Opening  Plenary  

The   SEEP   Annual   Conference   opening   plenary   will   explore   cutting   edge   thinking   and   enquiry  around  ways   to   improve  the  current  evaluation  paradigm  and   improved  practice   in  measuring  impacts  in  market  systems.  When  considering  markets  from  a  systems  perspective,  it  becomes  crucial   to   recognize   that   markets   are   not   predictable   “machines”,   but   rather   complex   and  dynamic   “organisms”   that   are   constantly   learning.   Changes   in   complex   and   adaptive   systems  must   be  monitored   and  measured   using   approaches   that   embrace   complexity   and   facilitation  principles,  concepts  and  tools  rather  than  linear  and  deterministic  ones.  This  plenary  will  bring  together  practitioners  and  complexity  experts   to  explore  applications  of   complexity   science   in  inclusive  market  and  financial  services  development.  The  plenary  will  explore  ideas  that  support  the   construction   and   application   of   systemic   approaches   to   M&E,   the   principles   that   should  underpin  this  and  how  to  make  it  practical  for  practitioners  and  policy  makers.  

 Richard  Hummelbrunner  ÖAR  Regionalberatung    Austria    Richard  Hummelbrunner  is  Senior  Associate  of  ÖAR  Regionalberatung  Graz,  Austria  with  more  than  30  years  of  professional  experience  as  a  consultant   /   evaluator   in   the   fields   of   regional   and   international  development.   During   recent   years   he   has   been   active   in   promoting  the  use  of  systems  thinking  in  evaluation  as  a  practitioner,  trainer  and  author.  He  has  recently  co-­‐authored  a  new  book:  “Systems  Concepts  in  Action:  A  Practitioners  Toolkit”.  He  has  lectured  at  Universities  and  provided   training   on   systems   concepts,   as   well   as   evaluation,   to  

private  organizations  and  public  authorities  in  several  European  countries.  He  has  been  a  regular  presenter   and   session   facilitator   at   the   Conferences   of   the   European   Evaluation   Society   (EES)  and  is  a  member  of  the  American  Evaluation  Association  (AEA)  and  an  active  contributor  to  its  Topical  Interest  Group,  Systems  in  Evaluation.  

 Dr.  Elizabeth  Dunn  Impact  LLC    Dr.   Elizabeth   Dunn   has   over   20   years   of   experience   designing  evaluations   and   leading   research   on   low-­‐income   households   and  factors   affecting   their   participation   in   market   systems.   She   has  worked   on   projects   related   to   micro-­‐   and   small   enterprise  development,   smallholder   agriculture,   inclusive   value   chain  development   and   microfinance.   As   a   thought   leader   in   the  evaluation   of   inclusive   market   systems,   Elizabeth   uses   concepts  

from   complex   adaptive   systems   (CAS)   and   social   network   analysis   to   create   an   analytical  framework   for   evaluating   the   evidence   from   inclusive   value   chain   development   projects   and  improving  understanding  of   the   factors   affecting   smallholder  participation,   value   creation  and  

 

value  capture  in  regional  and  global  market  systems.    Elizabeth  was  a  major  contributor  to  USAID’s  work  on  value  chain  development  under  the  AMAP  project.   She   provided   technical   leadership   for   a   wide   variety   of   evaluations,   including   a  longitudinal,  mixed-­‐method   evaluation  of   the   effectiveness   of  USAID’s  GMED  project   in   India.  For  the  World  Bank,  she  led  a  five-­‐year  impact  evaluation  of  3,300  micro-­‐  and  small  enterprises  across  nine  financial  institutions  under  the  Local  Initiatives  Project  II  in  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina.  She  was  Technical  Director  for  core  impact  assessments  under  USAID’s  AIMS  project,  providing  leadership   to   longitudinal   evaluations   in   Peru,   India,   and   Zambia.   Dr.   Dunn’s   leadership   in  evaluation  is  widely  recognized,  as  evidenced  by  invitations  to  serve  on  expert  panels  from  the  U.S.  General  Accountability  Office  (GAO),  National  Science  Foundation  (NSF),  Consultative  Group  to   Assist   the   Poor   (CGAP)   and   BASIS   Collaborative   Research   Support   Program   (USAID).   She  received   USDA’s   National   Exemplary   Evaluation   Award   in   2004.   Elizabeth   has   worked   with,  amongst   others,   USAID,   World   Bank,   International   Finance   Corporation,   Inter-­‐American  Development  Bank,  Government  of  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  DFID,  KfW,  ACDI/VOCA,  DAI,  IRIS,  AED,   ACCION   International,  Women’s  World   Banking,  Microfinance   Opportunities,  Monsanto,  CARE   and   SEEP.   Elizabeth   holds   a   Ph.D.   in   Agricultural   Economics   from   the   University   of  Wisconsin  and  has  field  experience  in  more  than  20  countries.  

