Hub-in-a-Box Workshop: How to Build an Innovative Partnering Hub or Department from Scratch
By Jaya Myler
What does it take to start, build and operate a multi-sector partnership hub or innovation department? Wouldn’t it be great if someone who had already been through it all could share what they did step-by-step, what worked and what didn’t, and impart three years worth of lessons learned?
The Asia P3 Hub team took on this challenge with the ‘Hub-in-a-Box’ workshop — a knowledge transfer workshop to empower partnership champions, innovators and those looking to set up a multi-sector hub. The workshop ‘unboxed’ the different aspects of their hub, taking participants on a step-by-step journey of building a hub or department including: developing an organisational strategy, planning tools, how to facilitate complex partnerships, combinatorial innovation, critical success factors, principles of innovation and partnership case studies; as well as how-tos for getting operational.
The event condensed three years of learning, knowledge, trial and error, stories and strategies for success into three days. A diverse group of around 25 partnering champions, innovators and entrepreneurs joined the dynamic and engaging workshop.
“I really enjoyed hearing some of the stories of the last three years and appreciating the journey that the team has been on, and the insights that they’ve gained through the process,” said Grenville Hopkinson, Global Director Strategy Realisation and Innovation at World Vision International. “The concept of combinatorial innovation, I like that as a framework, and just reinforcing the fact that innovation is about approaching problems from a different perspective and reusing technology ideas, solutions, but putting them together in different ways.”
Participants were taken on a journey with open and honest sharing of the Hub’s experience and key components of the Hub’s model, led by Asia P3 Hub’s core team of skilled facilitators, some inspiring speakers and presenters.
Key ‘modules’ included:
Combinatorial Innovation
Wayne Chia led an interactive session on Asia P3 Hub’s ‘secret sauce’, combinatorial innovation — taking existing assets, resources and technologies and combining them in new ways to achieve a multiplier effect. “The session on combinatorial innovation was very refreshing, it’s definitely a new way to look at some of the innovations and advances we have made, and also applying it to future partnerships and looking at how we can actually anticipate and work towards new forms of innovation,” reflected Erwin Chan, of raiSE.
“The concept of combinatorial innovation, I like that as a framework, and just reinforcing the fact that innovation is about approaching problems from a different perspective and reusing technology ideas, solutions, but putting them together in different ways,” shared Grenville Hopkinson.
Planning tools and frameworks: Theory of Change
Phearak Svay took participants through the process of how to create a Theory of Change for their organisation, and looked at how it overlaps and can be used in conjunction with other planning tools, including the Business Model Canvas and public sector planning frameworks.
“One of the interesting things that came out of the Hub-in-a-Box workshop… was doing the Theory of Change initially to frame your problem statements, your user base and everything on the problem end and fitting that into a business model canvas would increase the program quality for innovation spaces and innovation hubs like us,” reflected Suyog Chalise of World Vision International’s Nepal Innovation Lab.
Creating Products and Services — Social Enterprise Business model canvas
Knowledge partners raISE Singapore led a hands-on session that took participants through its proprietary social enterprise business model canvas. Their interactive session saw participants filling in their own Social Enterprise Business Model Canvas, and the facilitators were busy answering questions and giving guidance well into the break!
Partnership Structuring
Phearak Svay and Wayne Chia shared the 3D (discover, design, deploy) approach to building partnerships or deals. “I really enjoyed the diversity of different experiences, and the candour and honesty,” said Shaun Koh of Zeroth Labs. “A lot of the specifics on creating effective partnerships are things I can take back to use in my organisation.”
The workshop, organised and facilitated by Asia P3 Hub, and emceed by Hub advisor Hazel See was an invite-only event, with a carefully curated group of diverse innovators and partnering champions from the government, NGOs, and private sector companies with attendees joining from Singapore, Thailand, Nepal, Northern Ireland, Australia and Sri Lanka.
We’d like to extend appreciation to our event partners and collaborators for this workshop: GEX Ventures, who kindly hosted the event, and their chairman, the charismatic Dr. Patrick Liew shared his insights on creativity and innovation in a lively session. Suyog Chalise from World Vision International’s Nepal Innovation Lab who participated in the workshop and also led a session on Innovation. And of course, our advisor Anne Lochoff who moderated the sessions on leadership and getting started.
A huge thank you to skilled storyteller, Julian Cheong of Mike Bosworth Leadership, who led a lively and inspiring session on Storytelling in the Digital Age.
A ‘Modular’ Approach to Building a Department or Hub
“[The workshop] pushes us to a new way of thinking about how to partner, and with unconventional partners,” said Meliza Aberin, Deputy National Director of World Vision Thailand. “I really like the focus on combinatorial partnering wherein either existing or new partners will have their own resources that can be combined with ours, and when we put it together something really exciting and new will come out. I will be having a meeting with my team to share the value of partnerships and this approach.”
The Hub-in-a-Box workshop takes a modular approach to facilitate learning and knowledge transfer and share the experience of building and operating an award-winning multi-sector hub, and each module can be adapted according to the needs of your organisation. Contact Asia P3 Hub if you want to learn more or request a tailored workshop for your organisation.
What’s next?
Asia P3 Hub launched the Hub-in-a-Box microsite in August 2019, in partnership with World Vision. Hub-in-a-Box is an interactive knowledge sharing platform where we share how to harness the power of collaboration and build an innovative multi-sector partnering department, alliance, network or ‘hub’. Do check it out and remember to download the Hub-in-a-Box Toolkit!
This article was written by Jaya Myler, Asia P3 Hub Communications and Marketing Consultant.
Jaya Myler is a non-profit manager with more than 12 years of experience working with international NGOs, corporate and consumer brands, in both developed and developing country settings. She has a strong background in managing projects and programs, and advocacy and communications, and experience working in environmental, education, and WASH NGOs. She is passionate about water and sanitation, education and poverty alleviation. She has experience working on multi-sector partnerships with NGOs, corporates, academia and governments, and is a big believer in the power of cross-sector collaboration to drive innovation and achieve impact. She holds a Master of Media Practice. She is currently Asia P3 Hub’s Communications and Marketing Consultant.
