Coaching a National Innovations Team

How might we equip public sector officials with new skills, tools, and mindsets to address their most pressing behavior change challenges?

Country: Burkina Faso and Niger

Health Area: Cross-cutting Family Planning and Agriculture/Nutrition

Context and Insights

The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized the value of understanding people’s health behaviors and integrating behavioral science into public health strategies and programs. The systematic application of behavioral science insights and behavioral design has proven to be a major driver for more effective programs based on the reality of how people behave. However, the expertise of public sector leaders in this area is very limited, as are training opportunities in this field, particularly in the francophone setting. To institutionalize social and behavior change (SBC) approaches, public sectors must be equipped to harness the power of behavioral science and design in creating impactful programs. By understanding the principles of behavioral design and seeing and applying it in action, local stakeholders will be able to create powerful solutions that could drive sustainable behavior change.

The Solution

Implementers invited policymakers and practitioners from several ministries, regional health directorates, and USAID implementing partners to participate in remote online coaching was combined with in-person sessions with local leaders to support SBC efforts. Participants completed three modules that covered behavioral design and common design principles, receiving personalized coaching to create innovative solutions for priority behaviors in their country. They engaged in an immersive learning experience featuring interactive modules, multimedia presentations, and real-life case studies. After completing this course, participants became part of a National Innovations Team (NIT) which is to continue applying SBC principles to their work. This comprehensive approach ensures effective learning and development in SBC for public sector professionals, supporting the creation of sustainable programs.

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“For me, the ideation phase was so eye-opening because it was a new way of analyzing things. It challenged the assumptions we often make. It helped us better understand the problem, think exhaustively about how we could make a change, and consider which among those many ideas is best. It pushed us to come up with the best solution to the real problem and move beyond the things we are used to doing.” — Emeline Ouedraogo, Technical Assistant, Permanent Secretariat for Coordination of Agricultural Sectoral Policies, Burkina Faso

“We’ve started paying much more attention to mood, physical environment, and social context. We’ve also learned how to account for chronic scarcity. We didn’t consider these things before.” — Hamsatou Moumouni Moudi, Communications and Public Relations Head, Ministry of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs, Niger

The Innovation

The approach combines training tailored to the needs and priorities of participants with coaching to apply what they learned. Participants learn from the course content, from their own practical experience applying the tools, and from the more experienced behavioral design coaches they collaborated with. In addition, this approach strengthens the system’s readiness to institutionalize good practices and SBC by equipping public sector actors with new competencies.

The Evidence

National Innovations Team members developed innovative solutions to address seven different behavioral challenges through the program. They also reflected on specific ways in which the course stretched their thinking and prepared them to approach challenges in new ways.

Scale-Up & Adapt

The NITs in the Sahel have successfully added new participants, and its online content and distance coaching approach can be customized for various environments and situations. In Niger, the NIT members conducted a seminar at the National Institute of Public Health to introduce the next generation of public health practitioners to behavioral design. They are also seeking ways to integrate behavioral science approaches into the public health curriculum.

Who can I speak with about this solution?

Nourou-Dhine Salouka, Chief of Party, Niger

Finou Mendy, Senior Behavioral Designer, ideas42

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