September 2016 Market Facilitation Clinics A “How to” Manual Supporting practitioners to learn, collaborate, and address shared challenges Mike Klassen, Nisha Singh, Lucho Osorio-Cortes
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September2016
MarketFacilitationClinicsA“Howto”Manual
Supportingpractitionerstolearn,collaborate,andaddresssharedchallenges
MikeKlassen,NishaSingh,LuchoOsorio-Cortes
ContentsAcknowledgements..............................................................................................................................................1
PartA)DefinitionsandContextforMarketFacilitationClinics............................................................................2
1)WhatisaMarketFacilitationClinic?Whenisituseful?..............................................................................2
2)Keyassumptionsandprerequisitesforaclinic............................................................................................2
PartB)DesigningandLaunchingaMarketFacilitationClinic..............................................................................4
1)Definepurposeandscopeoftheclinics......................................................................................................4
2)Hireafacilitator...........................................................................................................................................5
3)Inviteparticipantstoapply..........................................................................................................................5
4)Assessandselectparticipants......................................................................................................................9
5)Clusterparticipantsintogroups...................................................................................................................9
6)Scheduleinformalinterviewswithtopcandidates....................................................................................12
7)Finalizegroupcompositionandschedulegrouplaunchcalls....................................................................13
PartC)FacilitatetheMarketFacilitationClinics................................................................................................14
1)Conductgroupcalls....................................................................................................................................14
Element1:Relationshipbuildingandcontextdevelopment.....................................................................14
Element2:Developingasharedlearningagenda......................................................................................14
Element3:Currentcasestudiesfromparticipants....................................................................................15
Element4:Updatesonprogressandlearningfromthefield.....................................................................16
Element5:ExpertQ&Aandexplorations...................................................................................................16
Element6:Folderwithsharedresources...................................................................................................17
2)Maintaingroupmomentum.......................................................................................................................17
3)Wrapuptheprocess..................................................................................................................................18
PartD)Feedback,EvaluationandAnalysis........................................................................................................19
1)Expectationsofparticipants:beforeandafter..........................................................................................19
2)ChangesinitiatedbyParticipants...............................................................................................................21
3)Recommendationsandwillingnesstopayinfuture..................................................................................22
PartE)RecommendationsforFutureAdaptations............................................................................................23
Appendices.........................................................................................................................................................25
Appendix1:FacilitatorScopeofWork...........................................................................................................25
Appendix2:ApplicationQuestions................................................................................................................26
Appendix3:FeedbackSurvey........................................................................................................................27
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AcknowledgementsThispilotoftheMarketFacilitationClinicwasImplementedbytheSEEPNetworkwithfinancialandtechnicalsupportfromtheBEAMExchange.Thesepilotsprovidedanopportunitytotestanddocumentanewlearningmethod.Wewouldliketothankalltheindividualsandorganizationthathavecontributedtothisprocess.ChristianPennotti(CARE),AdamKeatts(Fintrac),andAshleyAarons(BEAMExchange)wereinstrumentalattheearlystagesinhelpingusrefinetheconceptandtherequestforapplications.MikeFields(DAI),ErinMarkel(MarketShareAssociates),MikeWarmington(OneAcreFund)andTimSparkman(MarketShareAssociates)forsharingtheirexpertiseandknowledgewiththegroups.Wethanktheindividualswhosignedupforthispilotandcontinuedtoparticipateandcontributeactively,allowingustotestnewideasandcreatethisguide:GustavoCavero,WorldVisionInternationalOmarFaruq,FaruqFertilizersLtd.HeatherLemunyon,ACDI/VOCASarahNuernberger,InternationalDevelopmentEnterprises(IDE)DavidOkutu,MercyCorpsIndianaBaseden,BusinessDevelopmentServicesAfrica(EWBventure)KudaNdoro,FintracInc.ErwinSimangunsong,WorldVisionInternationalKateReott,VillageEnterpriseTilayeBekele,EnterprisePartners/PrivateEnterpriseEthiopia(EP/PEPE)/DAIMichaelKairumba,AgriculturalMarketsDevelopmentTrustGeoffRevell,WatershedAsiaTheresaBaveng,MarketDevelopmentProgrammeforNorthernGhana/NathanAssociatesInc.RosaChiappe,WorldUniversityServiceofCanada(WUSC)SoniaJordan,AdamSmithInternationalIvyMwayuka,ACDI/VOCASarahVanBoekhout,WatershedCambodiaWewouldalsoliketothankalloftheindividualsandorganizationswhorespondedtoourinitialcallandsharedtheirchallenges.Whilewecouldonlyworkwithasmallset,thelevelofresponsewashelpfulinvalidatingourassumptionsthatthiswasausefulapproachtolearning.MikeKlassen,ClinicFacilitatorLuchoOsorio-Cortes,MaFIFacilitatorandBEAMExchangeNishaSingh,SEEPNetwork
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PartA)DefinitionsandContextforMarketFacilitationClinics
1) WhatisaMarketFacilitationClinic?Whenisituseful?Definition:MarketFacilitationClinicsareamethodthatbringstogethermarketdevelopmentpractitionerstohelpeachotherovercomepracticalandurgentchallenges.Rich,contextualizedanddeeplearningtakesplaceasaresultoftheseinteractions.MFclinicsareonespecificinstanceofamoregeneralprocesscalledPractitionerLearningGroups(PLGs),whichinvolvespeopleworkingtogetherforanextendedperiodoftimetotacklecommonchallengesintheirwork.
Bestcontexts:Theclinicsareusefulamongstbusypractitionerswhohaveverylittletimetolearnoutsideofthecontextoftheirwork.Inthesecases,thestrongestincentivetolearncomesfromtheexpectationofovercomingspecificchallengesintheirprogrammesforwhichtheyareaccountable.Forthemethodtowork,thechallengeshavetobeofasimilarnature.Geographicproximitybetweenparticipantsmayalsoimprovetheperformanceoftheclinics.Whoisthismanualfor?Thismanualisusefulforlearningchampions/facilitatorsandknowledgemanagerswithinrelativelylargeorganizationsandnetworkswhoaretryingtoincreasetherelevanceoflearning,networkingandpeer-supportamongstverybusypractitioners.Whatwillyoufindhere?Thismanualprovidesadetailedexplanationofhowthemethodworks,howtodesignandmanageit,whatproblemstoexpect,andhowmuchitcosts.AllofthisinformationisbasedonthelessonslearnedduringthefirstpilotoftheclinicsfromApriltoAugust2016.
2) KeyassumptionsandprerequisitesforaclinicThissectionlaysoutsomeofthekeyassumptionsthatunderpinthemarketfacilitationclinics.Theintentionistobeexplicitsothatotherswhoareconsideringthemethodcanadaptthemodelaccordinglybasedondifferentassumptions.
1Foragoodexampleofthistypeofclinic,seethePresencingInstitute’suseof‘caseclinics’:https://www.presencing.com/tools/case-clinics
Clinics1:Weusethewordclinictosignifyaplacetocometodiagnoseandmoveforwardwithurgentproblems.Itdoesnotmeancomingtoanexpertwhowillgiveyouthesolution,butratheragroupprocesswherebyparticipantshelptheircolleaguesrespondtoanimmediatechallengemoreeffectively.
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ParticipantMotivation• Practitionersareover-workedandunderconstantpressuretodelivermeasurableresults.• Practitionersmayinvesttimeintraining,butitisaverysmallshareofthetotaltimetheyspend
“running”theirprograms.• Themethodworksbetterwithfieldpractitionerswhocanputnewknowledgeintopractice
quickly.Thisentailsaprofileofparticipantswhoareworkinginthefieldbutwhohaveenoughinfluencewithintheirteamsandorganizationstosteertheirprograms.
