What FCDO advisors can learn from each other, before they even start learning themselves
Three challenges we explored in a community meetup
In a Zoom room, we’ve come together to discuss humanitarian supply chain transparency. It’s a gnarly, complex subject — and, with all attendees still at the contracting and onboarding stage of their Frontier Technology Livestreaming journey, what could they possibly have to share with one another?
Quite a bit, as it turns out. Here are three challenges we explored together:
📲 Getting buy-in from the beginning is hard (but important)
For FCDO advisors starting out on their Pilot journeys, there’s a thirst to set up a Steering Committee: a group of advisors who can advise and support along the way. We know from previous pilots that each steering board is valuable. Engaging a group who can advise and support you early on is vital. Previous Pioneers have wished that they’d done more with their steering group; creating space for more involvement so that the group could be useful.
For these advisors they were largely seeking humanitarian experts, to bring in-depth knowledge of the sector to help “scope out the real problem before we get started,” shape the opportunity and attract support for testing the solution down the line. These pilot projects are testing solutions to transform whole humanitarian supply chains. It’s a complex, delicate sector which demands insight and support from the inside.
The need is clear, but the common challenge we explored was getting that initial buy-in.
Relying on one’s own network and getting ghosted via email isn’t exactly a motivating start to a pilot project. We discussed whose networks could be drawn on: “Is there someone you can put me in touch with?” We found that while it was unfortunately normal for people to not respond, the problem was understanding why the advisors’ ask wasn’t resonating.
We raised questions together: How do you motivate people to get involved? What’s the value for an expert in the sector? How can we incentivise other FCDO staff working in relevant departments? How can we help those staff members understand why their support is valuable?
Advisors discussed what would be helpful to them were they on the other side of the conversation, being asked to support in a Steering Committee:
“I would need to know exactly what I’m carving time out to advise on…. Situate it right within their ongoing work… Make it clear how this is in my mandate, and relates to my existing commitments.”
Another strategy could be asking for the “yes, if” from experts you manage to connect with, borrowed from the Frontier Tech Hub’s playbook’s play on getting buy-in from investors early on. Their aim was to talk to as many people as you can in order to understand what they would need to see in order to make an investment decision. What if we used this strategy to better understand how to make this project a valuable use of FCDO expert’s time ie. “Yes, I might be able to help you, if there’s a direct link to x, y and z which I’m currently working on.”
Read the full Frontier Tech Playbook here
But overwhelmingly, we explored how important it is to frame your innovation within the sector’s existing narrative: at the heart of ongoing work with a story that leads with the change you think is possible. Which lead us to our second challenge:
📖 Telling the whole story of your pilot project, not just the bit about the tech
The Frontier Tech Hub coaches FCDO Advisors to prepare for failure. Failure is good, because it leads to learning. But perhaps while we get tangled up in the language around experiments, innovation and technologies (and prepare for that glorious failure to write a blog about) we forget to define how the project aligns with the wider narrative it sits within.
One Advisor felt that their project might not feel relevant or useful to the humanitarian experts they were trying to connect with to gain insight: It’s more “innovation”, less “humanitarian”. In previous Livestreaming pilot projects, we have seen the challenge around selling innovation in this sector particularly. When problems are endless there’s an overwhelming need to respond in tried and tested ways which work well enough, and avoid prioritising experiments which aim, in some ways, to fail.
These asks for advice and support can quickly become further complicated with the addition of unfamiliar, complicated terms like “blockchain”, “decentralisation” and “smart contracts”. Between ourselves in the hub, we refer to pilots from a technical perspective: “Testing smart geo-seals to track delivery of humanitarian aid,” and “creating a blockchain-enhanced platform to support the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela” for example. But explaining the nuts and bolts of these pilots is often long-winded and requires time to understand.
In order to appeal to and motivate others, what we can do is give them something more human to connect with: we’re testing things that will reduce human error, support grassroots NGOs, reduce corruption and help us support communities with aid across that last, difficult mile:
“This could be a way for small organisations to show funders a track record of delivering in line with their contracts in a deeply corrupt country. These track records could turn into long-lasting relationships supporting a more sustained, trusted network of delivery partners.”
We often want to wait for the results before we tell the story, but spending some time forming that narrative could be a route to bringing people on board your Steering Committee, or getting buy-in from partners with whom to test solutions on the ground.
One of my favourite stories tells me exactly how a new cookstove could directly impact the health of remote families in Nepal, and pave the way for other 3D printed humanitarian resources.
In short, it’s not just about the small-scale experiment you’re testing, or the technologies you’re using. Take a step back and look at the bigger picture, the change it could make across the whole system and how you could situate it within the existing work: “You’re going to solve a real life problem. It’s super exciting!” said one pioneer to another. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of something so potentially groundbreaking?
🚶🏽♂️ Feeling behind, with little to share
“It’s a relief to know I’m not behind yet. It feels like we’re all in a similar boat.”
Each Advisor who came to the meeting shared the same concern that they were falling behind in some way, but left knowing that they were on track and facing the same challenges as others. With 20+ advisors working on 12 pilot projects over the next 12 months, there’s an opportunity to expand this sentiment to the whole cohort and keep supporting one another.
Something we often see in community activities is the expectation that in order to learn from others you need to already have your own learning ready to share. A resounding comment around the room was that no one had done any learning yet. But when you come together you don’t have learning, you are learning. In real time.
As Dave, one of the Frontier Tech Hub coaches pointed out, the programme supports you to be comfortable with not knowing the answers.
“Your coaches are here to help you test the most critical assumptions: What is the biggest unknown? The most lethal uncertainty?”
As we explored these unknowns, more ideas were raised around how to learn and share next: “It would be useful to hear from past advisors about their pilot projects,” said one, “and how they pivoted away from their original ideas.” “Would you be interested in sharing a document each so we can learn more about one another’s projects?” asked another.
By the end of the session connections were planned and networks suggested. Most importantly a collective sigh of relief seemed to rise across the sound-waves, as people logged off to their next meeting, safe in the knowledge that they were not alone on this new, exciting journey.
🚑 Our next peer learning session will be focussed on delivering innovations to support frontline health services
We’ll be sharing stories and insights from each session, and would love to hear from anyone who might have advice or guidance on the challenges we raise each time.
Do you have advice on generating buy-in within organisations when it comes to innovation? Or some guidance on attracting humanitarian sector experts in particular?
✉️ Let us know by emailing dave@hellobrink.co