Innovation with a small 'i'

Professor Simon McGrath, UNESCO Chair in the Political Economy of Education, was a leading proponent of ‘Voices of the Next Generation’. He reflects on the need for both youthful energy and grizzled experience when tackling long-standing problems.

The closer you work to policy, the more you need a clear appreciation of what has and hasn’t worked in the past. I wouldn’t say there’s a deliberate imbalance in the sector towards those with age and experience but a PhD will only take you so far. There’s a negative perception around management consultants and policy advisories that push forward very bright young people who think in theories rather than real world challenges. Unless you can bridge the two, clients will remain sceptical of your authority.

An understanding of what has happened before is a vital part of any theory of change. How do we practically get from here to there? What will get in the way of implementing the grand plan? Why haven’t people already done this? Often, experience is the only way to learn how change happens and that it won’t happen in the way you anticipate. That’s where mentorship can highlight some of the potential flaws in a theory that seems watertight on paper.

Perhaps the most uncomfortable truth is that things always take longer than you think they should. People are complex and fallible. Just because something feels logical, it doesn’t mean it will happen. You need to gain resilience and live with the frustration that things move slower than you think they should do. Or that people are more stubborn than you think they should be.

Of course, it’s rarely stubbornness for the sake of it. They have good, rational reasons, even if their context is not instantly clear from your perspective. You need empathy for their frustrations, if you want to influence them. There may be immovable constraints that stop them from choosing the path you think will help them most.

Small steps, big journey

Innovation is one of those throwaway jargon words. But it’s also very necessary in development. I prefer to spell it with a small ‘i’. Occasionally something happens that is so earth-shattering that it’s remarkable. But usually it is people doing old things in smarter ways.

Some ideas are too off-the-wall and therefore impractical. Others are not innovative at all, just new to an individual despite having been tried many times before. People who have been around for 20 years will be better able to identify when an idea is good, and when it will or won’t work. But we must keep answering the hardest questions in new ways.

Fresh perspective needed

There’s a tension here. We need fresh perspective and a youthful desire to prove things that other generations have not. But let’s temper that restless energy with experience.
This is especially critical in today’s education environment where risk is such a delicate consideration. Despite talk of coming at development like venture capitalists, we shouldn’t forget that most donors are extremely risk-averse for understandable political reasons. Yet, without risk very little innovation is possible. How do we find the balance of risk and reward?

That’s where diversity of ideas can be fast-tracked by mentorship and support. Those with experience need to share whatever knowledge we’ve picked up that can help the next generation take our work to the next level. It’s not that they don’t know the answers. It’s just that everybody struggles with the same practical challenges of how to make things work. If you want to make the change, then learn from our mistakes.

Perhaps a better word for experience is resilience. Central to that is a strong belief that what you’re doing is worthwhile, and that there’s a difference to be made, even if it feels like hard work.

Without that motivation, you won’t open your laptop each morning or board the next plane. You must never lose that sincere conviction that your actions can help the world become a better place.

This article is featured in our latest education magazine

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