Thomas Kerscher Capacity Building Specialist

In initial discussions with potential clients, it can be useful to draw upon a typology of capacity development interventions. The following typology differentiates between five different types of intervention: strategic, preventive, early-warning, corrective, intensive care:^[1]

• Strategic capacity development interventionsinvolve developing missions and visions for the future, defining action plans and clarifying responsibilities (e.g. using Appreciative Inquiry^[2], or Future Search^[3]). These interventions aim at “pulling” rather than “pushing” capacity development. They help build common ground among all stakeholders, identify scenarios and ways to overcome obstacles.
• Preventive capacity development interventionsfocus on maintaining an organisation’s long-term survivability and growth. These interventions cover two areas: (i) the area of organisational health, i.e. organisational elements which are working well now and which are likely to work well in the future, and (ii) stop-gap measures in which organisational elements work well under the current conditions but would likely be vulnerable when conditions change.
• Early-warning capacity development interventionsaim at installing mechanisms which identify and address emerging issues before they become acute by continuously scanning the external and internal environments for trends that might affect the organisation.
• Corrective capacity development interventionsinvolve the development of solutions to current critical issues. Rapid and accurate assessment is essential, and quick, decisive action is necessary to “stop the bleeding”. Because the focus is on critical operational issues under crisis conditions, strategic issues might be neglected – leading to a vicious circle that requires constant crisis management.
• Intensive care capacity development interventionsare used when preventive and early-warning strategies are neglected and corrective interventions come too late. Under these circumstances all available energy is directed to dealing with survival. Capacity development may fail altogether, e.g. as a result of a breakdown in public trust, so that the system must be wound down.