68668 Capacity Development briefs S h a r i n g k n o w l e d g e a n d l e S S o n S l e a r n e d Building Post-Crisis CaPaCity in the solomon islands By laura Bailey, operations Policy and Country services, the World Bank This Capacity Development Brief summarizes the results of a multidonor team review of four examples of post-crisis capacity development interventions in the Solomon Islands in 2005–08 whose performance was frequently cited as successful by local stakeholders. Although not based on post-project evaluations, the review found a number of patterns and potential lessons: (1) responding to immediate needs fos- ters national ownership, (2) “quick wins� can lay the basis for wider system impact, (3) being clear on “capacity for what� is key to project success, (4) critical mass in capacity means taking a team approach, (5) training must be grounded in time-relevant and actively operational tasks, (6) a coaching and part- nering style is essential and, certainly, not optional, (7) leadership becomes catalytic in capacity develop- ment when a broader coalition is engaged, and in some cases supports a “heroic individual� as its leader. From 1999 through 2003, the Solomon Islands expe- ensuring accountability in the conduct of public rienced a governance crisis, heightened by economic accounts and administration. pressures that exacerbated tensions among Solomon • Solomon Islands Government Housing Management Islanders of different island origins. Physical security Project, Phase 2. This project has been assisting deteriorated as the integrity of security agencies failed key government agencies in managing govern- and key government institutions—from schools to the ment housing by implementing accountable and Central Bank—were compromised by violence. transparent policies and management practices in On July 24, 2003, the Solomon Islands National the Government Housing Division. Parliament unanimously approved deployment of the • Production and Marketing of Quality Vanilla. This Regional Assistance Mission for the Solomon Islands subproject of a larger livelihoods intervention (RAMSI) as a regional peacekeeping force. works along the value chain from farmer to buyer to intervention wholesaler to improve sustainable triangulating success: Finding and learning returns from high-quality vanilla production. from reputed “Wins� To build a common platform of understanding for This brief pulls together observations from a review future efforts, a multidonor team (box 1) investigated of four projects in the Solomon Islands: alleged successes by “triangulating� actual suc- cess from the perceptions of a range of stakeholders • Parliamentary Strengthening Project. The proj- involved. ect’s goal has been to improve the capacity of the Solomon Islands National Parliament to perform Why is capacity important? The team explicitly oversight, accountability, legislative and representa- chose not to treat capacity as a catch-all term for train- tive functions and roles efficiently and effectively by ing courses, computers, and office space, but instead working with the National Parliament Office (NPO). as the ability of people, organizations, and society to • Office of the Auditor General (OAG). As part of manage their affairs successfully—not external to or RAMSI’s overall Accountability Program, support separate from people. It is the collective product of sys- to this office was intended to strengthen this key tem dynamics (influenced by and influencing attitudes Solomon Islands institution, which is charged with and behaviors) that manifests as joint performance m ay 2 0 0 9 NUmBER 32 (comprising individual competence and skill, deployed Be clear about “capacity for what?� Clear agree- alongside others’ competencies). ment on what capacity the projects would build first Knowing that individual leadership was perceived as was essential to their success. The projects viewed key to several projects’ success, the team approached capacity as systems and processes plus the individual discussions with stakeholders with an explicit recogni- skills and knowledge needed to produce specific tion of three dimensions of leadership capacity (vision, results. The OAG and housing project teams attested competence, and integrity) and explored the extent to to the importance of these systems and processes as which the projects exhibited patterns of growing institu- well as the value added of the increasingly skilled tional capacity that illustrated these dimensions (box 2). Solomon Islanders who operate and manage them. Patterns, general observations, and lessons achieve critical mass by acquiring, nurturing, and maintaining a team with capacity. At the offices of the national parliament and auditor general, Although there was no a priori connection during staffers formed a team with a high degree of coopera- project design for these four interventions, interviews tion and trust that resulted in high levels of job sat- with a wide range of participants, stakeholders, and isfaction. The post-conflict window of openness and observers did generate patterns and observations that hope for change, coming after several years of agency allowed the team to point to lessons that may hold value staff attrition, offered the opportunity to recruit a mix- for other efforts to build capacity in post-crisis settings. ture of highly competent and experienced Solomon Island civil servants and recent graduates and to cre- respond to immediate needs to foster national ate teams characterized by high levels of competence ownership. The post-crisis environment presented and correspondingly high levels of energy and enthu- opportunities and openings for targeted interventions: siasm. Young staffers were quickly given responsi- capacity was very low in core government functions bilities and visibility among members of Parliament; as a result of the crisis, but more important, demand parliament office staff pointed to the support they for support from key government leaders was high. received from both their Advisor and the Clerk, to The three public sector projects (Parliament, OAG, make presentations to members of Parliament and the and housing) were all derived from modest, focused Speaker and to serve on interview panels, which built initial interventions that generated specific