Governance Innovation Benchmarking

Governance Innovation Benchmarking Program

The Governance Innovation Benchmarking Program is designed to support cities and municipalities across the Philippines in benchmarking their governance practices against award-winning programs recognized by the Galing Pook Awards. Through this initiative, participants will gain insights into successful governance models and adapt them to address local challenges using the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) methodology. This program fosters continuous improvement by leveraging innovation and collaboration, enabling local governments to implement sustainable solutions for their communities.

Program Overview

Local government units (LGUs) often face complex governance challenges that require adaptive and innovative approaches. By benchmarking with outstanding practices from Galing Pook awardees, LGUs can identify strategies that have proven successful in other regions and customize them to meet their specific needs. The Governance Innovation Benchmarking Program provides a structured approach to this process, integrating best practices with localized solutions.

Key Features

• Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA):
  Participants will be guided through the PDIA methodology, which emphasizes diagnosing problems, experimenting with solutions, and iteratively refining strategies. This approach allows local leaders to develop tailor-fit interventions that directly address their municipality's unique challenges.

• Benchmarking Against Galing Pook Awardees:
  The program focuses on learning from Galing Pook award-winning programs—governance innovations that have demonstrated significant impact in various areas such as public health, environmental management, disaster preparedness, and community development. LGUs will benchmark their own systems against these best practices to identify areas for improvement and innovation.

• Blended Learning Approach:
  Participants will engage in a combination of online and offline learning experiences to facilitate their growth. The following learning methodologies will be used:

  • SMS and Internet Chat Guidance: Regular SMS reminders and internet chat groups (on platforms like Messenger or WhatsApp) will provide timely guidance and updates. These platforms will serve as avenues for discussions, collaboration, and reflections on the PDIA cycles.

  • Short Online Lectures: Weekly short online lectures will introduce participants to key concepts, governance strategies, and case studies of successful Galing Pook programs.

  • Group Activities: Teams of participants will collaborate on specific governance challenges through interactive group activities that encourage problem-solving and real-time application of the PDIA methodology.

Program Structure

The 12-week program will be divided into iterative cycles, with each week focusing on diagnosing specific local governance issues, identifying lessons from Galing Pook cases, and adapting these lessons into the local context. Participants will:

• Attend short online lectures and group activities that showcase key governance practices.

• Receive SMS prompts and engage in chat-based discussions to reflect on weekly lessons and iterations.

• Collaborate in teams to experiment with new strategies and report on progress through group presentations and feedback sessions.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the Governance Innovation Benchmarking Program, participants will have:

• Gained a deeper understanding of the PDIA methodology and how to apply it to local governance challenges.

• Benchmarked their governance practices against successful Galing Pook award-winning programs.

• Developed innovative, adaptive solutions to address local governance issues.

• Fostered stronger collaboration among municipal teams and a network of peers engaged in governance innovation across the country.