several boards in the nonprofit education field. At Harvard, Higgins teaches in the areas of leadership and organizational change, entrepreneurship, teams, and strategic human resources management. She has also taught in leadership programs for The Broad Foundation and for New Leaders for New Schools. Additionally, she teaches in and is on the faculty board of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative.
Before academia, Higgins held marketing and organizational consulting positions at American Express Travel Related Services, BankBoston, Bain & Company, and Harbridge House. Higgins earned her A.B. in policy studies with a focus in organizational behavior from Dartmouth College, her M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, her M.A. in psychology from Harvard University, and her Ph.D. in organizational behavior jointly from the Harvard Business School and the Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
To learn more about the conditions that enable teams to do great work, please see: https://6teamconditions.com/
Part 12: Thinking big and small
Welcome to Part 12 of the Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series. This 12 part series, based on a video series used for our PDIA online course, will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. More than 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach.
Many development challenges are complex and yet there is pressure to scale up the solutions. In today’s podcast, Professor Matt Andrews will discuss how we think about scale.
Matt, can you share with our listeners how you think about scale and sustainability in PDIA?
The myth of scale and sustainability.
Thanks Matt. This is the final episode of this podcast series and I was wondering if you wanted to share some final thoughts about PDIA.
PDIA: Hard but Worthwhile.
Thank you for listening to Part 12, the final episode of the Practice of PDIA: Podcast series. To learn more about PDIA, download our toolkit at bsc.cid.harvard.edu.
Part 11: Designing and learning from your iteration
Welcome to Part 11 of the Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series. This 12 part series, based on a video series used for our PDIA online course, will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. More than 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach.
We believe that the answers to complex problems do exist but they must emerge through active iteration, experimentation and learning. In today’s podcast, Professor Matt Andrews will discuss the PDIA principle of iteration.
Matt, can you share with our listeners how iteration can help build both legitimacy as well as functionality.
Learn Iterate Adapt
Could you walk us through the process of an iteration? What is it and how does it work?
Iteration is Research in Action.
Thanks Matt. Can you explain the process of designing the first iteration?
Designing your First Iteration.
Thank you for listening to Part 11 of the Practice of PDIA: Podcast series. Tune in to listen to Part 12 where we will discuss how we think about scale. To learn more about iteration in PDIA, download our toolkit at bsc.cid.harvard.edu.
The Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series
Part 10: Building and maintaining authorization
Welcome to Part 10 of the Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series. This 12 part series, based on a video series used for our PDIA online course, will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. More than 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach.
Authorization is a necessary condition to build state capability. However, it is not easy to build authorization to act. In today’s podcast, Professor Matt Andrews will discuss the challenges of gaining authorization and offer practical ideas to address them.
Matt, can you share with our listeners what you mean by authority and why this is important for building state capability?
Understanding Your Authorizing Environment
Thanks Matt. People often make assumptions about their own bureaucracy. Can you share more about the difference between an ideal and a real bureaucracy?
Ideal vs. Real Bureaucracy
Can you further explain what you mean by the reality of authority? What does it look like?
Fragmented and Dysfunctional Authority.
You often say that maintaining support in a change process is a real challenge. How should our listeners grow and maintain their authority?
Maintaining Your Authorizing Environment
Thank you for listening to Part 10 of the Practice of PDIA: Podcast series. Tune in to listen to Part 11 where we will discuss iteration. To learn more about building and maintaining authorization in PDIA, download our toolkit at bsc.cid.harvard.edu.
The Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series
Part 9: Crawling the design space for possible solutions
Welcome to Part 9 of the Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series. This 12 part series, based on a video series used for our PDIA online course, will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. More than 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach.
We believe that the answers to complex problems do exist and can be found, but must emerge through active iteration, experimentation, and learning. In today’s podcast, Professor Matt Andrews will discuss how to crawl the design space for possible solutions.
Matt, can you share with our listeners why it is important to pay attention to one’s own context when beginning the process of identifying potential solutions?
Iceberg metaphor
Thanks Matt. In development, external best practice is almost always used as a solution. In reality, however, finding solutions to tough problems is not so simple. How should our listeners think about this?
Learning by crawling
Thank you for listening to Part 9 of the Practice of PDIA: Podcast series. Tune in to listen to Part 10 where we will discuss authorization. To learn more about crawling the design space in PDIA, download our toolkit at bsc.cid.harvard.edu.
Part 8: Sequencing: Using change space analysis to identify entry points
Welcome to Part 8 of the Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series. This 12 part series, based on a video series used for our PDIA online course, will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. More than 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach.
