How to do an innovation initiative right: Lessons from UNHCR

Chris Earney, co-leader of UNHCR Innovation, has quite a few things to be excited about these days. The first batch of iFellows — the first innovation fellowship program within the United Nations family — will graduate at the end of September. The U.N. refugee agency is also now preparing to manufacture what could be the next-generation shelters for refugees. Born November 2012, UNHCR Innovation also has thriving partnerships. In fact, much of its work, as we’ve previously reported, involves collaboration with private organizations such as the Ikea Foundation, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard Co., as well as with academic institutions and other U.N. agencies. “We've been fortunate enough to sort on partner on with great organizations and with great colleagues inside UNHCR,” Earney told Devex. “There has been a lot of support for this initiative.” That being said, there were qualms about formalizing an innovation program within the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The sentiments were understandable, Earney said, as innovation, by its nature, seeks to challenge the norms. “If you're sort of asking questions and that's what we're here to do, to ask the questions, challenge the approach, challenge in new and creative ways, then you challenge the status quo,” he said. So how did Earney and his team overcome the qualms? It involved five things. Have the highest level of support from the management T. Alexander Aleinikoff, the U.N. deputy high commissioner for refugees, oversees UNHCR Innovation. Every Monday, he would meet with Earney and his co-leader, Olivier Delarue, to discuss the progress UNHCR Innovation has made in its work, the challenges they face and what he can do to support them and overcome those challenges. “It may sound a little prosaic but having that weekly contact with the No. 2 of an organization as large as UNHCR I think really speaks to his commitment to what we do, and it's not sort of sweeping in and saving the day, but it's having that very, very sustained commitment and that very sustained support,” Earney said. More proof of that commitment and support: When UNHCR Innovation held its inaugural iFellows workshop last November in Bangkok, Aleinikoff flew from Geneva and spent time with the fellows. He also meets and speaks with the fellows in the field when possible and would talk about innovation and its importance during public events. Make the program relevant for people on the ground The yearlong UNHCR Innovation Fellowship program targets agency staff with “innovative spirit, creativity and desire to solve challenges” in delivering assistance to refugees. The fellows receive training and support, including funding and mentorship, so they can pursue innovation projects in their offices or regions. Valentina Duque, a durable solutions associate based in San Jose, Costa Rica, is one of those fellows. Upon returning to her duty station from the workshop in Bangkok, she immediately carried out similar events “using an innovation approach” and has launched a number of projects together with the whole operation. In a blog post, Duque sang praises about the fellowship program, noting how it has helped her understand how to engage and work with refugees through every step of a project, from identifying a challenge to developing a solution. But the freedom to innovate didn’t come without the support of the fellows’ superiors. Aside from requiring the fellowship applicants to get that buy-in, UNHCR Innovation carries out conversations with supervisors to “give their staff a little bit more room to play with,” Earney said. UNHCR Innovation likewise crowdsources ideas for innovative solutions from agency staff, partners and refugees. Experience and engagement through the UNHCR Ideas platform have been positive, according to an independent review by Oxford University. “[At first] I was a bit cynical as I’ve seen other ‘innovation’ forums that don’t yield anything useful. I also wasn’t expecting as many people to be involved, and that the tool would be so useful... [my expectations] were thoroughly exceeded,” Justin Senn, global information technology officer at the UNHCR Nairobi Regional Hub, told authors of the independent review. Allow people to fail and learn from failure Innovation carries the risk of failure, and “to be told that you can fail as long as you learn from your failure is one of the most empowering things I think you can hear when you're trying out a new approach,” Earney said. At present, UNHCR Innovation is developing a set of indicators for innovation to measure success and failures. It is also documenting the process, using the project management tool Basecamp, as it aims to only move forward with an innovation based on robust evidence. Earney cited the example of the Refugee Housing Units. When he and his colleagues tested the shelters out in the field last year, it immediately received feedback — the color wasn’t right, for instance — from the refugees living in them. The team brought this back to the Refugee Housing Unit, the organization that designed the shelters, which in a few months came out with a higher-quality, lower-priced prototype. “If something just didn't work, then we'll document why it doesn't work, not just wash our hands and say ‘Alas, that's it, we're don't need to know anymore,’” Earney said. “As long as you've got evidence, as long as you have data to explain decisions, I think you're OK.” Be transparent and open to collaboration Comprising nine members at present, UNHCR Innovation collaborates with other units within the agency to launch and develop projects through so-called innovation labs. Four labs are in operation, focusing on education, refugees’ home environment, connectivity and energy. The labs allow the teams involved to learn from each other and co-own the issue, according to Earney. “You start to really build up this level of trust, so innovation doesn't just become this crazy thing … but really it's this process that everybody begins to understand,” he added. From time to time, UNHCR Innovation showcases some of the innovations, to open them up to comments and criticisms. This year, it did so for the Ideas Box, putting the cutting-edge library cum multimedia center on display during World Refugee Day at the atrium of the agency’s Geneva headquarters. “You have to show people what you're working on; otherwise they get suspicious,” Earney said. Be persistent When I spoke with Earney, his team was about to complete the testing of RHU. The journey, however, didn’t come without struggle. Earney and colleagues chose the refugee camp in Dollo Ado, in southeast Ethiopia, as the testing site. But it was the middle of Ramadan, the weather hit 40-50 degrees Celsius, and the wind speed was massive. They were situated on the edge of the camp next to the defecation area and they had very little food or water, he recalled. By the end of those two weeks, though, he came away not only with positive results from the testing but a great story to share: The first baby to ever live in an RHU was born. The child’s name is Yunus. “It was a really tough situation, tough conditions. But we pull through and now we've got some amazing feedback,” Earney said. “So that to me was great persistence from our team.” Check out more insights and analysis provided to hundreds of Executive Members worldwide, and subscribe to the Development Insider to receive the latest news, trends and policies that influence your organization.