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What works Review by DFID
Please see attached the final report the DFID 'What Works review' , and here is the link to interesting related videos.
The "What Works Review of the Use of Evidence in DFID" was carried out by the What Works team in the Cabinet Office and the Evidence into Action team in DFID.
This report gives a very interesting insight on how DFID deals with knowledge and more specifically the use of evidence in its external assitance operations.
2 Comments
Show previous commentsKatya's reference article is spot on - individual incentives actively prevent knowledge sharing. I have a lot of personal evidence for that. The DFID Report reflects this culture as well. Cheerleading in Head Office will be implemented in country if it brings some benefit to those at the 'coal face'. In most cases the long screwdriver of head office, when reaching down into the field appears from the receiving end to be additional work that only benefits head office. Those organisations that recognise that head office is there to serve the field operation tend to manage and share knowledge well. The military are particularly competent in this area. It helps that their lives depend on it but there is a model that works well there which DFID might want to look at.
Somewhat related, here is an interesting new article about the damaging effects of "knowledge hiding" and what organisations can do to address it.
Katya's reference article is spot on - individual incentives actively prevent knowledge sharing. I have a lot of personal evidence for that. The DFID Report reflects this culture as well. Cheerleading in Head Office will be implemented in country if it brings some benefit to those at the 'coal face'. In most cases the long screwdriver of head office, when reaching down into the field appears from the receiving end to be additional work that only benefits head office. Those organisations that recognise that head office is there to serve the field operation tend to manage and share knowledge well. The military are particularly competent in this area. It helps that their lives depend on it but there is a model that works well there which DFID might want to look at.
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