Blended
Evaluating and Managing for Sustainable Impact
The development landscape has become increasingly complex over the last few decades. Current issues, such as climate change, poverty, food insecurity, conflict, urbanization, youth unemployment etc, call for a new way of doing business in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Managing for Sustainable Development Impact (M4SDI) approach, which is central to this short course, supports leaders and development practitioners in navigating this complexity and adaptively managing initiatives/organizations towards sustainable development impact and (food) systems transformation.
What will you learn?
In this course, that focuses on the M4SDI approach, you learn:
- Using an integrated, people and results oriented management approach that can be used across a range of sectors and domains, in a variety of contexts;
- Collaboratively engaging in situation analysis, designing theories of change, planning effective operations, and designing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, that support adaptive management and (food) systems transformation in a complex context;
- Stakeholder engagement and learning, contextualisation, communication and capacities and conditions needed for impactful processes.
This course strengthens your competency to adaptively manage for impact in a variety of contexts.
For whom is this course?
This course focuses on collaborative planning, monitoring and evaluation that supports evidence-based adaptive management. We welcome participants who are interested in making that connection work for sustainable development impact, whether they are from government, (I)NGOs, knowledge institutes, private sector, or consultancy firms.
Course programme in more detail
Effective planning and M&E capacities
In this course, we focus on effective planning and M&E capacities and functions that activate the ability of your initiative/organization to be responsive and proactive to a changing environment. Rather than being a mere add-on, M&E then becomes pivotal in navigating complex processes and changing contexts in which many development initiatives operate.
What is the M4SDI approach?
The Managing for Sustainable Development Impact (M4SDI) approach is an integrated, people and results oriented management approach, which can be used across a range of sectors and domains in a variety of contexts, and aims to contribute towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It addresses some of the most pressing concerns, such as engaging primary stakeholders, designing effective strategies and related M&E, focusing on capacity development, and responding to change in a complex context. The M4SDI approach builds on theoretical insights and experience gained over 20 years, with feedback from colleagues, partners and over 1000 practitioners trained in the approach.
Key areas of focus
The course programme will address key areas of focus:
1. Laying the foundation
You will learn about the changing context of International Development and how a systems approach to dealing with complexity is needed to address current key issues at hand, like climate change, food insecurity or conflict. You will learn about key principles of the M4SDI approach such as systems thinking, learning, stakeholder engagement and contextualization. You will also learn about communication and core capacities and conditions needed to make planning, monitoring and evaluation processes impactful. It includes a.o. strategic thinking, foresight, change management, the learning organisation, and conflict management.
2. Core M4SDI processes
The core M4SDI processes include strategic guidance, effective operations, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). You will learn what is involved in developing a proper understanding about a situation in which we want to make a difference. This relates to situation analysis, visioning, theories of change and developing change scenarios. We focus on translating context understanding and strategic foresight to strategic design and effective operations. You will also learn about making M&E useful so that it can support evidence-based and adaptive management for (food) systems transformation and contributing to the SDGs. This requires flexible and adaptive M&E systems and you will learn how to collaboratively design and implement these. You will also learn about the latest approaches and methods for monitoring and evaluation in complex contexts.
Connecting learning to home realities
The course is highly interactive and links theory and concepts to the experience and expertise of participants. Case studies from participants will be used as material for practice. Active discussions, individual and group assignments, online and offline assignments as well as networking are part of the interactive mode of facilitation. You will receive individual coaching by peers and course facilitators in translating and adapting course content to an approach that is appropriate and feasible for application back home.
Interactive training
Courses will be taught in blended format. Which means, partially online and partially in an OKP country.
This course uses interactive training methods. Topics are dealt with in a combination of lectures, plenary and group work, study assignments and role plays provided by WCDI. Experiences and case studies of participants are the entry point for interaction. Learning from experiences from your peers is an important element.
This interactive course starts online and then continues face-2-face. It also includes the preparation of a personal action plan to integrate your new knowledge and skills into your daily work at home.
Application for this course
Push the Orange button at the top and the bottom of this page to apply for the course ''Evaluating and Managing for Sustainable Impact''. Depending on your nationality, your organisation and the type of course you wish to join, your eligibility and the application procedures may differ. Find out more about the requirements and the application process.