About GHFP Organizational Development Services
High-performing offices and teams are the product of leadership exercised within work groups that effectively utilize their members' management skills and work processes to achieve program results. The Public Health Institute's Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP) www.ghfp.net is committed to developing the leadership capability of USAID Population, Health, and Nutrition (PHN) officers and the management capacity of health teams in Washington and the field using a skills-based, group process approach.
What is organizational development (OD)?
Organizational development is a planned and collaborative process for understanding, developing, and changing organizations to improve their performance, quality of leadership, and sense of responsibility for the overall success of the organization. OD takes an outcomes-oriented approach that is derived from team values and innovative thinking.
The Professional and Organizational Development (POD) unit within GHFP has established a reputation for conducting organizational development and teambuilding interventions that positively impact group knowledge and individual skills in the areas of interpersonal communication, teamwork, adaptive management and process improvement. Specifically, GHFP and its subcontractor, Management Systems International (MSI) www.msiworldwide.com, can work with leaders and their teams to: build high performing teams; improve communication and staff morale; plan and implement large (or small) scale organizational change; facilitate participatory design and planning processes; assist in building collaborative partnerships; and enhance individual skill and knowledge through learning/training opportunities tailored to each mission office's unique situation and priority needs.
GHFP and MSI maintain a cadre of staff and consultants who have demonstrated expertise in building institutional capacity in USAID and other international development institutions. As a major cooperative agreement (CA) with the Global Health Bureau's Office of Professional Development and Management Support (PDMS), we are able to arrange blended teams of USAID staff and consultants skilled in working in cross-cultural settings to address workforce and management issues. PDMS can expedite accessing GHFP organizational development support through the Bureau's field support mechanism.
Strategic Planning & Program Visioning encompasses the design and facilitation of strategic planning processes, including logic modeling and logical frameworks, stakeholder analysis, SWOT analysis, and gap analysis. This process typically includes the design and implementation of performance management systems and tools for measuring organizational and project goals and objectives as well as the development and clarification of organizational mission, vision, and values. To ensure organizational ownership, collaborative approaches to facilitation and action-planning throughout the process are utilized.
Examples of Tools for Strategic Planning and Program Visioning
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Logical Frameworks (Logframe) (
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The revised ADS (2009) added, as one of the necessary steps in the program cycle, the need to create and work from a logical framework (logframe) at the project level. The logframe is a methodology that complements results frameworks and serves as a means for improved measurement and monitoring of projects.
The development of a logframe allows for improved planning, management, and reporting by USAID staff. It integrates clearly stated objectives and performance indicators derived from the project hypothesis, and it provides specific information for preparation of Scopes of Work, Project Descriptions, and Activity Approval documents.
Click here for an example of a logframe from an actual USAID education project, which demonstrates the logic of the project's objectives and activities and includes the critical assumptions. A brief description of the project is also included as background information.
Click here for a diagram that illustrates how a project's Logical Framework relates to a program's Results Framework and to the overall Foreign Assistance Framework.
Click here to read an article, “The Logical Framework: Program Design for Program Results,” which gives an overview of the main concepts underpinning the Logical Framework tool and its use in development projects.
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Socio-political Environmental Scanning (
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Stakeholder Analysis: This process includes individuals and/or groups likely to be impacted or have an impact on USAID's project or program. Such analysis is typically conducted at the initial planning stages so as to incorporate ideas and interests of all that have a stake in the outcome. Conducting such an analysis encourages agreement among partners, customers, and other potential cohorts throughout the program cycle and ultimately leads to improved management of results.
SWOT Analysis: This unique strategic planning method allows for offices or Missions to identify ideas/issues/topics that are both favorable and unfavorable to achieving a stated objective. This can be done at both the project and program levels and is coordinated with the Results Frameworks or Logframe. The graphic below demonstrates what a SWOT analysis reveals.
GAP Analysis: At the core of this assessment tool are the questions of "Where are we?" and "Where do we want to be?" This tool assists an office, a program, or even the Mission in understanding how their actual investments are being realized vis a vis their performance. In addition, this method can be used to plan development capabilities over time in comparison with current operations. Such analysis of desired change over time allows one to set baselines as an ongoing measure of organizational improvement.
