The Pit Stop
Amidst the continuity of programs and rolling out a new strategy, 2022 was still an opportune time for us to pause, take stock of our institutional health, and undertake some maintenance in readiness for the journey
ahead. We sought to improve and strengthen our processes and practices and evaluate our internal capabilities in three ways:
The Center undertook an organizational effectiveness assessment – the first in the Center’s history – to examine our capability to achieve the bold vision we have set for ourselves. The Social Impact Capability Framework was used to drive this assessment
which requires an organization to first take stock of its collective awareness and readiness, as reflected in its internal operations, before trying to achieve social impact externally. The exercise
assessed APHRC’s strategic orientation; program coherence and relevance; organizational structure; staffing, capacity, and culture; systems and processes; resource mobilization and funding; quality
assurance and compliance, and how strategic alignment and leadership keep all these elements in balance.
In line with APHRC’s commitment to fostering a people-centered approach to talent management and maintaining an enabling institutional culture, we commissioned a job evaluation exercise guided by the principle of “equal pay for work of equal value.” The
job evaluation will enable the Center to achieve its internal equity goals. At the same time, the process will help us operationalize the new strategy by grading more than 15 new positions created
in the new organizational structure.
A corporate monitoring and evaluation unit was constituted to track and assess organizational performance against the Center’s strategic objectives. Guided by a newly developed theory of change, the unit is leading efforts to capture APHRC’s performance
on outputs, impact, and influence. Further, the unit has developed mechanisms to pause, reflect on progress, and change tack if necessary.