ParticipantLearning• Practitionerslearnbetterwhenlearningiscontextualized,on-the-jobandisgearedtowards
solvingconcreteproblemsontheground.• Exposingpractitionerstopeersfromotherorganizationswithdifferentvisionsandwaysof
doingthingsincreasesthediversityofideas,reducesrepetitionofmistakes,reinforcesgoodpracticesandhelpsthemtocomparestrategies.
• “Learningbackwards”(learningfrompastexperiencewiththeexpectationthatthenewlyacquiredknowledgewillbeusefulinaneventinthefuture)islessexcitingandengagingthan“learningforwards”(learningthroughthereflectionaboutpresentproblemssothatnewlycreatedknowledgecanbeputintopracticeimmediately).
GroupComposition• Thegroupsshouldnotbeverybigtoallowfordetaileddiscussions.3-4peopleisideal.• Groupmembersshouldbelocatedinsimilargeographicregionstoimprovecoincidenceoftime
zones.Thisisimportantforthelogisticsofconferencecalls.
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PartB)DesigningandLaunchingaMarketFacilitationClinicPartBlaysouttheimportantstepsthatneedtobetakentoscopeandlaunchMarketFacilitationClinics.Thisfollowsthechoicesmadeduringthepilot,andprovideslessonslearnedandinsightsontheimplicationsofthosechoicesmadealongtheway.
1)Definepurposeandscopeoftheclinics
PurposeThepurposeofthepilotMFclinicswastopromoteeffectivelearningandgoodpracticeamongstmarketsystemsdevelopmentpractitionerssothattheycanboosttheimpact,scalabilityandsustainabilityoftheirprograms.
ScopeForthispilot,allclinicswerecompletelyvirtual.Therewastheintentiontohavesomein-persongroups,butthisbecameproblematicintheformationstage.Thepilotsupported4parallelMFclinics,whichconvenedforroughly2months-with5callsforeachgroup.Therewerenogeographicrestrictionsonparticipation,whichdrewparticipantsfrommorethanadozencountries.Atthisearlystageofdesign,itisimportanttosetalimitforhowmanyparticipantsandgroupsintotalyouhavecapacityfor.Inthepilot,weinitiallywereaimingfor2or3groups,withamaximumgroupsizeof5participants.Ourrecommendationistolimitgroupsizeto4members,andfocusonfindinganexcellentfitwithcriteriaandcommonchallenges.
PlanningThepilotprojectshadanoriginaltimeframeof6months.Belowisthetimelinethatwascreatedatthebeginningoftheprocess,inJanuary2016Mainactivities Jan Feb Mar Apr MayIdentifyteamswithsimilarchallengestoformgroups
Findandhireclinicfacilitator
Exchangeofproblemsanddesignofsolutions
Implementationofsolutions Synthesisofimplementationprocessandlessonslearned Monitoringofimplementationandcosts Productionofcost-benefitanalysisreport
However,aswestartedthepilot,werealizedthatweneededalotmoretimeintheinitialstagestoselecttherightpeopleandcreategroups.Inaddition,theactualactiveperiodfortheclinicsgotshortenedinthepilot,butwethinkthatatleastthreemonthsareneededforittobeeffective.
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2)HireafacilitatorWhileafacilitatorcouldberecruitedinternally,inthepilotphase,anexternalfacilitatorwasrecruitedbydesigningandadvertisingaScopeofWorkthroughrelevantnetworks.TheSoWcanbeviewedinAppendix1.Thecorecompetenciestolookforinafacilitatorcanbebrokendownintoknowledge,skills,attitudesandlogisticalconsiderations:Table1
Knowledge
• Marketsystemsapproaches,examplesfromdifferentcontextsandgeographies
• Resourcesavailable-experts,documents,learninganddisseminationplatforms(e.g.Microlinks,BEAMandSEEP,etc.)
• Challengesthatpractitionersfaceintheirorganizationsandprograms
Skills
• Communication–writtenandoral.Inparticular,listeningandparaphrasing(givenlowsoundqualityanddifferentaccentsduringconferencecalls)
• Groupfacilitation-abilitytomoveconversationalong,encouragepeopletoparticipate,etc.Payattentiontopowerdynamics.
• Organization-scheduling,preparation,etc.
Attitudes
• Flexibility-bigpictureschedule,smallscalechanges• Opennesstolearning• Persistent/patience-chasepeopledown,usemultiplemodesof
communicationtocajolepeopletoparticipate• Goodsenseofhumor-usefulwhenthingsdonotgoasplannedandpeople
getabit“tense”• Firmness-tomaintainareasonabledegreeofdisciplineamongstparticipants.
Logistics
• Timezoneoffacilitatorshouldbesimilartoparticipantsifpossible• Flexibility/availabilityatdifferenttimesofday
Ifyouplantorunmorethantwoclinicsconcurrently,itisworthconsideringaco-facilitator,whocanhelpwithspecifictasks.Inthispilot,havingonefacilitatormanagingfourgroupsmeantthatcertaintasks(notesfrommeetings)hadtobealowerpriority,andtowardstheendtherewassomefatigueintermsoffacilitatingconversationsformultiplegroups.
3)InviteparticipantstoapplyAmarketfacilitationclinicworksbestwhenitistargetedataspecificgroupofpeople.Ifitisruninternallytoasingleorganization,thismaysimplifytheprocesssignificantly.Inthepilot,awidenetwasbroadcasttoparticipantsfrommanydifferentorganizations.Beforeannouncingthecallforapplicants,thinkaboutkeycriteriaforparticipationandthetypesofquestionsthatwouldbestelicitthatinformation.Thinkcarefullyabouttheexpectationsthatthecallforapplicantswillgenerateamongstpotentialparticipants,especiallyifpeoplemaythinktheywillbeabletoaccessfundingfortravelortimeawayfromwork.Willyoubeabletomeetthem?
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Acallforparticipantsshouldincludethefollowingkeypiecesofinformationtosmooththeprocessofvettingandselectingpeopletofullyengageintheclinics:
• Demographicinformationo Name,jobtitle,project,organization,countryo Emailaddress,phonenumbers,skypecontact
• Challengecurrentlybeingfacedo Askapplicantstodescribetheircurrentfieldlevelchallenge,andprovideexamples(such
astheonebelow)thatprovideenoughcontextanddetailtoassesstherelevanceofthechallenge
Theothertypesofquestionsthatshouldbeincludedinanapplicationareonesthattestparticipants’commitmenttotheprocess.Thisisalwaysdifficulttoassess,butisoneofthemostcrucialcriteriaforahighfunctioninglearninggroup.Belowaresomeexamples:Table2
Examplequestiontotestcommitment
Rationale
1)Haveyouagreedonthechallengewithyourprojectteam?
Participantsmustbeabletomobilizetheirteamsandorganizationsaroundnewideasandstrategiesthecomeupwithintheclinics.
2)Doyouhavefinancialsupportandtheabilitytoinvesttherequiredtime?
Thisisimportantincaseparticipationhascosts(e.g.travellingfromthefieldtoaninternetcafetobeinaphoneconferenceormeetinginpersonwiththeothermembersofthegroup).Theirorganizationorthelinemanagerhastoknowthisinadvanceandagreetocoverthem.