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Strategic Communication (
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Whether communicating with stakeholders or others in the inter-agency process, communications skills are critical to the success of projects and activities - and often require uniquely different skill sets for different audiences. A host of communication vehicles and products are available within USAID but the audience and intended message must be carefully considered in advance. Strategic communications assistance can help an office or Mission analyze its program- or activity-specific outreach activities, intended audiences, and key messages for effectiveness and impact. Communications performance management tools can also be developed to assess impact and success.
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Strategic Issues Analysis (
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Strategic Issues Analysis includes collaborative analysis of program logic & strategic direction. Defining strategic issues is part of the first stage of the planning process and is a critical component of the process towards achieving long-term visions. A careful look at the development hypothesis driving the strategy along with an inclusive discussion with internal and external stakeholders provides an opportunity to widen the inner circle of participation to include a larger system of dialogue about possible futures.
Planning and Managing Change for Organizational Sustainability includes assistance with the implementation of organizational improvement, change, and strengthening of efforts. This is done through the conduct of management assessments, leadership development training, coaching, and group processes
Examples of Tools for Planning and Managing Change for Organizational Sustainability
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Facilitation of Technical and/or Partner Meetings (
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Click here for descriptions of two technical meetings facilitated by GHFP.
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Force Field Analysis and Political Mapping (
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This tool is used for sound decision making. Beyond just looking at pros and cons, it helps a group to weigh the forces for making a decision that will ultimately change the inner workings of the organization (e.g. decision to include a new project or strategic objective).
Below is a Force Field Analysis completed by the fictional Organization XYZ. Org XYZ is a foundation or other donor organization with experienced technical staff in the health sector. Most of the work they support is completed by outside organizations who receive funding from Org XYZ. Org XYZ is considering whether to encourage its own technical staff to increase the number of articles it publishes in journals.
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Institutional Development Framework (
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This tool provides a simple and consistent approach to measuring progress in institutional strengthening. It is designed to help an organization or network of organizations determine where it stands on a variety of organizational components, identify priority areas of improvement, set targets, and measure progress over time. IDF identifies five capacity areas, largely focused on organizational resources, including: Oversight/Vision, Management Resources, Human Resources, Financial Resources, and External Resources (ability to work with communities, government, other NGOs).
Click here to see a model of the IDF that describes characteristics and management resources of organizations at different points along the institutional development continuum from start-up to sustainability.
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Management Improvement Assessments (
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Click here for an example of a Management Improvement Assessment.
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Organizational and Stakeholder Retreats (
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A separate or combined retreat can be conducted with stakeholders in coordination with a larger comprehensive strategic process. A combination of mapping tools and facilitated discussions focus the group on maximizing resources and networks. Information from such a retreat assists in the overall planning and implementation process, encouraging holistic approaches and limiting overlap of efforts among the various stakeholders.
Teambuilding Teambuilding provides groups or teams with the capacity to increase effectiveness and overall performance. This method encompasses building new teams, re-building a team's efficacy, and/or consolidating a team of individuals who have experienced changes of personnel or work responsibilities. There are multiple approaches to teambuilding that can be combined or used individually including the examples described below.
Examples of Tools for Teambuilding
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Mission or Office Staff Retreats (
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Mission or Office Staff Retreats: The conduct of staff retreats is a means to maintaining a healthy work environment. Recommended annually, such retreats promote a sense of appreciation of staff through facilitated sessions on topics such as staff engagement, promoting and building staff capabilities, communication, and any other expected or perhaps unexpected changes the Agency might experience (e.g. an office losing funding or a Mission downsizing). Investing in a retreat denotes a sense of commitment of senior management to focus on the internal structures of the office(s) and how they relates to the larger picture of development.
Staff retreats can be a 2-4 step process including: a) assessment of staff via questionnaire and/or personal interviews; b) discussions or focus groups about expectations of such a retreat (particularly with senior management); c) the conduct of the actual retreat; and d) identifying recommendations for utilization of knowledge gained from interviews and the retreat.
