Design and facilitation:

Michelle Laurie Knowledge management specialist

Strategic research, communication and collaboration for influencing policy and practice (Training #1)

South Asia Urban Knowledge Hub4-5 May 2014, Sri Lanka

Session 1:

Welcome & Introduction

Influencing strategy

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Each K-Hub develops an Influencing strategy using a 6-step process

Workshop Objectives

Collaboration across all K-Hubs to share ideas and provide feedback

Introduce yourself to someone NEW (pairs) and talk about:

“What big challenge do you bring to this training?”

“What do you hope to learn from and give to this group?”

•2 minutes each•Find a new partner at the sound of the bell•3 rounds total

NetworkingImpromptu

Activity:

Information vs. Evidence

Information: •Facts and details learned about something

Evidence: •Information that can be used to justify or deny a hypothesis or claim

Creating demand…. Gaining attention…..

Session 2: Creating Change: What does influencing policy and practice mean?

Self perceived roles of research generatorsPielke (2007)

Pure scientists:Only interested in doing research

Science arbiters:Respond to specific questions from policy makers but do not express preferences

Issue advocates:Aim to influence policy in a particular direction

Honest brokers:Clarify and potentially expand the policy options available to decision makers

Session 3: A strategy for influencing policy and practice

A six-step process

How?

Process of influencing policy and practice

Who?

What?

1. Define the issue

3. Understand your context

2. Articulate the goal

5. Describe your influence story

4. Identify decision makers, key actors, and relationships

6. Monitor and Learn

Step 1: Define the IssueWhat challenge are we addressing?

For advocacy…you need evidence:

• illustrating the importance of the problem

• illustrating that existing policies are not working

• reinforcing the proposed solution(s)

Address the entire issue

Example Issue: Small towns water and sanitation service provision

K-Hub team activity(25 mins)

• Choose an issue to work through and as a country group answer the questions provided.

• Write any key points you want to remember onto your worksheet as well as additional research needs that you have.

• Select 2-3 main points and write them onto the flip chart, being sure to identify the issue in the flipchart title.

Step 2: Articulate the goal and objectives: What change do we want to achieve?

What is a goal?

A brief vision statement that describes a change you hope to contribute to through your policy/practice engagement work.

Poor example: “To improve urban sanitation.”

(it’s not an activity or a plan)

Improved example: “By 2015, by influencing the policies and practices of governments and service providers, 25 million people will have access to safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation .”

The long term outcome you seek is likely to be something you hope to contribute to rather than achieve entirely on your own.

Goals are described as outcomes

Write it as if the change has happened.

“Between 2009 and 2015 our ambition is that a further 25 million people will have access to safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation as a direct result of our work; and that by influencing the policies and practices of governments and service providers we will have reached a further 100 million people.”

Example: WaterAid’sGoal

http://www.wateraid.org/who-we-are/our-strategy

Note: goals are different than objectives

Objectives are outcomes that help achieve the goal (small steps)

A change in a specific area of policy. A change in how evidence informs a particular policy. A change in how particular policy actors engage with

research knowledge. A change in the prominence of a specific research theme

on the public policy agenda. A change in the nature of the policy discourse. A change in the way practitioners undertake their work. A change in the way budget’s are allocated for

implementation on the ground.

K-Hub team activity(30 mins)

• As a K-hub team, define a goal(s) and objectives for the issue area you are addressing (20 mins).

• Then find two members from other K-Hub teams and have them provide feedback (5 mins).

• Re-group with your original team and debrief what you learned and revise your goal/objectives accordingly (5 mins).

• Write them on the flip chart so we can refer to them later.

Step 3: Understand your context

What is the environment for change?

Or CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING!

Value added in understanding the landscape

Understanding of policy and knowledge landscape enables you to:

Identify and recognise engagement opportunitiesFlag possible entry points in the policy processTailor research to user needsGrow capacity of users to engage with and understand researchGuide selection of research communications tactics and frame research for policy audiences.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Agenda Setting

DecisionMaking

Policy Implementation

Policy Formulation

Civil Society

DonorsCabinet

Parliament

Ministries

Private Sector

Adapted from Young, J (2004)

Is policy making simple?

Mapping the policy and knowledge landscapes

If you intend to build bridges between research and policy or actively engage in policy influencing you must first understand the policy making and knowledge environment.

Some key questions: How is policy made in relation to your key areas? What relevant policy processes are ongoing? What are the workings of your basic political systems? Hidden power – who really controls the agenda? Invisible power – values, norms, social hierarchy? What access do you have to key decision makers and

influencers? Whose knowledge counts? What knowledge systems and networks exist? When are the best opportunities to influence change?