value, their confidence and sense of professionalism. leading to a second phase with a more ambitious, but This experience underlines the importance of bal- still focused project scope. This “incremental� proj- ancing pressure for deliverable results or products ect evolution seems to have helped build true project with a more nuanced and context-specific focus on ownership by key government counterparts; Solomon process, which delivers its own results. Although Islanders emphasized that because they can see their this dynamic is self-reinforcing and contributes to own role in defining the iterative project design they a virtuous cycle, Parliament office staff emphasized see that as evidence of their investment in, and not that their challenge has been to exhibit resilience to just agreement with, the project (box 1). change at a time of staff turnover: the team is now seeking to fill positions of current staff members who Create a basis for wider system impact. The design have chosen to leave for higher salaries and new of all the projects was to focus on specific organiza- challenges. tional entities with relatively small numbers of people. However, the projects also presented opportunities for much wider system impact. Rather than focusing nar- Box 1: What Worked in the housing rowly on reaching planned outputs or outcomes, the management Project? time-limited projects focused on achieving quick wins, while strengthening long-term institutional resilience, • The project was founded on an intimate knowledge of through attention to process in project implementation. the government’s needs and environment. The projects created virtuous cycles of interaction, in • The government—not an outside design team— answered the question “capacity for what?� which direct efforts with quick and visible results pro- • The project was based on an inclusive egalitarian style duced significantly increased status and influence for of advisors and physical integration of advisors’ work- the teams; this in turn strengthened the base for insti- space with their local teams. • The project addr¥essed any skills gap through task- tutional sustainability: staff recruitment, budget allo- specific classroom training, on-the-job coaching and cations, and political support. Early focused interven- mentoring, confidence building, and culturally relevant tions in the two most mature projects—parliamentary short courses. strengthening and OAG—have now had enough time • Effective inter-ministerial group created for the project’s policy dialogue modeled capacity that was well aligned to to produce impacts with potential spillover that are the complex “whole government� nature of the problem. leading to broader system impacts. m ay 2 0 0 9 NUmBER 32 maintain an effective project style. Across all The capacity of Parliament has been strengthened projects reviewed, multiple stakeholders emphasized at an institutional level by introducing procedures the critical role of the coaching and partnering style of and resources that are independent of individuals. skilled advisors and trainers. Project staff in the OAG, The leadership function of the Office of Speaker, for housing management, and parliament-strengthening example, has been institutionalized through the buffer projects are entirely co-located and integrated with that the national parliament office provides between their respective government unit’s staff. All three the Speaker and members (as well as the executive), teams are characterized by coaching, congenial sup- in which systems and processes are linked to the port, and an inclusive approach. Government staff Constitution and standing orders and do not rely just commented that they were proud of “their� technical on the personal integrity of the Speaker. assistance teams, both in terms of their skills and The office held by the charismatic and respected attitude. Speaker, whose reputation provided the necessary start- Government staff also noted the importance to proj- ing point from which the parliament office team could ect success of grounding training in time-relevant and demonstrate its value, is now protected from political actively operational tasks (box 2). interference by its success in anchoring standard parlia- mentary processes and ethical practices to not only the acknowledge the importance of leadership exerted officeholder, but also the office itself (box 4). by a heroic and politically savvy individual sup- ported by a broader coalition. Reported success sto- take advantage of linkages within and across ries at the auditor general’s office and at Parliament agencies and institutions. All three public sector were in no small measure due to the charisma and pro- projects (i.e., Parliament, OAG, and housing) benefited fessionalism of their leaders, supported by a network from existing linkages among government entities. For of Solomon Islanders from across society, and to direct example, the National Parliament Office was more capa- technical assistance delivered with an open, inclusive, ble of delivering its core support to the Public Accounts approachable, and nurturing style. Although the “heroic Committee because of capacity deployed by the Office leader� storyline is well known in both projects, it is of the Auditor General, while the auditor general had important to acknowledge the complex dynamics that a valuable ally in the National Parliament Office on the underpin their success. The resilience of the leaders’ issue of accountability. Similarly, following an extensive hard-won gains and of the system of which they are audit of housing entitlements and their management, an integral part comes from support from a coalition of the process was reinforced through strong interac- forces. In the case of the offices of the auditor general tions among the housing project, Government Housing and national parliament, crucial support has come from Division, and auditor general’s office. The acting audi- prominent members of Parliament, a small number of tor general regards follow-up by the housing division senior public servants, some powerful sections of the to be the best they have experienced by a line ministry, community, and the media. Both project examples dem- whereas the ministry leadership, housing division, and onstrate the potential role