Building Systemic Capability in An NGO Setting

Abstract

Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are important agencies nestled between formal legislative authorities and the civil society that work to bring about positive change in the society by mobilising financial and technical resources from a competitive common pool. Building systemic capability ensures long-term sustenance for the NGO and also equips them to make the desired impact it sets out to. In this chapter, I will offer a critical reflection of how the Interactive Planning (IP) approach was used in an NGO setting in India to build its systemic capability. The case in point was the Universal Team for Social Action and Help (UTSAH), an NGO that works in the field of child rights and child protection. I was a consultant with between October 2013 and December 2013. UTSAH was in existence for over two-and-half years then. It was at a stage of self-transformation in order to surface as an agency in social action and as an effective voice in the child rights advocacy space, for the future. In order to realise this vision, I worked closely with the organisation to develop a child protection framework to inform its work and put in place a governance structure to enable its service delivery. I first published this case in 2015 with an attempt to describe the intervention undertaken highlighting its participatory and inclusive nature (Chowdhury 2015). Here, I will explore how the element of strategic flexibility was reflected through the process of this intervention and in the framework that was its outcomes. I will also discuss how the approach aligns with the Theory of Change. An emergent critique is also presented that offers a retrospective appreciation of the approach and the framework in the context of holism and flexibility. Deliberations presented here are believed to be beneficial and informative for both academicians and practitioners of systems thinking, and for professionals working in the social impact sector.

Parts of this chapter have appeared previously in “Using Interactive Planning to Create a Child Protection Framework in an NGO Setting” authored by Rajneesh Chowdhury (2005). Systemic Practice and Action Research; New York: Springer; 28 (6); pp. 547–574. Reprinted with permission from the publisher.