3)AreyouamemberofXYZorganization?(inourcase,theSEEPNetwork)
Thisisimportantforthepurposesofshowingthevalueofthismethodtonetworkmembers.Hopefully,theclinicswillbeusedalsobynon-SEEPmembers(inwhichcase,thisconditiondoesnotapply).
Oncethesetofquestionshavebeendeveloped2andintegratedintoawebsiteorotherchannelforreceivingapplications,itistimetobroadcastthecallthroughchannelsthatareeffectiveforreachingthe
2ForafulllistofthequestionsusedseeAppendix2.
Exampleofagoodchallenge:“Gettingcoldchaintechnologytosmallholderdairyfarmerstoimprovetheiraccesstolucrativeandsustainablemarketsbyinvolvingprivate/commercialpartnerstorolloutthisamongthesmallholderfarmersonasustainablebasis.”
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targetaudience.Inourpilot,thismeantusingthemostactiveonlinelearningcommunitiesformarketdevelopmentpractitioners.Specifically,fourchannelswereusedtosharethecallforapplications:
1. TheMarketFacilitationInitiative(MaFI)LinkedInGroup2. TheBEAMExchangewebsiteandLinkedInGroup3. TheSEEPNetworkwebsiteandnewsletter4. Twitteraccountsforallthreeoftheaboveorganizations
Figures1.1and1.2belowshowsometangibleexamplesofthelanguageusedtomarkettheMFClinics(describedasPractitionerLearningGroups,thegenericterm):
Fig1.1:ScreenshotoftwitterpromotionbyTheSEEPNetwork
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Fig1.2:ScreenshotofLinkedInpromotionbyMaFIFacilitatorLuchoOsorio-Cortes
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4)AssessandselectparticipantsOnceapplicationshavebeenreceived,theteamresponsibleforreviewingshouldconsolidatethecriteriathatwillbeusedforselection.Thethreecriteriabelowwereusedforthepilot:
• Mustbepartofateamthatisimplementingamarketsystemsdevelopmentprogram.Applicantswiththeoreticalorhypotheticalchallengesquestionsweredisqualified.
• Mustarticulatetheirchallengereasonablywell.Extremelyvagueormuddledchallengesweredisqualified.
• Mustbekeentolearnandshareexperiencesandresourcesgenerously.Thisisdifficulttoassessbutitwassometimesimplicitintheframingofthechallenge.
Table3
Well-framedchallenges Poorlyframedchallenges
“ThemainchallengeIamfacingwiththisparticularprojectisfiguringoutthebesttypeofmodelforsupportingthesetypeofbusinessdevelopmentventures(inthiscase,thenetworkofcommunityagrodealers)andwherethedifferentactors/partnersarebestplacedtoprovidetheirservices.”
“Defaultinrepayments.Fundingstaffretention”
“WewouldliketointegratetheLVCDapproachandtheFinancialInclusioninterventionstohelpsmallfarmerstoincreasetheirincome.WewouldliketoexplorehowtoachievethisinplaceswherethereareMFIsandinplaceswherenoMFIsarepresent.”
“Partnersdevelopmentinthefaceofadequatehumanresourcesupportwithoutfinancialsupport”
5)ClusterparticipantsintogroupsWhilescreeningapplicantsthatdonotmeetcriteria,orwhosechallengesaresimplytoovague,youalsowanttoclusterparticipantsintogroupsbasedon‘common’challenges.Thesizeanddiversityofapplicationswillhaveamajorimplicationonhowmucheffortthissteprequires.Inthepilot,weusedagroundedapproachtoidentifyingthemesandpatternsthatemergedfromapplications,andsoughttoadjustinitialgroupingsuntilwehadanappropriatenumberandsizeofgroups.Thereisalsoanopportunitytosimultaneouslyapplyageographicfilteratthisstage.Wetriedthis,butthegeographiesofparticipantsdidnotalignwellenoughwiththeircommonchallenges.
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Fig2:Screenshotoftheoriginalspreadsheetofapplications(numbered,withnameshidden)
Fig3:Exampleofthematicclusteringusingkeywordsandthemes.Software:RealtimeBoard
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Fig.4:Visualizationofapplicationlocationstodetectgeographicclustering.Software:GoogleMaps
Fig5:Exampleoftryingtoclusterbygeography(seecolumnDinspreadsheet:“Geo[graphic]Hub”)
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Fig6:Exampleofamoredetailedpreliminaryframingforagroup.Onedocumentwascreatedforeachproposedgroupwithproposedlocationandexamplesofproject-levelchallenges.
6)Scheduleinformalinterviewswithtopcandidates
Onceyouhaveashortlistofparticipants(forexample,20applicantsfor15spots)thatareclusteredintopreliminarygroups,westronglyrecommendconductingshortphonecallswitheachapplicanttogettoknowthembetterandtesttheirfitwiththeproposedgroup.These1-on-1calls,whichcanbeasshortas20minutesinlength,helpbuildtherelationshipbetweenthefacilitatorandparticipants,andserveasacrucialscreentomakesureparticipantsareserious,aregoodcommunicators,andactuallywanttobepartoftheclinictheyareofferedaccessto.Schedulingtheseinformalinterviewsisbestscheduledusinganonlinetool(likedoodleorcalendly)andofferingmorethan1timeslotperparticipant.Forexample,ifyouaretryingtoset-up10calls,offer20+timeslotsonthepoll,toavoidexcessiveemailcommunication.Othertipsforspeedingupthisprocessinclude:
• Gathermultipleformsofcontactinfofrompeople(skypeandphone)soyoucanreachoutdirectlyiftheydon’tshowupatscheduledtime.
• Setthedoodlesettingssothatparticipantscanonlychoose1option,andthattimezonesareautomaticallyadjusted.Thismeansthatassoonassomeoneindicatestheiravailabilityforatime,theyareconfirmed.
• Sendashortemailtoconfirmwithpeople1-2daysaftertheyhavefilledoutthepolltoconfirmthetime.
• Sendasecondemailtopeople2daysbeforethecalltoremindthemofthetime,dateandcommunicationmethod(skypeorphonecall)
Theagendaforthe1-on-1callshouldbeverysimple-startingwithintroductionsandcontextontheperson’sworktobuildrapportandgettoknowtheircommunicationstyle.Fromthere,askthepersontoexplaintheirchallengeverbally,andasksomeprobingquestiontounderstanditinmoredepth.Thisisveryvaluable,astheymayhavewrittenaboutsomethinginacoupleofsentencesontheirapplication,buttheiractualcurrentchallengesmaybequitedifferent.Finally,sharewiththepersonthepreliminaryframingfortheclinicyouareproposingforthemtojoin(keyquestions,natureofchallenge,otherparticipants)andaskthemtotalkabout:
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• Whatwouldyouwanttogainfromthatspecificgroup?• Whatwouldyouoffertothatspecificgroup?
Aspreadsheetliketheonepicturedbelowcanhelptokeeptrackoftheapplicants,theirproposedgroup,anynotesoncommunication,andasimple‘trafficlight’systemforthequalityoftheinterview.
Fig.7:Masterspreadsheetshowingmultipletypesofcontactinformationandschedulingnotes.Colorcodingby‘stoplight’([green=good,yellow=questionable,red=notagoodfit]togiveasnapshotoftheirpotentialtobeagoodcontributor.
