A resilience agenda to overcome the post-pandemic crisis- Forecasting and convergence of agendas (Demand)
What does the strategy seek to achieve?
The aim of this strategy is to adjust the Institute’s technical cooperation agendas to offer responses that better satisfy the demands of partners, allies and clients, in response to the new requirements arising from the management of the crisis and the recovery process. Proposals for cooperation should seek to streamline decision-making processes about public policies and private investment during the crisis and about the new recovery agendas. To this end, IICA should establish itself as a benchmark institution, with the capacity to anticipate and forecast, and with a greater demand for its improved and specialized cooperation services.
What are the expected results?
- The Member States will have less uncertainty amidst the disruptions stemming from the pandemic and the Institute will have reinforced its image as a proactive and innovative actor in processes to formulate public policies, investment and the social management of territories, as well as to enhance the competitiveness of chains and the resilience of agrifood systems.
- The Member States will have developed national resilience agendas to address the vulnerability of agrifood systems and rural livelihoods in the medium-term – 2021 to 2026. Based on these agendas, IICA will formulate regional and hemispheric agendas that will define the scope, components, factors and processes to be considered as supranational actions to guide technical cooperation and the creation of international public goods.
- The Institute’s agendas will include guidelines developed based on prospective scenarios, and specifically, on the new challenges stemming from the economic recession, confinement measures and the suspension of global economic activity.
Platform for the innovation value chain: Technical cooperation products and services (Supply)
What does the strategy seek to achieve?
It seeks to apply the underlying logic of the model and value proposition of IICA’s technical cooperation services, in the form of an innovation platform to: a) determine the current situation in the knowledge management networks and chains in the spheres of action of the Institute’s technical agenda; b) implement an action strategy that leads to significant value-added partnerships with complementary links in the innovation chain, which will consolidate IICA’s role and competence as a contextualizer, bridge and facilitator; and c) strengthen the institutional culture of developing technical cooperation products, which includes the formalization, documentation and implementation of technical content for users and clients, as solutions to their needs.
What are the expected results?
- The Institute will have consolidated its position as a leading institution in innovation processes and established the idea that “IICA knows who knows”.
- IICA will have integrated the logic of the value chains, the principles of shared value and collaborative services into its technical cooperation services, programs and operations, with a view to developing mechanisms for permanent and long-term partnerships and fair compensation to the parties involved.
- IICA will have developed a series of practical instruments, tools or technical products—as final solutions, adaptable to specific contexts—in support of technical cooperation services in the innovation platform.
Strengthening of human talent: Training, development and certification system for technical and administrative skills
What does the strategy seek to achieve?
The aim is to enhance the productivity of IICA’s human resources, by strengthening human talent operations and by professionalizing and formalizing processes for selection, assigning of roles, development, training, certification, incentives and professional commitment. Furthermore, the aim is to transform the IICA team into an efficient structure, capable of executing the value proposition that defines its business model, displaying high quality standards, a greater commitment and a superior ability to sell its services. Therefore, the products developed as part of IICA’s portfolio of services will be delivered by a knowledgeable team, which is capable of guiding their application; providing services to the user or client; acting as “account executives” or project officers; and selling these services in the different situations in which the Institute is currently operating or in those that may arise as a result of the current crisis.
What are the expected results?
- The Institute will have professional teams who are abreast of the latest developments in their field of specialization, with a sound knowledge of the scientific principles and instruments of each one of IICA’s cooperation program areas. They must be fully capable of utilizing the products, technical tools and instruments adopted by IICA to deliver technical cooperation services in their area of competence; must possess a basic knowledge about institutional regulatory frameworks and management of international institutional systems, in particular, development cooperation; and must have extensive knowledge about the regulatory framework, mission, vision, principles and corporate strategy of the Institute.
- Staff members will have upgraded their technical, digital skills, in terms of their capacity to incorporate digital, technical tools into cooperation services and into their day-to-day professional life.
- IICA will have developed a new culture of collaborative work that is service-oriented and recognizes the importance of shared values, which will guarantee not only a high-level of innovation, but also the capacity for team-work and network management.
New institutional governance model: Organizational chart, networks and project management
What does the strategy seek to achieve?
The aim is to create the conditions for a productive network operation, involving IICA’s technical units, that is aligned with the value chains of the technical cooperation services (including administration), by redefining structures for relationships, delegation and reporting in the operational units, to achieve greater flexibility, coverage and the capacity to respond to the demands arising from the current crisis.
Moreover, the objective is to ensure more comprehensive technical cooperation and to streamline technical resources, by increasing productivity through the delivery of cooperation services, using effective project management.
What are the expected results?
- A consolidated internal thematic networks of technical cooperation services with optimal allocation of available human resources and the establishment of operating rules that determine functional relationships - hierarchical or not - that integrate a single team.
- The Institute increases its productivity based on an offer of pertinent cooperation services supported by adequate project management, a greater comprehensiveness of its technical cooperation and the optimization of technical resources.
- Headquarters and the Delegations, and which align hemispheric, regional and national priorities with the limited resources available.
Greater institutional presence and impact: External relationships and communication
What does the strategy seek to achieve?
The goal is to strengthen the foundations for IICA’s legal, diplomatic, political and technical relationships with stakeholders in its field of work, by strengthening linkages with users, partners and clients; broadening the coverage, scope and relevance of the Institute’s activities; and increasing recognition for its work among the Member States.
Furthermore, efforts will be undertaken to design and implement a comprehensive internal and external communication strategy that is aligned with the institutional changes aimed at strengthening the management and sale of technical cooperation services. This strategy would allow for strengthening the Institute’s identity and consolidating a single, unified institutional discourse and image at both the internal and external levels.
What are the expected results?
- The role of the Institute, which is founded on international/multilateral management, can be improved by strengthening external relationships within the context of global and regional cooperation for development.
- Guaranteeing the integrity of the spirit, objective and strategy behind the institutional transformation process; developing campaigns, messages and communication platforms to adequately manage the transformation process and the expectations that it generates; fostering commitment and controlling fake news and fears that arise during this process of change; fostering participation by different institutional entities in discussions regarding the changes implemented; and creating a pleasant work environment, among other actions aimed at boosting productivity levels.
Strengthening of funding models for cooperation: Financial architecture and expansion of the portfolio
What does the strategy seek to achieve?
The goal is to establish a sustainability strategy aimed at transforming funding into an effective tool for meeting the institutional mission while ensuring that the recipients of technical cooperation consider these services to be relevant, valuable and effective and are therefore willing to provide funding in exchange. This, in turn, will allow for expanding the Institute’s portfolio of services, attracting new resources and achieving long-term institutional growth.
This strategy also seeks to enhance the capabilities of stakeholders responsible for managing technical cooperation projects and external relations, specifically their ability to engage in negotiations related to the project portfolio and to identify innovative funding options.
What are the expected results?
- IICA will substantially and strategically increase the attraction of financial resources to expand the scope, coverage and extent of the support it provides to the Member States in their agricultural and rural development efforts. To this end, the Institute will rely on a funding strategy, and will design a financial model for cooperation that allows for structuring portfolios of projects that have been identified, negotiated, funded and executed in accordance with the new funding criteria.
- The Institute will have greater commercial capabilities to identify, negotiate and carry out technical cooperation actions and projects. More specifically, IICA will possess a comprehensive, unified, systematic and technically structured strategy to improve the receptiveness of counterparts to cooperation proposals.