Programme Overview - 2024 UN System Innovation Springboard Programme

2024 UN System Innovation Springboard Programme

Programme oVERVIEW

START

the un system staff college

"We can do things differently, and we can do different things… innovation is not only the most sophisticated technologies, sometimes it’s the simplest of things." - António Guterres - UN Secretary-General

About the UNSSC

The United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2001 in Turin, Italy, to foster a cohesive leadership and management culture for the entire UN system. We leveraged our expertise to enable UN staff and partners to display an ability to think and work differently to respond and adapt to changing contexts.

The Mandate of the UNSSC is "to serve as a system-wide knowledge management and learning institution, with a view to fostering a cohesive management culture across the UN system." The Vision of the UNSSC is "To provide the skills and knowledge to empower the most valuable resource of the UN system: our people."

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Are you an innovator seeking practical tools and knowledge to establish new agile team practices?The Innovation Springboard Programme is devised with you in mind!

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Programme Objectives

Our Journey

Components

Structure

01

Our Journey

our journey

Our Shared Objective

"Our shared objective is a 21st century UN focused more on people and less on process... more on delivery and less on bureaucracy."

ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL

our journey

Innovation in the UN

“We can do things differently, and we can do different things… innovation is not only the most sophisticated technologies, sometimes it’s the simplest of things. Be bold, be revolutionary… and disrupt… because without innovation, there is no way we can overcome the challenges of our time.”

ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL

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Programme Objectives

Programme Objectives

What's in it for me?

By the end of the programme,YOU should be able to:

... discuss what innovation is, and the different types of innovation.

... discuss how to design for testing and experimentation, to enhance innovation interventions through iteration and learning loops.

... effectively utilise the UN Innovation Toolkit; its diagnostic element; and the included UN customized tools to plan for, and facilitate, innovation.

... develop innovation storytelling and pitch capabilities/methodologies to improve communication and buy-in for innovation interventions.

... discuss how key concrete skills can foster an enabling environment for innovation through modelling and promoting psychological safety; learning from failure; and fostering creativity.

... explore how to develop a vision and a strategy for transition and change related to the implementation of your innovation efforts.

... understand how nudging and behavioural insights can further improve the tailoring of your innovations.

... undertake coaching conversations with peers related to the scoping and design of innovations.

... outline the key elements of design thinking, and apply these to the innovation process.

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Structure

structure

Tailor-made Programme

the programme consists of 6 components:

Weekly Feedback & Overall Programmatic Evaluation

4 Peer- Coaching Sessions

2Individual Assignments

8 Online Webinars

Weekly Readings & Resources

Weekly Discussion Forums

A Certificate of Programme completion will be issued after having completed the 6 Programme components.

structure

Programme Timeline

Note: You would best benefit from the Programme if you're able to dedicate 7 hours a week to it.

structure

Applied Learning - Innovation Project

Through the programme, you will identify an innovation project within your own sphere of influence and, utilising insights gained from the Programme and the UN Innovation Toolkit, apply the learning in the identified area - your applied learning will be presented through a pitch at the final Peer-Coaching Session.

Assignment with Individual Feedback

Key Readings and Resources

Discussion Forums

Thematic Webinars

Peer-Coaching Sessions

structure

executive learning lounge

• In each Module, you will be offered the opportunity to participate in the 6 components, accessible from the password-protected UNSSC Learning Platform.

• The Platform is mobile-friendly: your learning will be accessible at any time, any place.

• You will retain access to the Platform for up to a year after the end of the Programme.

• The Platform enables social learning through a moderated Discussion Forum.

structure

Optional Self-Paced Learning

To continue your learning, and in addition to these mandatory components, you also have access to three optional, self-paced Modules on:

• Introduction to Innovation
• Introduction to Change Management
• Managing Up

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Components

components: FIRST COMPONENT

Online Webinars

An Introduction and Orientation Module along with 7 Thematic Modules delivered through 7 Online Webinars

Find out which skills you'll consolidate in each Module by clicking the + signs!

Behavioural Insights (UNSSC Innovation Model I)

Creating an enabling environment

Innovation and the UN iNNOVATION tOOLKIT

Introduction and Orientation

Innovation Storytelling and Pitch (UNSSC Innovation Model IV)

Embracing Transition and Change for Innovation

Test and Experiment Design (UNSSC Innovation Model III)

Design Thinking (UNSSC Innovation Model II)

COMMUNICATION

components: second COMPONENT

Individual Assignments

Two Assignments

The Assignments will be a unique opportunity to contextualize your learning to your needs and realities. The purpose of the first assignment is for you to identify your innovation project, a situation for which you will develop a strategy over the next weeks in this programme. The second assignment focuses on a Stakeholder Mapping Analysis for your innovation project. You will receive feedback on both assignments from your Innovation Coach!

components: third COMPONENT

Peer- Coaching Sessions

Four Peer-Coaching Sessions

The Peer Coaching element is a confidential process through which you will work together with six colleagues to reflect on your innovation case after each webinar; to expand, refine, and build new skills; share ideas; teach one another; and solve problems from the workplace. The Peer Coaching Sessions have a duration of 2 hours each.

components: Fourth COMPONENT

Weekly Discussion Forums

Weekly Discussion Forums

You will continue discussing challenges and emerging solutions identified before, during, or after the Webinar in a moderated forum accessible at any time, as well as share the application of tools implemented during the contextualisation weeks. You will also have the opportunity to start your own discussions on any topic you'd like to further explore.

components: Fifth COMPONENT

Weekly Readings & Resources

Weekly Readings & Resources

You will have access to a variety of UN-relevant text and multimedia resources in each of the Online Modules. You will be able to retain access to these resources even beyond the end of the programme.

components: sixth COMPONENT

Weekly Feedback & Overall Programmatic Evaluation

Weekly Feedback & Overall Programmatic Evaluation

At the UNSSC, we highly value the feedback of our learners.That's why you will have Weekly Feedback after the Orientation and 7 Thematic Modules, as well as the opportunity to reflect on the Programme as a whole by taking the Overall Programmatic Evaluation, so that we're able to further hear from your unique perspective.

Let's Innovate!

www.unssc.org