Break the shell, build new worlds: December 2015

Sunday 20 December 2015

Systems thinking skills

Source: Originally found here. Please read and study this concept map

, which shows some common skills associated with systems thinking.

Saturday 12 December 2015

How might a systems thinker talk about scaling in emerging markets?

Immerse yourself in the chaos
Understand the product
Look at what is going on in the wider environment
Set up some facts - what is the model, what is the impact
Figure out what scale will look like
Set some objectives
Understand cost and value drivers
Do market SWOT
Set up expansion pathways
Systematise basic processes
Bring on actors
Oversee replication scouting and testing mission
Create and use feedback loop to improve systems
Systematise complicated processes with expert help
De-systemiatise processes, unbundle, de-mystify
Set up network of actors and activities and functions
Create learning buckets
Push through learning through the network
Oversee trickle through of information and action
Do continuous learning and innovation
Systematise
De-systemiatise
Create networks
Package learning
Distribute learning
Oversee trickle through
Do continuous learning and innovation
Systematise
De-systemiatise
etc

Wednesday 9 December 2015

What types of careers are there in international development?

Skills (What you can do!)

All skills needed!!

Functions (What role you would play!)

You may have 1 or more of these skills!

Fundraising - storytelling, strategy, communications, budgeting, networking, relationship building, research, project management
Policy - research, communications, legal, institutional development, relationship building, politics
Institutional development - research, governance, relationship building, politics
Economic development - economic modelling, industrial development, market systems strategy, welfare
Social welfare - advocacy, social welfare subsidies, charity work,
Private sector development - business innovation, enterprise development, enabling environment, entrepreneurship, taxation and legal
Marketing and retail - commerce, business management, sociology, psychology, policy and/or network development
Operations - logistics, network management, project management, finance, and/or results measurement
HRM - sociology, psychology, training and development, and/or team building
Finance - finance, strategy, M&E, project management, and/or legal
Results measurement - finance, strategy, project management, and/or research

New Trends (Where you might position yourself!)

Market-based development
Socialist market systems
Social welfare
Ethical business
Fintech
Behaviourial sciences
Systems change
Resilience
Conflict
Livestock
Healthcare
Climate and the natural environment
Informal sector
NGO organisational development
Foundation funding

Things to Remember!

Be different - If you have good ideas that seem too out-of-the-box for traditional work, this could be the right time to build a skills around it and offer that skill to the development space
Look deeper than large institutions - If you want to learn on the job, develop tangible skills and be part of an impactful project, start at the field and work upwards
Competences are important - teamwork, patience, time management, critical thinking, adaptability, focus and determination

Saturday 5 December 2015

What does it mean to do ethical business in apparel?

What value do ethical standards bring to the fashion industry?
What does it mean to be ethical in fashion ?
What is the business case for ethical fashion?

Product development that sources and uses raw materials according to sustainability regulations/norms/codes/standards/values in the industry
Product design that reflects stories from different people and different culture (i.e. non-normative, beyond the Western beauty ideal) and in a way that respects ownership and that protects against cultural appropriation for profit
Innovation based on participative collaboration that understands power structures and control/equality/equity issues
Ensuring that wage payments, work health and safety conditions and regulations are observed, external audits and inspections are supported and violence and illegal practices are addressed through a fair justice system (Guardian)
Working with producers and suppliers in developing countries: meeting regulations and codes and respecting power imbalances in ethical management styles and monitoring systems
A systemic approach to certification/regulations/norms/codes/standards to bring about sustainability and scale and builds on the successes of supply chain strengthening (multi-stakeholder governance, transparency, independent verification, and third party chain of custody) (Business Fights Poverty)
Creating a demand for ethical fashion by using multi-channel retail opportunities including pop-ups to showcase the brand the product and the story
Ensuring that the pricing model allows producers and suppliers to be paid a living/decent wage even when it means charging the retailer or consumer a few pence more. The recent example of dairy farmers in the UK removing milk from supermarket shelves in an attempt to sell it directly to the consumer to get a better price.
Understanding that in fashion there is economic value to the 'story' in the same way that any brand builds equity - through rational, emotional and behaviourial consumer analysis
The impact on retail pricing - what is the market willing to pay?
Businesses that 'work in Africa' do not automatically mean social enterprise or ethical sourcing
Making your claims of ethical business practices credible and possible to observe and verify. Consumer driven - Mintel found that half of those surveyed said they would only pay more for ethical products if they understood clearly where the extra money went, and 52 per cent said they found information about which foods are ethical confusing (Supplymanagement.com)
Working on textile waste to minimise, recycle, reuse, upcycle, upgrade, re-configure, re-integrate, and more (The Ethical Fashion Source)

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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/10/lithuanian-migrants-chicken-catchers-trafficked-uk-egg-farms-sue-worst-gangmaster-ever
http://source.ethicalfashionforum.com/article/recycling-on-the-high-street-3-different-approaches

A systems perspective to supply chain development

In classic economic theory, making products cheaper by reducing the cost of goods (COGS) can mean removing the intermediaries in the supply chain where margin might be absorbed. This means system actors, such as agents, middlemen/women, traders, small retailers (kiosks) are vulnerable to the disintermediation. However, in low-income countries, this has a system wide effect: this will limit the supply of goods and services to marginalized populations, such as smallholder farmers or the urban poor and this will reduce employment and revenue generation by cutting the poor out of the system. Moreover, in times of desperation, this will naturally create conflict and instability that will have even more far-reaching effects beyond the original supply chain.

Things to remember:

For real wide-scale change, take a step back and think more systemically and less narrowly and think about the wider impact of any intervention in business operations, pricing and COGS.
Rather than a focus on cost, price and money, consider gains that bring about long-term growth, such as quality, value and service-driven loyalty
Yes, eliminating supply chain actors may reduce the cost of goods along the way, but there is no guarantee that this will be passed on to the customer.
Intermediaries are the backbone of a system and agents, traders, kiosks are ever present in a market - work through them rather than against them or by sidelining them
Look at where the incentives lie. For a supplier, that wants to shed certain costs, who might be willing to take them on? Who might benefit? Who might see the value in managing this transaction directly? This is essentially the origination of outsourcing.
Consider how the market could function better. As a supplier, you may be incurring a huge cost getting products to the consumer. However, if a retailer can offer a better coordination function, then it would make more sense to switch to wholesale operations. Many retailers in developing countries do this albeit with need for capacity building around effective management.

New to international development - Where to look for job opportunities?

Books

Research/Think Tanks

Opportunities are for more seasoned development professionals with 5 years or so experience

CSR Networks

Opportunities are emerging - from communications to technical assistance on projects

Social Business

Opportunities are emerging - technical assistance, field work

Corporate Foundations

International Charities

International Red Cross
World Vision
Save the Children
Oxfam

Opportunities are communications, fundraising, project management, team coaching; may provide training to get you field-ready (smaller NGOs might be willing and able to send you directly to the field)

Development Consultancies

DAI
Adam Smith International
Cardno Emerging Markets
GIZ
ITAD
The Springfield Centre

Opportunities are in research, policy, monitoring and evaluation, project management; long term roles will get you field-ready on formal secondments or assignments, however, generally the roles are West-based

Practitioner Networks

Opportunities are for seasoned professionals with 5-8 years experience under their belt