Capitalization

To share lessons learned and understand changes

Com4Dev has made capitalization one of its core businesses. Its approach aims to consolidate or bring out shared knowledge for a group of players, encourage their appropriation and reinforce the impact of projects by enabling them to draw detailed learning from their actions and results.

Capitalization can take place at the end of a project (ex-post) or, ideally, during the various stages of a project. It provides an analytical perspective, either internally for partners and implementation teams, or externally for all stakeholders and target groups.

In both cases, capitalization is based on information gathering, documentation and analysis carried out jointly with stakeholders. It feeds into strategic vision and future projections, and can influence the behavior of various players, their better coordination and the definition or adjustment of public policies.

Capitalization and its dissemination can also be used to vary narratives and sketch out desirable futures.

Application

Com4Dev carries out capitalization actions within its projects, networks and communities, feeding the dynamics of strategy co-creation.
It also works with third-party organizations to help them define, adjust and implement capitalization processes with a view to enhancing knowledge, communication, strategic orientation and project creation.
Internal capitalization: to provide elements of understanding of the mechanisms linked to the project and its implementation: objectives, actions, management, results, and to draw lessons concerning the role and involvement of the various parties involved, successes and failures. Its main aim is to provide food for thought for cooperation partners on how to improve project design and implementation.
External capitalization: identify and measure the changes to which projects have contributed, as well as the often invisible mechanisms that have enabled these changes. Highlight and share the effects of projects and create knowledge. Provide food for thought on the effects on individuals, organizations and the systems in which they are embedded, and thus on the impact of projects.

Methodology sheet

Capitalization: reinventing the wheel or becoming a learning organization?

Capitalization is an integral part of development communication and knowledge management. It is also a major factor in the empowerment of beneficiaries and development players. What is capitalization?

The principle of capitalization, which literally means reinvesting profits in initial capital, was adapted to projects by the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation (then called the Foundation for the Progress of Humankind) in the 1980s and 1990s.

At the time, project designers were often re-inventing the wheel, without benefiting from the experience of what was being done elsewhere. The response was to set up an international database of experience records. Capitalizers” were trained to collect valuable experience in many countries.
From this period emerged the following definition of capitalization: “a process for transforming action and experience into shareable learning” (Pierre de Zutter).

New at the time, the notion of capitalization is now widespread, but it is not yet systematically integrated into projects, although there is a growing awareness on the part of development organizations and donors.

What are the obstacles?

One might think that capitalization is a restrictive exercise requiring costly resources. It’s true that time is an important factor in the process, which often requires support. Another obstacle may be the preference for a positive image of projects rather than a confrontation with reality.
Although it is an integral part of development communication and knowledge management, capitalization is not project communication. Nor is it evaluation. It’s not about valuing or judging, but about collecting the fruits of experience.

What's in it for us?

Main benefit: becoming a learning organization that improves its practices and adopts strategies more in tune with the realities on the ground and the needs of beneficiaries. Another advantage: the possibility of replicating actions by improving them or adapting them to other contexts. But even more: saving time (and therefore money) by limiting the number of failures!

Capitalization: a process for transforming action and experience into shareable learning

How do you go from experience to knowledge? In experience capitalization, the protagonists transform their individual and institutional knowledge into capital for future use. Capitalizing on experience is forward-looking, and aims to change a collective institutional practice. It can be directed towards strategic choices, conceptual approaches or operational activities. Experience capitalization is a learning process that prepares for change.
It is also a process that prepares for sharing. In this sense, it enhances the value of the project, and not in the sense of showing the positive aspect of the action, since capitalization tells the whole story, successes and failures alike. After all, we learn as much from successes as we do from failures.

“To know the way, ask the one who comes from it”.

Chinese proverb

Why capitalize?

Identify and share innovations, tools and approaches.

Become a learning organization, don’t “reinvent the wheel”.

Putting people’s experience at the heart of development.

Unite teams.

Rethink interventions (in light of experience).

Convincing with proof.

Collect the results of the experiment.

Enable stock replication (for the better).

Minus

3 methods

Capitalization by a third party: the entire process is entrusted to a third party, usually an "expert" who leads a maieutic exercise to bring the experience to life.
Self-capitalization: capitalization is carried out by those involved in the action.
A mixed method with external support for self-capitalization (generally the preferred method).

Which steps?

Mobilize a team of "capitalizers".
Identify the purpose of capitalization (e.g. innovations). This may require a preliminary study or participatory workshops.
Identify capitalization tools (we can use fact sheets, life stories, videos, audio recordings, sharing workshops, knowledge fairs, etc.).
Plan the process.
In the case of self-capitalization, organize capitalization training courses.
Facilitate the writing process through training, workshops and external support.
Develop and implement a capitalization dissemination plan.

Related projects

Industries culturelles créativesJeunesse et droits humainsSystèmes alimentaires et climat

Approches orientées changement, Communication pour le développement, Éducation à la citoyenneté et à la solidarité internationale, Gestion des connaissances