Placeholder forExample

Activity example: context of small towns’ lack of water & sanitation issue

K-Hub team activity(30 mins)

• As a national K-hub team, discuss the context of your issue using the guiding questions (20 min)

• Note down any opportunities for engagement and communications on your flip chart.

• We will finish with a group debrief (10 min)

Step 4: Identify decision makers, key actors and relationshipsWho do we need to influence?

Activity: Network Mapping Steps 1 - 5 (50 min small groups /10 min debrief

1. List actors & choose top 10 you want to work with

2. Map top 10 on a power/interest grid

3. Draw links for influence, knoweldge and relationships between actors

4. Consider how your institution (the K-Hub) fits/links to others

5. Consider how the present map may change in the future

*Detailed questions and steps are in your workbook.

Step 5: Describe your influence storyWhat is your process of change?

Your influence story should briefly summarise your strategic approach to achieving the change you want. It may contain the following elements:

How will your policy engagement and communication activities influence key stakeholders’ behaviours and attitudes?

Who are you going to prioritise and why? What are you going to have to do? (build internal capacity,

establish networks, engage media etc) When will it happen – is there a broad timeline?

Your approach should reflect what you learned about the policy and knowledge landscape from your mapping exercise.

Elements of an influence story

Activity: Your influence story… your approach to change (45 min)

Think about potential uses for your research.

What impact might it have on policy and planning and what steps should be taken to ensure that the right people are willing to pay attention to your research?

•In groups with at least three different country representatives, write an influence story (30 min).

•Detailed questions and steps are in your workbook.

•In original country teams, adapt/edit to meet your needs (7 min).

•Share stories, give feedback in plenary (8 min).

Closing thoughts for Step 5: The role of communications in your influencing strategy

What is research communications?

Research communication is defined as the ability to interpret or translate complex research findings into language, format and context that non experts can understand.

It is not just about dissemination of research results and is unlike marketing that simply promotes a product. Research communications must address the needs of those who will use the research or benefit from it.

Communication is more than one-way…

Effective research communications

Distillation of research findings Use of plain language Making information accessible Tailored communications for different

audiences Identification of the needs of the target

groups

Thinking beyond dissemination to engagement

Three ingredients of effective communication

Main delivery channels

Timescale

When will be the best time to influence policy or practice?

What are the planned events and processes where you could present your research?

Particular opportunities to collaborate with others?

Are you tracking the policy environment to support planning?

Step 6: Monitoring and learning: Improving and adapting our process

Monitoring is important for:

• Accountability

• Understanding progress

• Adapting along the way

• Learning

What might you monitor?

• People seeking information about your research

• Media reporting messages consistent with your messages

• Responses to policy briefs, thought pieces, papers

• Changes in opinions of decision makers

• Changes in policy

• Budget allocated for changes in practice

Activity Monitoring & Learning(25 min small groups, 10 min debrief)

Based on your goals and objectives (step 2):

•What are some indicators that will help you track progress?•How will you assess the degree to which things have changed?•How are you going to follow up (monthly, quarterly, yearly)?•What will you do with the results? •How will ensure you are learning and how will you share this with others?

(Use the flip chart provided to track key points)

Wrap-up of Session 3: Presentation and peer review of draft K-Hub strategies

Activity (75 min)

• In your country K-Hub team, review your strategy steps 1-6 (15 min)

• Each country team will give a 3 min presentation followed by 10 min of feedback from all.

• Feedback should focus on:• General comments• Strengths and limitations• Potential improvements

 

Session 4:Working with partners, as national K-Hubs and a regional K-Hub

Roger’s Game

O

X

• The objective of this game is to achieve the maximum number of complete lines.

• One team is the O’s and the other team is the X’s.

• Each team member has 15 seconds to go to the board, place an O or an X and pass the baton to the other team

• Each team will fill the squares one-by-one until all the squares are full or until there is no longer a way to create a full line (row, column or diagonal line).

• Before the game starts, each team gets 1 minute to plan their strategy

Roger’s Game Instructions

Roger’s game debrief

• What were the assumptions upon which you based your expectations?

• Why did you think the game was a competition?

Discussion Questions (1-2-4-all)

1. How is this knowledge hub different than traditional academic work?

1. What are some techniques you think we could use to work together (national partners, regional hub partners)?

Success Factors for K-Partnerships

– Clear, shared purpose– Achieve more together than alone– Outcome oriented workplan– Leadership and governance– Processes for collaboration and exchange– Ongoing reflection and learning– Sustainability planning