Effective sequencing is key to doing PDIA. A failure to sequence effectively could lead, in principle and practice, to premature load bearing (where change demands are introduced before they can be managed by your country or organization). In today’s podcast, Professor Matt Andrews will discuss how to use the triple A change space analysis to identify entry points.
Matt, once one deconstructs their problem and draws a fishbone diagram then what should they do next?
Finding Potential entry points
Problem driven sequencing
Thank you for listening to Part 8 of the Practice of PDIA: Podcast series. Tune in to listen to Part 9 where we will discuss crawling the design space for solutions. To learn more about finding entry points in PDIA, download our toolkit at bsc.cid.harvard.edu.
The Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series
Part 7: Deconstructing Problems
Welcome to Part 7 of the Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series. This 12 part series, based on a video series used for our PDIA online course, will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. More than 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach.
Most problems in the public sector are wicked hard and therefore it is easy to get stuck. These meta problems need to be broken down into manageable problems to help you mobilize support and to ultimately solve. In today’s podcast, Professor Matt Andrews and Lant Pritchett will discuss how to deconstruct problems.
Lant, you often say PDIA is hard. Can you explain this to our listeners?
You cannot juggle without the struggle
Thanks Lant. Matt what else would you say about the role of struggling in PDIA?
PDIA is a way to structure your struggle
Matt, you often say, PDIA is an approach to solving complex problems where the problem needs to be broken down into smaller, more manageable sets of focal points for engagement, that are open to localized solution building. Can you explain how you do this in PDIA?
Deconstructing sticky problems.
Thank you for listening to Part 7 of the Practice of PDIA: Podcast series. Tune in to listen to Part 8 where we will discuss the triple A change space analysis. To learn more about the problem deconstruction process in PDIA, download our toolkit at bsc.cid.harvard.edu.
The Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series
Part 6: Constructing Problems
Welcome to Part 6 of the Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series. This 12 part series, based on a video series used for our PDIA online course, will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. More than 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach.
Problems are key to driving change. A problem that matters is one that gets attention and mobilizes action. Solving problems that matter ensures that you are doing something contextually relevant. In today’s podcast, we have Professor Matt Andrews and Lant Pritchett who will discuss the process of problem construction.
Lant, can you help our listeners differentiate between selling solutions and solving problems?
Selling Solutions vs. Solving Problems.<>
Thanks Lant. Matt, you often talk about problems as entry points, can you share more about this with our listeners?
Real Problem Driven Reform.
Constructing Problems that matter<>
Matt, your examples are really helpful in clarifying what you mean. I was wondering if you could share more about the types of problems that drive change.
Constructing Problems to Drive Change << start at 0:39 “when we talk about problems driving change, we talk about ….>>
Thank you for listening to Part 6 of the Practice of PDIA Podcast series. Tune in to listen to Part 7 where we discuss how to deconstruct problems. To learn more about the problem construction process in PDIA, download our toolkit at bsc.cid.harvard.edu.
The Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series
Part 5: People as the source of capability in PDIA
Welcome to Part 5 of the Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series. This 12 part series, based on a video series used for our PDIA online course, will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. More than 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach.
‘People’ are vital to PDIA and in today’s podcast, Professor Matt Andrews will discuss who you need to do PDIA and how you get them to engage.
Matt, can you share some of your research and thoughts about leadership
Who is the Leader?
So Matt, if the champion alone is not sufficient for change, then who do you need to do PDIA?
Initiating Agency in PDIA
You speak a lot about teams. Can you share some of your wisdom on building teams?
Building Teams. .<>
Matt, if you are working with a small team, how do you think about creating broad agency?
Broad Agency. << start at 00:33 “how do you have 5-7 members in a team?>>
Thank you for listening to Part 5 of the Practice of PDIA: Podcast series. Tune in to listen to Part 6 where we will discuss how to construct problems. To learn more visit bsc.cid.harvard.edu.
The Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series
Part 4: PDIA to Escape
Welcome to Part 4 of the Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast series. This 12 part series, based on a video series used for our PDIA online course, will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. More than 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach.
Organizations build their capability for implementing policy by defining problems, discovering the practices that work to solve those problems, and then embedding and incorporating those practices as their new way of doing business inside the organization. In today’s podcast, we have with us Professor Lant Pritchett and Michael Woolcock who will discuss PDIA as a way to escape capability traps.
Lant, could you please explain what PDIA is?
What is PDIA?
Thanks Lant. Michael, So how is PDIA different?
How is PDIA Different <>
Thank you Michael. Lant, when you think about PDIA, where should you use it?
PDIA is about matching your capability with your challenge
Thank you for listening to Part 4 of the Practice of PDIA Podcast series. Tune in to listen to Part 5 where we discuss People as the source of capability in PDIA. To learn more visit bsc.cid.harvard.edu.
The Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast is a 12 part series that will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach. Visit www.bsc.cid.harvard.edu for more information about PDIA or download our free DIY Toolkit: bsc.cid.harvard.edu/PDIAtoolkit
Watch the Practice of PDIA videos: vimeo.com/84361642
Intro music(edited)Artist: Pictures of the Floating World. Title: England. freemusicarchive.org/music/Pictures…World/England/
The Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast is a 12 part series that will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach. Visit www.bsc.cid.harvard.edu for more information about PDIA or download our free DIY Toolkit: bsc.cid.harvard.edu/PDIAtoolkit
Watch the Practice of PDIA videos: vimeo.com/84361642
Intro music(edited)Artist: Pictures of the Floating World. Title: England. freemusicarchive.org/music/Pictures…World/England/
The Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results Podcast is a 12 part series that will walk you through the PDIA or Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach to solving complex development problems. 1,500 development practitioners in 90 countries have used the PDIA approach.
Visit www.bsc.cid.harvard.edu for more information about PDIA or download our free DIY Toolkit: bsc.cid.harvard.edu/PDIAtoolkit
Watch The Practice of PDIA videos: https://vimeo.com/showcase/6328315
Intro music (edited) Artist: Pictures of the Floating World. Title: England. freemusicarchive.org/music/Pictures…World/England/
To learn more about the Implementing Public Policy executive education course, visit www.hks.harvard.edu/EE/IPP. To read the Public Policy Failure paper, visit https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/publications/public-policy-failure.
// www.bsc.cid.harvard.edu //
Interview recorded on January 18, 2019.
About Matt Andrews: Matt Andrews is Senior Lecturer in Public Policy. His research focuses on public sector reform, particularly budgeting and financial management reform, and participatory governance in developing and transitional governments. Recent articles focus on forging a theoretical understanding of the nontechnical factors influencing success in reform processes. Specific emphasis lies on the informal institutional context of reform, as well as leadership structures within government-wide networks. This research developed out of his work in the provincial government of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa and more recently from his tenure as a Public Sector Specialist working in the Europe and Central Asia Region of the World Bank. He brings this experience to courses on public management and development. He holds a BCom (Hons) degree from the University of Natal, Durban (South Africa), an MSc from the University of London, and a PhD in Public Administration from the Maxwell School, Syracuse University.
Why do global collective action problems persist, and how do we overcome them?
Drawing on 140 interviews with campaigners, politicians, and businesses in 10 European countries, Dr. Alice Evans' research suggests that many activists are stuck in a despondency trap. Never seeing radical reform, they lower their ambitions, and invest in more feasible but sub-optimal alternatives. This creates a negative feedback loop, in which the dearth of radical reform becomes self-fulfilling. But if reformists see advances at home and abroad, they may become more optimistic about collective mobilisation and break out of their despondency trap.
In this podcast, Salimah Samji, Director of Building State Capability, interviews Dr. Alice Evans about her latest work on overcoming global despondency traps.
This paper is published in the Review of International Political Economy https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09692290.2019.1679220
The PDIAtoolkit is designed to guide you through the process of solving complex problems which requires working in teams. We call it a Do-it-Yourself (DIY) kit, where the ‘you’ is a committed team of 4-6 people mobilized to work together to solve a complex problem that cannot be solved by one person.
Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA), is a step-by-step approach which helps you break down your problems into its root causes, identify entry points, search for possible solutions, take action, reflect upon what you have learned, adapt and then act again. It is a dynamic process with tight feedback loops that allows you to build your own solution to your problem that fits your local context.
The PDIAtoolkit draws from two key resources. The first is the Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action book which is available as a free download and the second is a set of short videos explaining the key concepts of PDIA.
While the PDIA process is not linear, we recommend that you first read this toolkit in sequence to understand the steps. The toolkit has eight sections. Each section introduces a new concept and has one or more worksheets which are the tools to help you try PDIA for yourself. All the tools are dynamic and should be reviewed and adapted on a regular basis.
More about the PDIA in Practice Series: bsc.cid.harvard.edu/pdia-inform-bud…form-mozambique
Interview recorded on June 6th, 2018.
CID Student Ambassador Emily Ausubel interviews Salimah Samji, Director of Building State Capability at Harvard University and Matt Andrews, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and Faculty Director at the same program. Matt and Salimah talk about how the Building State Capability program came about, explain what the Program’s core methodology is and how it is being applied by hundreds of practitioners worldwide. Interview recorded on February 23rd, 2018
www.bsc.cid.harvard.edu