7)Finalizegroupcompositionandschedulegrouplaunchcalls
Onceyouhavespokenindividuallywithallshortlistedapplicantsandselectedthefinalparticipants,thenextstepistofinalizethegroupcomposition.Allparticipantsshouldpassthescreenoffit,communicationability,commitmentandpresenceofacommonchallenge.Secondly,whenitcomestoformingsuitablegroups,thegoalistofindpeoplewithsimilarchallenges,whoarewithin4-6hoursoftimezonedifference3ofeachother,whilekeepingthegroupsizeto4atthehighend.Bepreparedfortheveryfirstcalltotakealongtimetoscheduleeffectively.Itmaytakemorethanoneschedulingpolltofindatimethatworksfor100%ofagivengroup’smembers.Withsomeluck,onceyoudofindatime(i.e.Tuesdaysat8:00amGMT),youcanusethatasaregularmeetingtimeandnothavetocontinuallysearchforpeople’savailability.
3Note:Considertimezone‘spread’asagroupcriterion.Onceitbecomesverywide(12-13hours)itseverelyconstraintswhattimeofdayyoucanholdcalls.Inthepilot,multipleclinicshadthissortofspread(i.e.amemberinColoradoandanotherinCambodia)whichmeansthatcallscanonlytakeplaceveryearlyforColoradoparticipantsandverylateforCambodiaparticipants.
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Itcanalsohelptosendsomereflectionquestionstoprimepeoplefortheveryfirstgroupcall,suchasthetwobelowwhichwereusedinthepilot:
1. Whatisthecurrent,specificfieldchallengeyouarefacingthatrelatesmostcloselytothethemeofthisPractitionerLearningGroup?(Theme=leveragingmarketsystemsforreachingthelastmile)
2. Whatisoneinterestingthingyouhaveseenorlearnedrelatedtothischallengeinthepast2weeks?
PartC)FacilitatetheMarketFacilitationClinics
1)ConductgroupcallsInmanyways,thegroupcallsarethecoreofaMarketFacilitationClinic.Belowarethecoreelementsthatwereusedinthepilot,allofwhichwerecommendincluding(plusotherelements)forothersconsideringthismethod.Westillhavethingstolearn,andthedetaileddesignisflexibleinordertobeadaptedtoorganizationalcontexts,butwethinkthatmostofthesearecrucialtosuccessofthemethod.
Element1:RelationshipbuildingandcontextdevelopmentThe1-on-1relationshipbetweenfacilitatorandparticipantshouldhavestartedalreadywiththeinformalinterview.Thisshouldcontinuethroughemailcontactforschedulingandincludefunandlightrapport.Thistrustandrelationshipiscrucialtobeingabletocontactpeopleonshortnotice,andtogetfeedback.Aneffectivepracticeimplementedinthepilotwastostarttheveryfirstcallwithparticipantsandfacilitatorsharingpersonalcontextaboutwhatishappeninginpeople’slivesbeyondwork.Asamplequestionwouldbe“tellusaboutyourfamily”,whichcanuncoverunexpectedcoincidences,andevenshedlightintowhypeoplecan’tmakecertaintimesforcallsduetofamilycommitments.Participant’srelationshipswithoneanotherareequallyimportantbuthardertoforce,especiallyinaMarketFacilitationClinicthatispurelyvirtual.Thistakestime,aswellasbeingcomfortablewithsilenceonthepartofthefacilitator,sothatpeopleareabletojumpinandspeakdirectlytooneanother.
Element2:DevelopingasharedlearningagendaDefinition:asharedlearningagendaisasetofquestionsthatthegroupmutuallyagreeareworthaddressingtogether.“Whatisthequestionwearetryingtoanswertogether?”Theintentionofalearningagendaistohaveareferencepointtodecidewhattopicsandconversationsareprioritizedandhelpparticipantsseewhytheyareinagroupandwhattheywanttoaccomplishtogether.Apreliminarylearningagendawillbeembeddedinthegroup’sinitialtopic/theme,butitisimportanttotest/challengetheassumptionsbylettingparticipantsdefineitthemselves.
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Todothis,werecommendhavingeveryonedescribetheirrole,theirorganization,andsomeoftheirkeychallengesduringtheinitiallaunchcall.Allocating5-10minutesperpersonisimportanttoallowpeopleenoughtimetoelaborateandcontextualize.After30-40minutes,thefacilitatorcansimplyasksomeonetotakeafirststabatthelearningagenda,beforegentlycoaxingotherstoreact,givefeedback,improveanditerateonthelearningagenda.Belowareexamplesthatshowhowthefocusofthegroupshiftedafterthisfirstcall:Table4
Initialframing Finallearningagenda Driversofchange
“Scalingupeffectivebusinessmodelsthroughmultipleprivatesectoractors”
“Makingthecaseforamarketsystemsapproachtootherdevelopmentactors”
Groupmemberswerepositionedinseniorrolesandweremoreacutelyawareofwidersetofstakeholders;programsbeingimplementedwereinverydifferentphases.
“Logisticsofbusinessmodelsforreachingthelastmile”
“Engagingpartnerstoextendbusinessmodelstoreachthelast-mile.”
Mostgroupmemberswerestilllookingtoidentifyandselectpartnerstodeveloppilotbusinessmodels,sothegrouprefineditsfocusonthisselectionprocess.
“Howtoanalyzeandusesocialnormstoinformmarketsystemsprogramming”
“Howcanmarketsystemschangegendernormsbymakingthebusinesscase?”
Therewasdebateaboutthemeritsofatightvs.broadlearningagenda,whichwasneverfullyresolved.Therewassomereflectionthatbynotgettingmorespecific(pickingoneortwonorms),thegroupwasn’tabletogetasdeepwiththeirtechnicalknowledgeandlearning.
Element3:CurrentcasestudiesfromparticipantsThecasestudiesarethebackboneoftheMarketFacilitationClinics-theyarewherethepragmaticviewsofpractitionerscometobearonrealchallenges.Theyalsorepresentedmorethan60%ofallthetimespenttogetheronthegroupcalls,soareasignificantinvestment.Ideainbrief:Participantseachprepareawell-framedcasestudybasedonacurrentchallengetheyfaceintheirwork.Thishighlightsthedifferentactorsinvolved,thehistory,thegoalsandthebarriersfacedbytheparticipant.Thisshouldbelinkedtothechallengetheystatedwhentheyappliedtothegroup,butcanevenbemorespecific(difficultyworkingwithaspecificmarketsegmentorevenaspecificbusiness).
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Purpose:Bysharingdetailedexamplesandgettinginputfrompeers,participantsareabletoseenewperspectivesontheirchallenge.Thoseaskingquestionsbroadentheirawarenessofmarketsystemsindifferentcontexts,andlearnbytryingtoaddvaluetotheirpeers.Therearesomeclearlessonsonhowtoimprovethequalityofthecasestudies:
• Getpeopletosendwrittensynopsisoftheircasestudytothegroupinadvance(mandatory).• Prioritizetimeforgroupquestions,whichcanbeseparatedintotwokinds:(a)clarification
questionswherepeoplearefillingindetails,buildingaclearerpictureof‘whatis’;and(b)Suggestions/perspectivequestionswherepeoplearepushingthecaseownertothinkaboutwhattheycoulddodifferently.
• Getthecasestudyleadertosummarizetheirkeytakeawaysattheendofthecall,andfollow-upinsubsequentcallstolearnaboutprogress.Thisreinforcesthemessagethatthecasesshouldleadtolearningandaction,whichisthenimplemented.
• Ifpossible,limityourselftoonlyonecasestudypergroupcall.Insomeinstances,inthepilot,twocaseswereexploredwithinasingle(90minute)call,whichcreatedextratimepressureandoccasionallylimitedtheinsightsofcaseleaders.
