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ePaper created 2015-12-01, 11:30:18 | version 1.43.00
43akzente 1/15 What is the philosophy behind the GIZ management model Capacity WORKS? Addressing most social problems in the world today requires cooperation between various organisations. Capacity WORKS provides answers to the question of how part- nerships can be designed so that all parties jointly contribute to finding the optimum solutions to a social problem. The strength of Capacity WORKS lies in asking the right questions and not simply imposing answers. Each project manager approaches tasks in a different way and is highly motivated. Capac- ity WORKS embraces this potential. The fo- cus is on creativity, strategy and flexibility. The concept succeeds in helping everyone to find their own individual path, but also to achieve the same goal: that of successfully im- plementing change and cooperation. The universal solution is that there is no universal solution. Every partnership is unique. So how has it been possible to develop a transferable concept? Our day-to-day business involves a vari- ety of different roles and responsibilities, countries, partners and clients. Our hallmark is achieving high quality and clear outcomes despite the wide range of contexts. This can- not be done using templates or ready-made answers; instead we have a toolbox to help us arrive at intelligent solutions which may differ very widely. How relevant is Capacity WORKS to GIZ’s work on the ground? Based on years of experience using the model, we have now decided to make Ca- pacity WORKS a binding model for manag- ing our projects. Our cooperation projects cannot simply be run in a hierarchical way like organisations, they require intelligent steering. Capacity WORKS offers the meth- odological tools needed to do this. A holistic approach to planning and steering greatly simplifies quality assurance. The model ena- bles everyone to find their bearings, regard- less of professional background, nationality, cultural identity or age. Defined criteria for success, a checklist, a methodological tool- box and practical examples guarantee qual- ity and flexibility in equal measure. And of course, Capacity WORKS forms the basis of GIZ’s standardised commitment to deliver services to its clients, partners and commis- sioning parties. The way GIZ goes about planning and implementing its projects is in its DNA. What does the concept offer other organisa- tions and companies? The book is the distillation of 30 years of GIZ management experience. This experi- ence has been pooled, studied within the context of recent approaches to theoretical system analysis and prepared in such a way as to make it usable in practice across all fields – such as the energy transition, digital change or structural policy challenges. As a federal enterprise, GIZ of course also takes great interest in sharing its knowledge with others. For all those involved in providing targeted support for social change processes, the management model shows how challeng- ing goals can be achieved in a complex and unpredictable world through systematic co- operation management. Capacity WORKS provides the orientation and structure for practical action. What makes for successful cooperation? Managing partnerships is one of the core challenges of international cooperation. A new GIZ publication explains how to put this into practice. ‘Cooperation must be systematic in design if we are to bring about successful change processes,’ says Christoph Beier, Vice-Chair of the GIZ Management Board. SPECIAL ‘Cooperation Management for Practitioners’ pools the experi- ence gathered over 30 years of GIZ activities. Published by Springer Gabler, the book is available in German (2014) and in English, French and Spanish (2015).