for the donor community to project team all regard OAG inputs as essential to their help far-sighted leaders, when they exist, to develop efforts to base policy debate on analytics. Similarly, their support networks. To be sure, it is the presence of the Integrity Group Forum, which periodically brings broad, multi-stakeholder coalitions that act as critical together Solomon Island leaders from key accountabil- change agents supporting reform (box 3). ity agencies together to discuss issues of mutual con- cern, is recognition of the larger system in which these Box 2: the role of training Effective examples of formal training were based on a skills Box 3: What Worked in the oag Project? gap analysis that included self-assessment and on train- ing modules specifically adapted to fit the Solomon Islands • The project benefited from the influence of an activist, context. The level of context-specific adaptation is impres- visionary, and politically astute leader. sive, supporting the need for upfront investment to develop • This leadership was embedded in a broader coalition skills and knowledge that are useful and deployable. of support and enhanced by distributing the leadership For the auditor general function, international standards function among senior staff. from the International Organization of Supreme Audit • The leadership coalition and its demonstrated technical Institutions (INTOSAI) had been regionally customized for competence drove outcomes across a network of gov- the South Pacific. The auditor general advisor team further ernment integrity entities (not only OAG). adapted these contextualized regional standards for use • The post-conflict window allowed recruiting of a staff in operations and training. In both the auditor general’s team with a balance of competence and energy. office and the housing division, quasi-formal, in-house • The project advisors and AG nurtured a strong sense training and computer skill sessions were closely linked in of a “national� Audit Office, transcending the divisive time to actual tasks needed for the unit’s work program in clan and island identities that were exploited during the that week or month. violent conflict. Box 4: What Worked in the nPo Project? Box 5: What Worked in the Vanilla Project • A focus on team building • Leading with information, knowledge, and iterative sup- • Meritocratic hiring: a focus on needs, not seniority, in port, not by giving tools and equipment access to training • Focusing on farmers who already made the commitment • Young energetic staffers given responsibility to invest significantly in vanilla vines • Strong technical and interpersonal skills of the advisor • Using a nucleus model to link smaller farmers to lead • An enabling and supportive political environment farmers • Strengthening the NPO first, to achieve wider impact on • Combining technical credibility, practical skills, collab- parliament performance orative style within expatriate and local expertise • Directly harnessing private sector dynamics, rather than building proxy capacity in government where niche products are not a priority stakeholders connect with each other for coordination and collaboration. System wide collaboration also brings significant • Ground training in actively operational tasks. benefits in producing and implementing coherent policy and advice. For example, OAG project advi- In the Solomon Islands, frequent mention is made sors advocated for rewarding capacity results within of the Melanesian cultural norm of sharing physical the larger government system, convincing the Public resources, but guarding or hoarding knowledge. In this Service system to acknowledge documented individual socio-cultural context, there may be a transformative successes in skills development (substantiated by peri- power created by sharing information: efforts by gov- odic written assessments) in the public service review ernment teams and their advisors to facilitate habits of and promotion process. Likewise, in the private sector transparency—improving the quality of and access to project, inputs on farming and curing of vanilla beans, shared information—within donor-supported capacity which is only one part of the value chain, is structured development projects may be as critical to changing the in ways that recognize and take advantage of the ways people work as any skills training or short course. dynamics of the private sector market system (box 5). Conclusions For More Information: The Solomons Capacity Building Review was con- The three public sector projects focused on building ducted in September 2008 by a joint donor team com- and supporting functional capacities for leadership, prising John Davidson, Assistant Director-General, accountability, and inclusiveness—all key dimensions Australian Agency for International Development; of resilient and responsive state-society relations Christian Lotz, Peacebuilding Specialist, U.N. that contribute to an endogenous and domestically Development Programme; and Laura E. Bailey, Senior driven state-building process. This brief has reviewed Operations Specialist, World Bank. a number of lessons from this project experience, but overall, three key lessons resonated strongly with the government staff interviewed: Peer reviewer Janet Awimbo, Learning and Networking • Be clear on what capacity is and is not sought Consultant, Pact Kenya • Use a coaching and partnering style about World Bank institute (WBi): Unleashing the Power of Knowledge to Enable a World Free of Poverty The World Bank Institute (WBI) helps countries share and apply global and local knowledge to meet development challenges. WBI's capacity development programs are designed to build skills among groups of individuals involved in performing tasks, and also to strengthen the organizations in which they work, and the sociopolitical environ- ment in which they operate. WBi Contact: Mark Nelson; program manager, Capacity Development Resource Center Tel: 202-458-8041, e-mail: mnelson1@worldbank.org Ajay Tejasvi; program coordinator, Capacity Development Resource Center Tel: 202-458-4064, e-mail: anarasimhan@worldbank.org Visit our website for more information and download the electronic copies of all Capacity Development Briefs at http://www.worldbank.org/capacity m ay 2 0 0 9 NUmBER 32