Therearesomepotentialadaptationstotheformatthatemergedfromthepilotwhichareworthconsidering:Moreintentionalcaseselection:Ifyouweretoaskparticipantstolistarangeofpossiblecasestudiesfromthecurrentworkearlyinthefirstcall,thenthesetopicscouldbeprioritizedtofitwellwiththelearningagenda.Thiswouldhelpparticipantspreparebetterinadvance,andtoensurethelearningagendaisbeingfurtheredintentionally.Inthepilot,thereweresomecaseswherepeoplechoseacasestudythatwasonlytangentiallylinkedtothethemesofthegroup,butgiventheyhadprepareditinadvance,itwasdifficultforthefacilitatortochangetheirtopiconcetheygotstarted.Shortercases:Ifitbecomesmandatoryforpeopletosendtheircaseinwritinginadvance,thenitwouldbepossibletoexperimentwithshorteningthecasestudies(30minmaximum).Thiswouldrequirethecasestobewritteninadvance.
Element4:UpdatesonprogressandlearningfromthefieldItishelpfultostarteachgroupcallwithacheck-in,wherebyparticipantsupdateeachotheronwhattheyhavebeenthinking,learninganddoingintheirwork.Thishelpstocontinuetobuildgrouprelationships,andtohighlightgoodexamplesofcuriosityandself-drivenlearningwithinthegroup.Thiselementhelpsilluminatethewidercontextofpeople’swork,sincetheupdatedoesn’thavetobeconfinedtothegroup’stopic,whichmayleadtounexpectedconnections.Italsoreinforceshowallpractitionersdealwiththefullrangeoforganizationalissuesinimplementation,andnotjustthetopicthattheirclinicisfocusingon(i.e.groupmaybefocusingondonoralignment,butpractitionersstilldealwithmarketresearch,M&E,etc.)
Element5:ExpertQ&AandexplorationsWhilethecoreprincipleofthemarketfacilitationclinicisthatpeoplecangainsufficientperspectiveandinsightfromtheirpeerstotackletheirchallenges,itisalsopowerfultoinjecttheperspectivesofso-
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called‘experts’whoareseniorleadersinasectorwithdeepknowledgeandexperiencetoconveytothegroup.Thiselementprovedvaluableinthepilot,andcameinafewdifferentmodes:
• Specificresearchinsightsonthetopic.• Past/currentexperienceworkingonexactlythesortofchallengethegroupisdealingwith.This
isabitlikeasuper-participantwhohasadvancedknowledge.• Thoughtleaderwhohaswideexperience,hasworkedindifferentcontexts,andis
writing/influencingthefieldonthetopic.Thedegreetowhichtheexpertcantailortheirinsightstothegroupliesmostlyonthefacilitatortobeabletoframethegroup’spurposeandgivecleardirectiontotheexpert.Ifpossible,youshouldobtainsomewrittenmaterialinadvancetosharewithparticipants.Ifthisisnotpossible,linkstotheresources(andnetworks)afterwardsisagoodbackupplan.Allfouroftheexpertsinourpilothadmoretoshare,andmanyparticipantsreportedthatreferringbacktothese(even3-4weeksafterthefact)wasveryuseful.
Sequencingandfrequency• Werecommendbringingexpertsroughlyhalf-waythroughaclinic.Thisbalancesgroup
formationgoals(lettingthegroupformitsownculture)withknowledgeintegrationgoals(leavingenoughtimeforthenewperspectivestobeintegrated).
• Bringinginatleast2expertspergroupwillallowforadiversityofopinions,highlightingthatnosinglepersonhastheanswersorthe‘right’perspectivewhenitcomestomarketsystemsapproaches.
Element6:FolderwithsharedresourcesGiventhedesiretobuildonexistingknowledge,itisimportanttoprovideamechanismforleveragingexistingmarketfacilitationresources.Inthepilot,wecreatedasharedGoogleDrivefolderforeachclinic,whichwaspopulatedwithdocumentsandreportsrelevanttothatgroup’slearningagenda.Thesewereidentifiedinlargepartbythefacilitatorandtheothermembersoftheplanningteam,whileafewweresuggestedbyparticipantsthemselves,orprovidedbyexperts.Theuseanduptakeofresourceswasmixed.Mostpeoplereadatleastoneortworesources,whileothersneverlookedatthem.Tooptimizethiselement,werecommendhighlightingonespecificresourceforparticipantstoreadinadvanceofeachcall.Thiscouldbestrategicallychosentobuildonthethemeofthatcall’scasestudy,ifthetopichasbeendecidedoninadvance.
2)MaintaingroupmomentumWhilethegroupcallsformthespineoftheMarketFacilitationClinic,thereisgreatpotentialtoleveragethetimeinbetweencallstosolidifylearninggainsandtocontinuethegroup’smomentum.Werecommendfocusingonfourkeylogisticaltoolsandstrategiestomaintaingroupmomentum:
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SummarizeconversationsimmediatelyNotallpeoplewillattendallcalls,soinvesting30-60minutesaftereachcalltocreatea1-2-pagesummaryofthekeypointsraisedisapowerfulwaytocatchpeopleupwhomisscalls.Italsowilleasetheknowledgecapturefordocumentationattheendofamarketfacilitationclinic.Thisimportantfunctionrequiresdiligenceandtimeinvestment,andwasnotadequatelyprioritizedduringthispilot.Oursuggestiontoimprovethisistomakeregulardeliverablesanexplicitpartofthefacilitatorroledescription(i.e.senda1-pagesummarywithin2daysofeachcall)andmakesureparticipantsreadthatinadvanceofthesubsequentcall.
Check-inwithtrustedmembersforfeedback1-on-1check-inswithindividualmembersareanexcellentwaytogetapulseonhowthingsaregoingandtogatherfeedbackonhowtheclinicisprogressing.Ifthereislimitedbudgetandtimeforthis,prioritycanbegivento(a)strongcontributorsand(b)peoplewhomisssessions,tosupportthehighandthelowendtokeepthegroupasawholemovingalong.
AdaptiveschedulingThisisthemostmundanebutpossiblythemostcruciallogisticalstrategyformaintaininggroupmomentum.Whenworkingwithdiversegroupsspreadacrosscountriesandtimezones,therewillfrequentlybepeoplewhocannotmakeaplannedgroupcall.Judgementcallswillarisewhenyouhavetodecidewhethertochargeforwardwithoutsomeone,ortoreschedule.Especiallyforthefirst2calls,werecommendtryingtoaccommodateeveryone.Keytothisisquickdecisionmaking,whichusuallyinvolvesreachingouttopeople1-on-1.Groupemailsareconvenienttosend,butunreliabletowaitforresponsesto.Sometimesa90secondcallisallittakestogetaclearansweronsomeone’savailabilityforanalternativetime,anditisworththefinancialcostofpayingtocallpeopleontheircellphone(viaskypeorotherpaidservice).
TimingthereminderemailsandupdatescarefullyEvenpeoplewhoareavailableforaregularlyscheduledgroupcallwillforget.Particularlyifthereisanychangetothe‘normal’schedule,youshouldsendemailremindersinadvancesoparticipantshaveitontheirradar.Thisisevenmoreimportantforremindingcaseleaderstoprepareandsendwrittencasestudiestotheircolleaguesinthegroupbeforethecall.
