Increasingly, the world is facing problems that defy complete definition, for which there can be no final solution and where solutions are not true or false, or good or bad, but the best that can be done at the time. These are so called wicked problems as they are diabolical in that they resist the usual attempts to resolve them.
ITC is dealing with a number of such problems (e.g. climate change, food and water security, spatial planning, smart cities, etc.) within its core processes education, research and capacity building.
These wicked problems require a different approach in thinking about problem definition and solving. Theory of Change is one such approach.
Dr. Wenny Ho will walk you through the origins of Theory of Change as a complexity-based approach to solving (wicked) problems and to support desired processes of change within the context of institutional/societal capacity development. The potential benefits for ITC’s core processes will be discussed.
Currently, Wenny Ho is a senior advisor in Design, Monitoring & Evaluation and Learning with Hivos, a Dutch NGO. Previous positions were, among others, with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Research Department) and ActionAid International (International Advisor Impact Assessment and Shared Learning). She holds a PhD in International Relations and Change Management from the University of Amsterdam, and a MSc in Forestry of the University of Wageningen. Wenny specializes in action research and multi-stakeholder processes.
