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Begin New Search Topic Decision-Making Publishing Institution ALNAP: Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance

1. Action Learning for Frontline Humanitarians: a resource pack

Author:
Jennifer Doherty, Amelie Sundberg, and Alice Obrecht
Publication Date:
11-2022
Content Type:
Course Pack
Institution:
ALNAP: Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance
Abstract:
The knowledge of frontline staff – those directly involved in programme implementation and monitoring – is fundamental to good humanitarian action. These individuals make decisions and solve problems every day in their work with crisis-affected populations. The interactions they have with communities produce important information on how to implement projects most effectively to meet local needs. Decisions stemming from this experiential knowledge can be as valuable as decisions reached through more formal, explicit evidence. The pack is for programme staff who are implementing projects, staff in monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) roles who are collecting data and evaluating projects, and for team leaders or managers who work with them. Individuals, project teams or cross-organisational and inter-agency groups can all use this approach.
Topic:
Humanitarian Aid, Decision-Making, and Organizational Learning
Political Geography:
Global Focus

2. Beyond Assumptions: How humanitarians make operational decisions

Author:
Leah Campbell and Paul Knox Clarke
Publication Date:
11-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
ALNAP: Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance
Abstract:
The ability to make good decisions – particularly under urgent and uncertain circumstances – is fundamental to effective humanitarian response. Yet decision-making to this extent has received little academic attention. The ALNAP Study ‘Beyond assumptions’ seeks to address this gap and it is the result of over two years’ work exploring the nature of humanitarian contexts, the different types of decisions that they require, and the most suitable approaches to making these decisions at the country/ field level. This research builds upon ALNAP’s previous work on humanitarian leadership and coordination, where the importance of good decision-making emerged as a key theme. Time and again humanitarian evaluations have also flagged it as an issue, with decision-making receiving regular criticism for being too slow, disconnected from strategy, opaque and unaccountable.
Topic:
Leadership, Decision-Making, Coordination, Humanitarian Response, and Assessment
Political Geography:
Global Focus

3. Operational Humanitarian Decision-making Infosheet

Author:
Leah Campbell and Paul Knox Clarke
Publication Date:
04-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
ALNAP: Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance
Abstract:
ALNAP is undertaking a new piece of research to better understand how humanitarians can make effective decisions in situations of urgency and/or uncertainty. Why study humanitarian decision-making? Decision-making is an important, yet often criticised, aspect of effective humanitarian response. Evaluations point to numerous instances where decision-making has been slow, opaque and unaccountable. The importance of good decision-making has also emerged as a significant theme in ALNAP’s previous work on humanitarian leadership and coordination. Despite this, relatively little academic attention has been given to decision-making in humanitarian response.
Topic:
Leadership, Decision-Making, and Humanitarian Response
Political Geography:
United Kingdom and Europe

4. Transforming Change

Author:
Paul Knox Clarke
Publication Date:
09-2017
Content Type:
Case Study
Institution:
ALNAP: Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance
Abstract:
As humanitarians we spend a lot of time debating what needs to change in our sector and why. But do we look enough at how that change happens? Humanitarians, willingly or not, usually find themselves surrounded by change in some shape or form. It can come as an unexpected shift that escapes any plans or structure, or it can happen as a planned programme such as Humanitarian Reform, The Transformative Agenda (TA), and now the Grand Bargain. Yet despite the ubiquity of change, and the time, money and energy that is spent on change initiatives, very little attention has been paid to the processes that make change happen in the humanitarian system. This new ALNAP study looks at how change can be effectively achieved, and captures the ideas and insights around change processes from the panels, presentations and discussions at the 31st ALNAP Annual Meeting in Stockholm this past February.
Topic:
Governance, Leadership, Performance Evaluation, Decision-Making, Organizational Learning, and Organizational Change
Political Geography:
Global Focus