3)WrapuptheprocessAsthefinalcallapproaches,itisagoodtimetothinkabouttherequirementsforwrappingupanddocumentingthemarketfacilitationclinics.Sincethisdocumentisanexampleofwhatthedocumentationmightlooklike,hereisabrieflistofthe3keyelementsofwrap-upthatweundertookinthispilot(subjecttoadaptationinothercontexts):
FeedbacksurveyWeoptedtoonlyconductafinalexitsurveyattheendgiventheshorttimeframeandlimitednumberofcalls.Thiswassentouttoparticipants1-2daysaftertheirfinalcallasagroup.ThefullsurveyisincludedinAppendix2.
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Post-clinicfollow-upWeplantodoashorterfollow-upsurveywithpeople~3monthsfromtheendoftheclinicstoseetheextentofimplementationandwhatresultshaveoccurred.ThiswillalsobesupplementedwithIn-personengagementatupcomingconferenceswherepossible.
DocumentationGiventhepilotnatureoftheseinitialMarketFacilitationclinics,wehaveinvestedheavilyindocumentation,creatingthisguideaswellasasetofwritten(andaudio)casestudiesofall4groups.Ourpurposewiththeseoutputsistofeedthelearningoneachchallengebackintothewiderfieldofmarketdevelopment,andtomarkettheclinicstoawideraudienceasamethodforlearningandknowledgemanagement.
PartD)Feedback,EvaluationandAnalysisAdetailedexitsurveywasgiventoparticipantsattheendoftheirfinalgroupcall,whichcontained35+questions(includingsub-questionsandjustifications).Muchofthiswasopenform,givingpeoplethespacetoanswerintheirownwords.Tomakeforeasydigestion,theresultsofkeyquestionshavebeensynthesizedbelowtogivethereaderasenseoftheoverallfeedbackonthepilot.Ofthe17individualparticipants,16completedthesurvey.
1)Expectationsofparticipants:beforeandafterInresponsetoanopen-endedquestionaboutinitialexpectationsforthemarketfacilitationclinics,wereceivedarangeofanswersthatweclusteredintothemes.Thefourmainexpectationsaresummarizedbelow,withthefrequencyoftheirmentioninparentheses:
• Togaintechnicalknowledge,specifictotheircontextandchallenge(8mentions)• Tosharespecificexperiencesofothers,doingsimilarwork(8mentions)• Toputlearningintopracticeimmediately(4mentions)• Tobuildrelationships,networksandcommunity(3mentions)
Weaskedwhetherexpectationschangedattheverybeginning,asaresultoftheir1-on-1callandthelaunchcallwiththeirgroup.Thetablebelowsummarizestheresponses:
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Table5
Change #ofparticipants
Examples
Unchanged 3 “ItwentthewayIthoughtitwould”
Changed(loweredexpectations)
2 “IrealizedthegroupwouldhavelesstechnicaldepththanIhadassumed”“IrealizedthatmyorganizationwouldnotgetasmuchexposureintheSEEPNetwork”
Changed(realizedtheyhadincorrectassumptions)
11 GroupsweresmallerthanIexpected,butIcametoseethatasanadvantage.TherewerelesscallsthanIhadexpected.IrealizedIcouldlearnalotfromtheexperienceofothers.IrealizedIwasn’ttheonlyonefacingthissortofchallenge.Sizeofgroups,numberofcalls,realizingothersharedtheirchallenges,valueinlearningfromothers,etc.
Finally,weaskedparticipantstoratetheextenttowhichtheirexpectationsweremetoverall,havingreflectedbackonthewholeprocess(1=notsatisfiedatall,5=extremelysatisfied).Theaverageratingoverallwas3.6outof5,showingmoderatesatisfaction,withawiderangeofresponses(standarddeviationwas1.5).Thegraphbelowshowsthedistributionofratingsacrossallfourgroups.Eachcolorrepresentsadifferentgroup,butgroupnumbershavebeenleftoutforanonymity.Themostfrequentratingis5/5(extremelysatisfied),with6of16participantsprovidingthisrating.
Fig.8
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Wealsoaskedparticipantstoexplaintheirratinginanopenformquestion.Thisgaveconsiderableinsightintowhytheygavetheratingtheydid,butaddscomplexitytotheanalysis.Someexcerptsfromtheseratingexplanationsareshowninthetablebelow:Table6
Rating Explanationofrating
1 WhileIamquiteinfavorofhavingparticipantsfromavarietyofnationalitiesandgeographiesonthePLGcalls,logisticallyitmadethecallsquitedifficulttohavepeoplefromsuchextremelydifferenttimezonesonthesamecall.
2 Therearenoreadysolutionsouttheresinceeachsituationisuniqueinitsownright.Solutionshavetobethoughtoutanddevisedbypeopleconfrontedwiththesituation.Theexercisesprovidednewperspectivesoflookingatchallenges,thushelpinproblemsolving.
3 Missedonecallthatwascrucialtome,particularlythefourthonewhereXXandYYsharedtheircasestudies.Imissedthedetailsaswellassuggestedstrategiesshared.
4 Itwasagoodopportunitytotestthisideaofgettingpractitioners'together'fromaroundtheworld.Thegroupseemedtobeinagreementattheendthat,ifsuchagroupweretorunagain,itwouldbefruitfultoidentifyareasofsharedinterestatthebeginningandthenprepareforaseriesofmorespecificallyfocusedsessions.
5 Thereflection,discussion,andnewresourcesspurredmeontotakeactionmorestrategicallythanIhavebeendoingrecently.
2)ChangesinitiatedbyParticipantsWeaskedrespondents,“haveyouinitiatedanyspecificchangesinyourorganizationorprojectthatyouwouldlinkbacktothePractitionerLearningGroup?”Ninerespondentssaidtheyhadalreadyinitiated,fourwereintheprogress,andonlythreedidnotplantoinitiatechanges.Notethatthethreewhodidnotplantoinitiatechangeswerethesameparticipantswhowere‘notsatisfiedatall’bytheoverallprocess.Belowaresomeoftheexamplesofchangesthathadbeeninitiatedalready.Giventhepurposeoftheclinicsandtheshortdurationofthesefourgroups,weseetheseasextremelypromisingexamplesofthetypeoffieldlearningandimplementationthatarepossibleevenwitha‘light’implementationofthemethod.
• Insteadofincreasinggeographicalareaforscalingup,revisitthesamefarmerswhoweremadeawareofbenefitsandtrainedonusingorganicfertilizerstoincreaseadoption.
• Selectinganimplementingpartnerforabusinesscooperativesprojectusingaresourcehighlightedintheclinic(MethodsforIdentifyingandSelectingLeadFirms).
• Lobbyingnationalcooperativefederationtoprovidesolarpoweredprocessingequipmenttowomen-ledcooperativestoimproveproductivity.
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• Consideringoptionstoreplicatecommunity-levelprogressupdatemeetingsatavillagelevelwhichprovedeffectiveathighlightingandnormalizingwomen’ssuccessinbusiness.(Thishadbeensharedbyanotherclinicparticipantasabestpractice).
• Testingventurecapitalinareaswheretherearenomicrofinanceinstitutionstofundsmallproducers’organizationstoimprovetheirproductiveconditions,hencetheirincome.
• DevelopinganewprojectconcepttoexplicitlyaligntheactivitiesofthemajoractorsinthewaterandsanitationsectorinCambodia,whichhasgainedmomentumandisunderconsiderationforfunding.
• Co-hostingadonorstaffworkshoptogetherwithDCEDandBEAMExchangetargetingdonorstaffinTanzania,Kenya,Ethiopia,andUganda.
