Department for International Development: Fragile States

The 2005 Department for International Development (DFID) Fragile States paper committed the organisation to working more effectively ‘in the hardest countries in the world to help develop’. These are countries such as Afghanistan, Somalia, Zimbabwe, and the DRC – complex environments that donors have historically shied from. To succeed, DFID must have its best people operating in the toughest locations and supported by a committed organisation. The challenge of filling these posts with enough of the right people significantly hampers DFID’s effectiveness to address poverty and security in Fragile States.

Solution

In response, DFID’s HR Strategy and Change team committed to asking the question: ‘How does DFID attract enough of the right people to work effectively in Fragile States?’  Two consultants from Impact International were seconded to DFID for six weeks to research this issue. Their brief was to capture and analyse perspectives from across the business of the staffing challenges and recommendations for Fragile States.

The research process gathered input from over 270 people through the following:
• One-to-one organisation-wide interviews
• Online organisation-wide survey
• Field office visits: Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda
• Focus groups: London and East Kilbride
• Review of existing DFID Fragile States policies
• Cross-agency interviews and research

Impact’s report proposed a strategic approach to improving staffing in Fragile States. It offered staff-led recommendations on how to tackle the underlying challenges and achieve the institutional change necessary for DFID to meet its commitment over the medium to longer term.

Outcome

The review generated strategic action and decisions within DFID across the following six thematic recommendations:
• Aligning incentives, recognition and value
• Targeting the right people
• Removing barriers to posting the right people
• Generating accurate perceptions
• Valuing the interpersonal dimensions
• Support for families

"The final report produced by Impact was of high quality demonstrating that the consultants listened effectively and had a strong grasp of the strategic organisational drivers. The work involved sensitive conversations with a range of staff and senior management, and without exception the consultant team applied a style which won the confidence of staff and which respected the use of sensitive data. I would not hesitate to work with Impact in the future."

Jane Clark 
Head of HR Strategy and Change

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