Capacity Development for Learning

My work with organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), SNV (Dutch development agency), RTI International and the Center for Creative Leadership focuses on developing people’s capacity to manage learning and performance. Specifically, I work in the areas of performance management; organizational learning strategy and needs assessment. Examples include:

Bank Danamon (Indonesia)

Bank Danamon has over 20,000 staff with offices across Indonesia. Danamon’s microfinance division provides 320,000+ wholesale and retail customers with secured and unsecured loans which accounted for 25% of the bank’s net profit in 2007. The business challenges facing the microfinance division include sustaining business results, gaining 10% market share, attracting, hiring and retaining the right people, and rapid ramp-up and replication of on-boarding. I developed the learning needs analysis for training the microfinance unit managers using a methodology that forges a direct link between learning and performance.

As well, I produced comprehensive terms of reference for enhancing the bank’s performance management system, and worked with IT to develop a detailed RFP for a learning management system to support performance management, competencies and learning.

The Wellcome Trust

The Wellcome Trust is an independent research-funding charity, established under the will of Sir Henry Wellcome in 1936 with an endowment of around £15 billion.

The Trust wished to make a leap forward in terms of scope, depth and impact of their world-wide learning product offerings. Given his extensive background in health, international development and learning, I was invited to join the consulting team and assist the Trust in revising the strategic direction of their learning division.

The work included an assessment of world-wide value networks (NGOs, ministries of health, WHO, health education institutions) for disease areas such as dengue fever and  malaria in which the Trust is active. My contribution focused on designing new approaches and products that support learning and knowledge management for doctors, nurses, ministries of health, clinical officers and community health workers world-wide.

United Nations Development Programme Country Office Timor-Leste

Along with my associate Jessie Combre (with a combined total of 25 years working in the UN system) I undertook an assignment in the UNDP country office in Timor-Leste focused on an evaluation of the learning and development needed to improve leadership and staff performance.

Through document review, interviews and focus groups we asked (and answered) the following questions:

• Over the next three years, what demands will arise in a changing development environment, and how will these demands affect future office performance and staff competency requirements, given today’s realities?
• How do we create an environment where all staff members see their individual results and competency development linked to the Corporate and Country Office strategic goals, as well as their own career development?
• What factors might negatively impact performance, and how can they be addressed? Issues might include: supervisory practices (e.g., performance management), staff morale, incentives, access to assistance from co-workers and other UN affiliates, availability of software tools and technology, etc.

Our recommendations included a series of leadership and competency development initiatives to create an enabling environment for performance and learning. We saw that the role of learning and development is first, to create a safe, effective environment for learning and performance based on leadership, trust, respect, effective communications and teamwork.

Contact me or give me a call at 902-826-1017

Hal Richman, Ph.D. - Explorer, Problem Solver, Advisor

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