• Makingadocumentaryoftransformationalstoriesfromfemalefarmerrolemodelsandsharingwithpartnersandwomentoencouragewomenproducers.
• Createdadatabaseofwomen,gendermaterials,tools,studies.
3)RecommendationsandwillingnesstopayinfutureGiventheinterestinusingthispilotasabasisforfurtherexpansionofMarketFacilitationClinics,weaskedacoupleofquestionstodoarough‘markettest’ofthevalueofthisservicetoparticipants.Whenaskedwhethertheywouldrecommendthisinitiativetoafriendorcolleague,15outof16saidtheywould-averyinterestingresult,giventhattwoofthethreewhowere‘notsatisfiedatall’wouldstillrecommendtheinitiative.Almostallpeoplesaidthat,inparticular,theywouldrecommendittopractitionerswhoareactuallyimplementingamarketsystemsprogram.Somerecommendedseniormanagers,directorsorexecutivedirectors,whileotherswerenotspecificaboutthelevelofseniority.Wealsoaskedaboutpeople’swillingnesstopayforthisserviceinthefuture,andfoundthat5outof16wereconfidenttheirorganizationwouldbewillingtopayforthisexperienceinthefuture.
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PartE)RecommendationsforFutureAdaptationsThispilotcycleofMarketFacilitationClinicswasan‘experiment’inmanysenses.Inthissection,wereviewsomeofthekeyvariablesthatweeitherheldconstantacrossallgroups(i.e.numberofcalls)orthatwevariedacrossgroups(sizeofgroup,geographicspread,typesoforg’s).Thissectionisintendedtocapturesomeofthelearningfromwhatchoiceswemadeinthispilot,andmakerecommendationsabouthowtoadjustvariablesintheanysubsequentiterationsofthismethod.Table7
Variable Rangeinpilot Recommendation+Rationale
1)Durationofclinics:numberofcallsandtimespan
Allgroupshad5callsspreadacross8-10weeks
Increaseto7-9callstotakeadvantageofrelationshipsbuiltandtogodeeperontechnicallearning.Thiswouldincreasethecostofthepilot,butlikelysolidifyimpactandlearningofparticipants,byexploringmoreexistingresources(tools,frameworksandpublishedcasestudies)andgivingthemmoretimetoimplementnewactionsandstrategies.
2)Sizeofgroups:numberofparticipantsperclinic
Groupsizerangedfrom3-5people
Target3-4peoplewiththemotivation,commitmentandfitwithgrouptopic.Qualityismoreimportantthanquantityofparticipant;riskofgroupof5isthefeelingthatthereis‘always’someoneabsent.
3)Typesofparticipants:seniorityandlocationofparticipants
WiderangefromfieldtoHQ;earlycareertoseniormanagement
Keepgroupsofthesame‘level’intermsofseniority(middlemanagersorseniormanagers)whoareincountryimplementingprojects.Thisminimizespowerdifferencesandmakesiteasierforpeopletorelatetoeachother’scontext.
4)Typesoforganizations:size,scopeandnature(publicvs.private)
Widerangefrominternationaltolocal;NGO,privatecontractorandlocalbusiness
Targetparticipantswhoworkonprogrammesexplicitlytakingamarketsystemsapproach(orplanningtostartadoptingtheapproach).Bevigilantinprobingthemotivationsofbusinessestojoinaclinic.Whilediversityinorganizationalformsupportsmutualempathy,itcanalsoderailconversationsifnotchecked.Itislikelybettertoinvitebusinessestojoinona1-offbasisthantobecoregroupmembers.Ultimately,sharedinterestinfacilitatingsystemicchangeinmarketsiscrucial.
5)Familiaritywithmarketsystems
Rangefromdeeplyexperiencedtobrandnew
Conductsomesortofrudimentary‘screening’toatleasthaveagaugeofpeople’sunderstandingandexperiencewithmarketsystemsapproaches.Hostakick-offwebinar(optional)forallclinicparticipantstosetsomecommonlanguageandframingaboutmarketsystems.
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6)Multiplepeoplefromsameorganization
Threeorganizationshadmultipleparticipants,mostdidnot
Infuture,makeamoreexplicitefforttoconnecttogetherpeoplewithinthesameorganizationwhoareparticipatinginparallelclinics.Wedidn’thaveenoughinteractiontoknowthevalueofthisfeature.
7)Topicselectionprocess
Opencall,followedbysecondroundwherewe‘pitched’topicstoattractapplicants
Seekwaystosupportparticipant-ledidentificationoftopicsandinteractionwitheachother,ratherthantryingtodirectthisprocesscentrally.Somesortofvirtualopenspace(googledoc,e-discussion,LinkedIndiscussion)couldhelpparticipantsfindpeopletheyareinterestedinlearningfromandactuallydecreasethetimespentsortingthroughapplications.
8)Cross-clinicinteraction
Noexplicitinteractionbetweengroupswassupported
Bringingtogethertheparticipantsfromallclinicsatthebeginningandendoftheprocesscouldsupportbuy-inandcross-fertilizationofideas.
9)Introductionofexistingresources&knowledge
Oneguestexpertpergroupand4-6articlesorresourcessharedwitheachgroup
IncreaseuseofexistingmaterialsonSEEP,BEAMandotherplatforms,andaskparticipantstoplayamoreactiveroleinreadingandrecommendingresourcestooneanother.Thiscanbelinkedto‘assigning’onekeyreadingbetweeneachgroupcalltofostersharedlearning.Asmentionedinprevioussections,increaseto2guestexpertspergroup,andhavethesespreadmoreevenlyacrossthedurationoftheclinic.
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Appendices
Appendix1:FacilitatorScopeofWork
OverviewPractitionerLearningGroups(PLGs),coordinatedbyTheSEEPNetworkwithsupportfromTheBEAMExchange,aredesignedtohelpprojectleadersseizetheaforementionedopportunitiesinanefficient,timely,andcost-effectiveway.ThePLGcoordinatorsidentifyfellowpractitionerswhoareworkingoncommonissuesandchallenges,conveneandfacilitatemeetings,bringinexternalexpertswhenneeded,documentthecollaborationprocess,andraisetheprofileofyourachievements.Thiscollaborationwilltakeplacethroughstructured,time-bound,andfacilitatedinteractions,suchasSkypeconferences,webinars,andin-personmeetings.
ScopeofWorkTotalLoE:25-30days(for2or3PLGs)ThePLGsfacilitatorwilltosupportthegroupbyhelpingthemrefinetheirlearningquestionsandthendevelopanactionplantoaddressthequestions.ThePLGfacilitatorswillsupportongoingcommunicationanddiscussionforeachgroup,aswellashelpthegroupdocumentitslearning.TheSEEPteamwillprovidesupportandsupervisionthroughtheprocess.SEEPwillalsoberesponsibleforsettingupcallandprovidinglogisticalsupport.
ReviewshortlistedPLGapplicationsandprovidecomments
WorkwithSEEPteamtodesigninitialPLGimplementationplan(activitiesandtimeline,whichwillthenbecustomizedforeachPLGbasedonlearningpriorities)
HelpthePLGstoclarifyanddefinetheproblemstobeaddressed
Convene&moderateinteraction,viaWebEx,Skypeetc.–1spacepermonth(ifthereisinterestfromthegroupmembers,oneinpersonmeetingmightbeconvened)
AssistPLGstorecordideas/solutionssystematically(e.g.minutesfromwebinarsandexecutivesummaries)
HelpPLGsaccess/consultBEAM&otherNetworks
SynthesisoflearningfromthePLGs
FollowupandsupportPLGstodocumenttheirprocessandresultsofimplementingsolutionsthattheycomeupwith.
