Introduction - issue 24

Exploring the soft side of capacity development

The international debate on capacity development has long recognised the importance of soft skills, such as the ability to engage in negotiation or dialogue, to create a feeling of trust, to network and partner, and to facilitate process or change management. A myriad of manuals have been produced containing tools for collaborative work that are designed to develop such skills. What these publications often fail to discuss, though, is what is needed to put these tools to work and in particular, what skills facilitators need to possess to ‘lubricate’ collaborative change processes in order to make the wheels turn. (continued ...)

Download Issue 24: document in PDF (312Kb)	This issue of Capacity.org was produced in cooperation with the University of Guelph and the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development in Ontario, Canada. All the articles in this issue describe lessons from recent practical projects that took place as part of a graduate university course in Canada.

Next issue: 28 April 2005

The next issue of Capacity.org will be produced in cooperation with UNDP's Asia Regional Office. The issue will include accounts of experiences of government-donor agency coordination, from the perspective of central government units in various Asian countries.

Capacity.org features a new issue every quarter. Each issue focuses on a particular theme, with a Welcome Letter, a Selected Bibliography and Guest Contributions. Other sections are updated regularly. Connectivity to Internet is limited in many countries in the South. A parallel printed Newsletter, highlighting the major features of Capacity.org is published. The printed version is available for those who do not have Internet access. It can be ordered via info@ecdpm.org or: ECDPM, O.L.Vrouweplein 21, NL-6211 HE Maastricht, The Netherlands. Fax: +31-(0)43-3502 902.