A few of us were asked recently to unpack one of this year’s fuzzwords – leverage. A fuzzword is a buzzword, but fuzzier – all things to all
people etc. So here’s what we came up with – not final, work in progress etc.
Leverage is working strategically with others in a ‘clever’ way, in order to lever a bigger change than we could ever achieve on our own. It depends on developing a rich web of mutually beneficial relationships and alliances at country, regional and global level. Leverage emerges out of that connectivity.
The starting point is strong, dynamic networks
As far as possible, we need to know people and earn their trust before trying to leverage their involvement.
This means being part of a complex, interdependent and dynamic web of relationships. In this network there are two-way flows of tangible benefits such as funding, revenue, insurance as well as two-way flows of intangible benefits such as knowledge, access to ideas, credibility, influence, real-time data, client/beneficiary perspectives, market information, ability to mobilise large numbers of people, etc.
Such networks may include government departments, specialist INGOs, local networks, local NGOs, private sector businesses, high profile figures, academic institutions and, of course, community members and leaders.
For example, in Oxfam’s work on olive oil in Palestine we have links with the Coady institute in Canada who are world leaders in market facilitation approaches; we have significantly deepened our cooperation with proficient local partners who now work as a single programme team; we have built working relations at all levels with the Palestinian Authority; we have supported the establishment of cooperatives for women and men and are creating autonomous farmers’ federations. We have developed links with the private sector in country, in the Gulf and in Europe and we have used research to deepen our knowledge of the sector and the market. This network is creating the conditions for change that go beyond benefits for a limited number of direct beneficiaries to affect whole olive oil sector.
This approach is not new. For decades Oxfam has been building trust and linkages with a wide range of actors from village to global level in order to combat injustice and poverty.
A leverage approach means we must systematically strengthen these networks at all levels. Leverage is about being far sighted as to what we want to achieve, clear sighted and strategic about who will do it and especially, astute about understanding what kind of actions will create the alliances and momentum we need in order to bring about the big changes we seek.
A menu of approaches: 10 ways to exert leverage
The following approaches fall along a spectrum from innovative to ‘business as usual’. In practice, approaches are likely to combine more than one of these categories. The list is not exhaustive – there are bound to be other variants
1. Leverage through convening/brokering
Bringing a wide range of actors together to work collaboratively within their shared interest
Examples:
2. Leverage through new modality
Introducing a new business model, new technology or new delivery mechanism to reach greater numbers for lower cost
Examples:
- Farm Africa’s Sidai franchise veterinary model
- Jasmine rice producers in Thailand
3. Leverage through exploiting global capability
Maximising the knowledge, networks, know how, systems and reach across Oxfam GB and the confederation to bring significantly more value to key stakeholders
Examples:
4. Leverage through advocacy
Pressing for duty bearers to take up their responsibility to act, e.g. to provide services, enforce laws, (Covers spectrum from insider (research -> advocacy) to outsider (public campaign))
Examples:
5. Leverage through peer-to-peer adoption
Supporting the spread of new community or household level models and techniques to neighbouring villages and districts. One method is social franchising (making it clear to others how to copy what you’ve done. Another is frugal innovation (making it purposefully cheap for others to copy or scale what you’ve done)
Examples:
6. Leverage through replication
Developing an effective model that is then adopted and adapted by other organisations or government institutions
Examples:
7. Leverage through pyramid selling approaches, for example to change public attitudes
Training one group of people who then commit to reach out to and train others, with the expectation that this will continue to grow.
Example:
- We Can End Violence Against Women campaign
8. Leverage through building capacity
Building capacity of key organisations/departments and their staff in government, private sector or NGOs via training, study tours, internships and exchanges
9. Leverage through releasing community potential
Catalysing the effective organisation and use of the physical, natural, cultural, financial, political, institutional and creative assets that are present in communities
Example:
10. Leverage through ‘grow and go’
Growing independent organisations that go and take on their own life either by creating incubation space for emerging organisations or by spinning off projects into new organisations
Example:
- Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) begun by Oxfam and then hosted within Oxfam has taken on its own life and is now a separate Southern network
- New Internationalist magazine, Fairtrade Foundation etc
Feel free to critique, suggest new categories, add examples (plus links) etc
