Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 2) | Page 171

Special Editions

Dear Social Work Practice Teachers and Leaders,
We hear quite a lot about capacity and capability building in the sector but
what do people usually mean by this? Most of the time, they usually mean
having the knowhow, resources and time to produce satisfactory outputs
or outcomes. Why are these especially important in our context today?
One possible reason is because we live in an increasingly complex, volatile,
uncertain and ambiguous world and there is a need therefore to continue to
ensure people of the basics of health, safety and a safe environment.
Generally, some of the core capabilities include the knowledge and skills
to 1) deliver good quality service, 2) manage finances and resources for
sustainability and 3) contribute productively to a community. The last point
is important as agencies do not exist independently of their operating
environment. Any agency therefore needs to be able to focus, plan ahead,
avoid distractions and be nimble enough to respond to differing demands
and expectations. It needs to be responsive and persistently purposeful in
order to achieve long-term goals.

Interconnected capacities
The present challenge for many agencies is to systematically provide
opportunities for workers to build core skills that are needed to deliver
services well and to provide a learning and capacity building environment
for workers to thrive. For many agencies in the social sector, the “what”
of capacity building includes programme skills, fundraising skills, and
basic organizational skills. However, these alone are insufficient. What
distinguishes the better from the good agencies is the recognition that
knowledge and skills are a linked set of capacities, which have to be
interconnected in an ongoing basis within the agency ie organisational
function. Coordinating and structuring the interconnectedness is a premium
for effectiveness. There is even now attention on building the capacity of
capacity builders. Such capacities include developing more sophisticated
diagnostic tools; engaging teams (rather than individuals); ensuring that
change management is included as a part of the capacity building process;
engaging diversity; designing participation 1 and inclusion; and developing
the capacity of partner agencies. There is a realisation that the network of
partners is as strong as the weakest link.
The world has changed, and the social sector has been responding. Nonprofits, funders, government agencies and the private sector are acting
together more often, whether forced by budget cuts or drawn by the
promise of collective impact or social impact.
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Adapted from http://tinyurl.com/designingparticipation
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