Interested in organizing a retreat?
Click here for a list of possible retreat objectives. GHFP can help you select the most appropriate objectives for your situation.
Click here for an outline of the purpose and brief summary of an actual staff retreat conducted for a USAID Mission.
Click here for a sample pre-retreat questionnaire.
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Team Effectiveness Assessment Inventories (
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There are a number of approaches to assessing team effectiveness that usually include a combination of surveys and interviews to identify strengths and challenges of individual participation within a team as well as the functioning of the team as a whole. Topics of particular interest in such an inventory include: communication, decision-making, time management, feedback/rewards systems, and conflict management. Outcomes from such an assessment can then be used to organize and conduct a staff retreat, to engage in teambuilding exercises, to address any specific grievances or challenges your office may have that inhibits teamwork, etc.
Below is a brief sample survey that assesses how well individuals and their colleagues work as a team.
Click here for a more in-depth sample team effectiveness survey.
exercises are fundamentally based on the idea that no stakeholder acting alone has the sufficient funds, human resources, information, expertise, and/or authority to effectively overcome a particular issue, and therefore collective action is required for its success. This OD approach can offer an opportunity for creative and innovative ideas, improvement and added trust in overall partner relations, increased stakeholder awareness, and reduced risk of planning impasse due to stakeholder conflict.
Such collaboration encourages linkages and synergies within USAID and across the USG Agencies. This is particularly helpful as cross-cutting issues - such as environmental effects or conflict - are a concern. Taking time to think through the various elements involved in working across offices as well as across agencies will allow for a more sound structure for planning and design, as well as implementation and on-going monitoring efforts.
Examples of Tools for Collaborative Planning and Partnerships
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Conflict Management and Collaborative Problem Solving (
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We are all involved in some kind of problem solving everyday - whether it is negotiating where to have lunch or identifying objectives for a new multi-sector project, building skills in how to peacefully resolve issues of contention are key to a healthy work environment. Working collaboratively promotes a foundation for future problem solving that is respectful and energizing rather than negative and depleting. Equipping individuals and teams with the necessary skills to think through creative means to resolving issues assists in building a sense of ownership of the outcomes.
Click here for a model for collaborative problem solving.
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Managing Multi-Party Collaboration Training / Skill-Building (
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As the Whole of Government approach comes to the forefront, increased communication and collaboration with other USG Agencies both in Washington and in the field are particularly important. Skills training can include a variety of topics, including how to communicate with the military (civ-mil relations), strategic communication skills (see description under Strategic Planning section of this site), as well as more fundamental training in essential collaboration skills.
GHFP offers a two-day course "Senior Seminar on Multi-Party Collaboration Skills: The Inside Outside Job of Moving Conflict into Collaboration." The course objectives are that by the end of this seminar, participants will have:
1.Become familiar with five essential skills for building collaborative relationships
2.Expanded insight into their personal reactions that create avenues or obstacles to successful multi-party collaboration and its powerful impact on others both for better and worse.
3.Become familiar with the 9 different worldviews (Enneagram types) which influence and limit perception and determine the way colleagues think, feel, and behave.
4.Acquired knowledge of guiding principles and practical steps they can take to manage reactivity, improve communications, and develop greater effectiveness working across the organizational divide.
Click here for a full course description.
Click here for an example of an actual multi-party collaborative effort undertaken by USAID.
is critical to the effectiveness and sustainability of USAID programming. On a large scale, host country ownership exists when a country's priorities are aligned with its development programs. The transfer and alignment of development activities to a country's national strategy will improve overall relations as well as sustained practices. This process can include the development and installation of participatory performance monitoring systems; the design and facilitation of participatory approaches to performance management; and the implementation of state-of-the-art public sector management approaches embodied in the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) and the President's Management Agenda methodology.
Examples of Tools for Building Host Country Ownership of Development Initiatives:
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Development of host-government strategic information and performance monitoring systems (
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An example will be posted soon.
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Facilitation of collaborative technical planning processes (
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An example will be posted soon.