AnalyzelessonsfromthepilotoverallandwriteupBroadcommunicationofresultsviablog,BEAMwebsite&foraFollowupwithinterestedstakeholders
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ProjecttimelineMainactivities Start End
LaunchRFP(3weeks) 18-Feb March10th
HireFacilitator Feb22nd March10th
Selectteamsandinformthem(Ihaveafeelingwemighthavesomeclarificationquestionsinsomecases)
March10th
March16th
Exchangeofproblemsanddesignofsolutions
SolicitadditionalinformationfromeachPLGparticipantaboutprojectMarch16th
March24th
InitialPLGmeetingwithfacilitator(assumingwedothesevirtuallyweshouldbeabletohavethemdoneinthesetwoweeks.Ifwewanttodoaninpersonmeeting,weneedmoreleadtime)
March25th
April8th
Implementationofsolutionsandongoingexchange(Approx.10weeks) April8th June15th
Productionofcasestudies June15th June30th
Synthesisofimplementationprocessandlessonslearned June15th June30th
Appendix2:ApplicationQuestionsCallforApplications(FirstRound)
1. PleasedescribethemarketsystemsdevelopmentchallengeyouwouldliketoaddressthroughthePractitionerLearningGroup(500wordsmaximum).
2. Ihavediscussedthischallengewithmyprojectteam,includingmyprojectsupervisor,andtheyagreewiththeimportanceofaddressingthisissue.
3. Willyouneedfinancialsupporttoparticipateinthein-personmeetingofthePLG?Note:FinancialsupportisonlyavailabletoSEEPNetworkmembers.
4. WhichSEEPNetworkmemberorganizationareyouaffiliatedwith?JointheGroups(SecondRound)
1. Selectthegrouptowhichyourchallengerelates(clickheretolearnaboutthefourgroups):a. EngagingwithMultipleTypesofPrivateSectorPartnersb. FinancialProductDesign:InclusiveFinanceinRuralAreasc. GenderNormsinMarketSystems:TheHiddenForcesthatConstrainEmpowermentd. LeveragingMarketSystemstoReachtheLastMile
2. PleasedescribethemarketsystemsdevelopmentchallengerelatedtotheabovementionedPLGyouselected.
3. Ihavediscussedthischallengewithmyprojectteam,includingmyprojectsupervisor,andtheyagreewiththeimportanceofaddressingthisissue.
4. Willyouneedfinancialsupporttoparticipateinthein-personmeetingofthePLG?Note:FinancialsupportisonlyavailabletoSEEPNetworkmembers.
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5. WhichSEEPNetworkmemberorganizationareyouaffiliatedwith?
Appendix3:FeedbackSurvey(A-Demographicquestions)NameOrganization(B-InitialExpectations)WhatwereyourexpectationsforthisPractitionerLearningGroupwhenyoufirstapplied?Howdidyourexpectationschangeafteryour1-on-1callandthefirstgroupcall?Reflectingbackonthewholeprocess,towhatextentwereyourexpectationsmet?(Providespaceforcommenttoo)Notsatisfiedatall(1)
Slightlysatisfied(2)
Somewhatsatisfied(3)
Moderatelysatisfied(4)
Extremelysatisfied(5)
�[] �[] []� �[] []
(C-Levelofengagement)Numberofcallsyouattended.Ifyoucouldnotattendoneormorecalls,pleaseletusknowwhy.ResourcesyoureadfromthegoogledrivefolderResourcesyousharedConversationswithothersatyourorganizationaboutthePLGprocessandnewideas/insightsyoumayhavegainedfromit.(D-Learning&Actiontaken)ToolsandframeworksyoufoundusefulExamplesorcasestudiesthatwereparticularlyinfluentialSpecificchangesyouhaveinitiatedinyourorganization/projectthatyouwouldlinkbacktothePLGs(a)whatwerethey?(b)arethechangesyouareproposingbeingacceptedorrejectedbyyourstakeholders?Why?RatethequalityofyourrelationshipwitheachoftheotherPLGmembers(needstobetailoredspecificallytoeachgroup)0=didn’tknowtheywereinthegroup.3=awareofwhotheyareandtheirwork.5=comfortablereachingout1-on-1toaskaquestion.(E-Nextstepsandcontinuation)Whatarethemostimportantissuesyoustillneedtoaddressinyourorganization/project?Howareyouplanningtodealwiththose?Doyouthinkyouwillcontinuetobeintouchwithyourgroupmembersevenwithoutfacilitatorsupport?Whichformsofcommunicationdoyouplanonusing?Email(1-on-1)
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Email(group)SkypecallOther(specify)Howwouldyouneedtochangethefunctioningofthegroupworkiftherewasnomoreexternalsupport?(i.e.WebExandpresenceofafacilitator)Whatrolecouldyouplaytomakethathappen?(F-FeedbackandimprovementontheoverallPractitionerLearningGroupprocess)Whatwouldyoukeepandwhy?Whatwouldyouimproveandwhy?Whatwouldyoudrop?(andwhy)Whatwouldyouadd?(andwhy)WouldyourecommendaPLGtoafriendorcolleague?Ifyes,whattypeofpersonwouldyourecommenditto?BasedonyourexperienceinthispilotPLG(5callsover10weeks),howmuchdoyouthinkyourorganizationwouldbewillingtopayforthisexperienceinthefuture?$0-wouldnotpayanythingfortheservice.$250/week$500/week$750/weekMorethan$750/week
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AboutSEEP
SEEPisagloballearningnetwork.Wesupportstrategiesthatcreatenewandbetteropportunitiesforvulnerablepopulations,especiallywomenandtheruralpoor,toparticipateinmarketsandimprovethequalityoftheirlife.Foundedin1985intheUnitedStates,SEEPwasapioneerinthemicrocreditmovementandhelpedbuildthefoundationofthefinancialinclusioneffortsoftoday.Inthelastthreedecadesourmembershavecontinuedtoserveasatestinggroundforinnovativestrategiesthatpromoteinclusion,developcompetitivemarkets,andenhancethelivelihoodpotentialoftheworlds’poor.SEEP’s120memberorganizationsareactiveinmorethan170countriesworldwide.Theyworktogetherandwithotherstakeholderstomobilizeknowledgeandfosterinnovation,creatingopportunitiesformeaningfulcollaborationand,aboveall,forscalingimpact.
AbouttheBEAMExchangeTheBEAMExchangeisaprogrammefundedbytheUK’sDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment(“DFID”)andtheSwissAgencyforDevelopmentandCooperation.ItisadministeredbyPricewaterhouseCoopersLLP,workingwithorganizationsincludingtheInstituteofDevelopmentStudiesandiTAD.Formoreinformation,visithttps://beamexchange.org/Copyright©2016TheSEEPNetworkSectionsofthispublicationmaybecopiedoradaptedtomeetlocalneedswithoutthepermissionofTheSEEPNetwork,providedthatthepartscopiedaredistributedforfreeoratcost—notforprofit.PleasecreditTheSEEPNetworkand“AHowToGuideforMarketFacilitationClinics.”ThispublicationwasproducedincollaborationwiththeBEAMExchange..Foranycommercialreproduction,pleaseobtainpermissionfrom:TheSEEPNetwork1611N.KentSt.,Suite610Arlington,VA22209(tel):12025341400(fax):17032761433Email:seep@seepnetwork.orgPrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Toaccessthispublicationonline,visitwww.seepnetwork.
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