 Dr.  Shamim  Bodhanya  University  of  KwaZulu  Natal  South  Africa    Dr.  Bodhanya  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  KwaZulu-­‐Natal,  South  Africa  and  Nyenrode  University  in  the  Netherlands.  He  is  a  trained  and  practising  engineer,  worked  in  the  corporate  sector  for  nearly  14  years,  serving   in   a   variety   of   functional,   professional   and   managerial  

capacities   before   joining   academia.   Dr.   Bodhanya   was   a   founding   member   of   Equilibria  Consulting,   and   serves  as  a  Director  of   the   Institute   for  Natural  Resources.  He   is  based  at   the  Leadership   Centre   and   draws   on   inter-­‐disciplinary   research   to   work   with   complex   real   world  problems.   He   is   now   actively   involved   in   research,   programme   development,   module  development,  lecturing,  facilitation  and  consulting.  He  has  engaged  in  facilitation  in  a  variety  of  contexts   both   for   small   groups   and   large   groups.   Some   of   these   include:   strategy,   business  planning,   conflict,   union,   training,   skills   development,   youth   workshops   and   simulations  amongst  others.  His  work  in  complexity  theory  has  been  applied  in  the  public  and  private  sector,  NGOs   and   civil   society   contexts,   e.g.   sugar   cane   production   and   supply,   local   economic  development,  automotive,  rural  health,  and  rural  development.    

Dr.  Shawn  Cunningham  (Moderator)  MesoPartner  South  Africa    Dr.   Shawn   Cunningham,   an   active   member   of   SEEP’s   Market  Facilitation  Initiative  (MAFI),  is  a  development  consultant  focused  on  ways   to   improve   the   performance   and   competitiveness   of   the  private   sector   in   developing   countries,   by   combining   a   bottom-­‐up  perspective   with   systemic   policy   advocacy.   He   develops   practical  

diagnostic   instruments   by   integrating   insights   from   process   facilitation,   change   management  and  understanding  how  societies  evolve  and  develop.  His  qualifications  are  mainly   in  business  

 

management,  entrepreneurship  and  change  management,  while  his  PhD  thesis  investigated  the  role  of  market   failures  affecting   transactions   in  knowledge   intensive  business   services.  He  has  published  books  on  several  topics  related  to  economic  development.    Dr.   Cunningham   started   his   career   as   an   entrepreneur,   but   soon   became   involved   in   the  promotion   of   entrepreneurship   and   economic   development.   He   works   as   a   consultant,  facilitator   and   moderator   on   topics   related   to   economic   development   and   private   sector  development  in  Africa,  Asia  and  Europe.    He  is  currently  working  on  several  assignments  ranging  from   the   fostering   of   closer   collaboration   between   industries   and   science   and   technology  institutions   in   the   Southern   African   region;   and   training   officials   and   experts   on   practical  development  methods   in  more   than  20   countries.  His  main  academic   research  and  consulting  practice   is   around   the   topic   of   upgrading   and   modernizing   economic   sectors   by   means   of  stimulating  sectoral  and  regional  innovation  systems.    He   is   a   partner   in   the   international   consultancy  Mesopartner   (registered   in  Germany),  whose  practical   development   instruments   are   used   in  more   than   70   countries   around   the  world.  He  holds  several  board  and  advisory  positions  and  directorships   in  businesses  and  developmental  institutions   in   Southern   Africa   and   internationally.   He   is   also   known   to   provide   his   time   and  expertise   to   a   variety   of   public   or   social   causes.   He   is   a   Post   Doctoral   Fellow   at   the   Vaal  University   of   Technology   and   a   Research  Associate   at   the   Institute   for   Economic   Research   on  Innovation  at  Tshwane  University  of  Technology.    

Dave  Snowden  (Video  address)  Cognitive  Edge    Snowden   was   Director   of   the   IBM   Institute   of   Knowledge  Management   for   Europe   Middle   East   and   Africa   and   subsequently  founded   their   Cynefin   Centre   for   Organisational   Complexity.   He   is  currently  the  Founder  and  Chief  Scientific  Officer  of  Cognitive  Edge,  a  research  network  that  focuses  on  the  development  of  the  theory  and  practice  of  sense-­‐making.      One  of   the   founders   of   'Organic   Knowledge  Management',   he   is   an  acknowledged   expert   on   the   management   of   tacit   knowledge   and  

has  developed  a  series  of  pioneering  methods   including  the  use  of  anthropological   techniques  for  knowledge  disclosure  through  the  ASHEN  model,  the  use  of  stories  as  an  advanced  form  of  knowledge   repository   (based   on   six   years   of   research   into   story   telling   cultures   around   the  world)  and  the  Cynefin  "Just  in  Time"  model  of  knowledge  transfer  between  formal  and  informal  communities.   He   regularly   consults   at   board   level   on   Knowledge   Strategy   with   some   of   the  Worlds  largest  companies  as  well  as  to  Government  and  NGOs.    Snowden  is  an  editor-­‐in-­‐chief  of  the  journal,  Emergence:  Complexity  and  Organisation.  Snowden  has  expertise   in   the  further  development  of  Story  Techniques   into  advanced  decision  support,  merger  and  acquisition  and  multi-­‐cultural  communication,  and  using  Complexity  Theory  to  link  concepts   from   Learning   and   Knowledge  Management.   He   has   authored  many   articles   on   the  subject  and  contributed  commissioned  chapters  to  two  forthcoming  books.  Dave  Snowden  has  an   MBA   from  Middlesex   University   and   a   BA   in   Philosophy   from   Lancaster   University.   He   is  honorary   fellow   in   knowledge   management   at   the   Universities   of   Surrey   and   Warwick   and  teaches  on  the  MBA  programmes  at  Warwick,  Sophia  Antipolis  and  Piacenza.