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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has played a role in tackling some of the critical global challenges, including poverty alleviation, climate change mitigation and gender equality. Since 2012 thanks to support from the Government of Denmark UNDP has been investing in solutions. These investments have yielded results, such as improving response to the Ebola crisis through mobile payments for relief workers and pioneering electronic waste solutions in China. This article explores the lessons we have learned. How our approach to funding and measuring innovation has evolved. We will delve into decision making intricacies and productivity enhancement nuances within the realm of development.
In the stages of our innovation funding efforts UNDP aimed to foster agility by promoting hypothesis testing through direct user engagement and prototype development. We set a requirement that funds should be disbursed within eight weeks to encourage action. Initially this approach seemed logical since speed is often associated with efficiency. However it resulted in activities like isolated hackathons that lacked integration, into outcome oriented processes.
Recognizing this misalignment we decided to shift our focus from prioritizing delivery as the sole measure of performance. We came to understand that while speed can be advantageous it should not be the indicator of agility or effectiveness.
During the stages we introduced operational methods, in country offices to stimulate demand. This led to a group of adopters who actively pursued proof of concept initiatives. These individuals, known as intrapreneurs displayed agility and quick decision making abilities. Often encountered operational hurdles. Their efforts resulted in both endeavors and occasional setbacks which taught us a lesson about the limitations of individual contributions. Drawing from insights shared by venture capitalists we realized the significance of teams with skills for strategic decision making and enhancing overall productivity. The key takeaway was clear: while a single intrapreneur may excel in speed their progress is usually limited.
One of the aspects has been establishing universally applicable metrics for measuring innovation impact. Traditional metrics such as the number of proposals or staff involvement in innovation activities were considered indicators. Instead our focus shifted towards metrics that gauge potential policy influence and systemic change. An exemplification of this approach can be seen through UNDP Georgias work in redesigning emergency services for individuals, with disabilities.
Their collaborative design process involved stakeholders. Led to the creation of prototypes that could be tested. This ultimately resulted in a redesign. This example perfectly demonstrates the faceted nature of assessing the impact of innovation.
Our previous approach to investing which allocated funds based on how unique an innovation was proved to be inadequate. It failed to take into account the importance of integrating ways of working throughout the organization. Moving forward we will assess the success of integrating innovation as a means to ensure our organization remains adaptable at all times. This entails not considering how "new" an idea is but its potential for driving broader change within our organization.
We are currently in the process of testing metrics that focus on embedding innovation within our institution. These metrics include measuring the percentage of country offices that adopt forward thinking practices tracking policies based on outcomes and incorporating risk assessment into managerial evaluations. Additionally we are exploring monitoring models that align with our needs in time enabling us to iterate and cost effectively.
Furthermore we are actively seeking methods for measuring systems transformation. By doing we aim to be more responsive, to emerging needs while maintaining a level of cost effectiveness in addressing them.
We have an interest, in understanding how small scale improvements can contribute to systemic changes. We recognize that the cause and effect relationships involved in these transformations are complex.
Innovation is an intricate process that requires a nuanced approach to measurement and funding. As we move forward we will continue refining our investment framework to better support both radical innovation. We warmly invite all parties to join us on this journey because we firmly believe that collaborative efforts can enhance the impact of innovation, in addressing the worlds most critical challenges.
If you can think it, we can do it.
