Transforming change

As humanitarians we spend a lot of time debating what needs to change in our sector and why. But do we look enough at how that change happens?

Humanitarians, willingly or not, usually find themselves surrounded by change in some shape or form. It can come as an unexpected shift that escapes any plans or structure, or it can happen as a planned programme such as Humanitarian Reform, The Transformative Agenda (TA), and now the Grand Bargain.

Yet despite the ubiquity of change, and the time, money and energy that is spent on change initiatives, very little attention has been paid to the processes that make change happen in the humanitarian system.

This ALNAP study looks at how change can be effectively achieved, and captures the ideas and insights around change processes from the panels, presentations and discussions at the 31st ALNAP Annual Meeting in Stockholm this past February.