Locally-led Organisational Development: Lessons from Actors on the Ground

The Organisational Development Community of Practice will host “Locally-led Organisational Development: Lessons from Actors on the Ground” on 17 November, bringing together practitioners and funders to explore different models of localised Organisational Development (OD) in practice. 

As highlighted in Philea’s recent publication “Funding Organisational Development: From Insight to Action”, effective OD support needs to respond to organisations’ priorities, contexts and ways of working. But what does it really mean for OD to be locally-led? How can funders work with local actors and intermediaries in ways that draw on contextual knowledge, strengthen locally rooted capacity and avoid imposing externally defined approaches?

This session will explore different models of locally-led OD through concrete experiences of funders and OD providers. The examples will bring perspectives from different geographies and approaches, from locally contextualised support and intermediary models to networks of OD practitioners and ecosystem-level approaches. 

Rather than presenting a single blueprint, the conversation will unpack what has worked, what has been challenging, and what funders can learn from these experiences. Speakers will reflect on different models of collaboration; the role of local knowledge, relationships and ways of working; context-sensitive, adaptive and anti-oppression approaches; and how local level support can connect with wider ecosystem thinking.

The session is particularly relevant for foundation decision-makers, programme staff and organisational development leads interested in making OD support more locally grounded, responsive and sustainable.