Under the CEGA Hood: Operationalizing great research ideas
Lauren Russell, Senior Operations Manager at CEGA, writes about operationalizing great ideas by facilitating research that inspires evidence-based policy change.
What are learning outcomes like for the children of people who were dewormed as kids? I was recently chatting about this with CEGA Faculty Director Ted Miguel.
“We are now measuring aspects of child development across a sample of 7,000 children in rural Kenya,” he explained, “to understand the long-run impacts of deworming on cognition and learning.” The idea is to explore the intergenerational effects of deworming, building on years of previous research that has already yielded massive policy impact.
But translating an idea like this into practice is another story — one that requires a huge amount of coordination, patience and creativity.
In this case, Ted and his team needed a research assistant to oversee the study; a programmer to develop and launch a cognitive assessment mobile app; contracts with data collection agencies on the ground; flights to visit field offices in Kenya; and verification that his research activities were in compliance with university and sponsor requirements. Elements like these are crucial to the implementation and success of field research projects, but they require sophisticated operations support that are not accessible to most academics.
This is where CEGA’s operations staff comes in. We operationalize great ideas, by facilitating research that inspires evidence-based policy change. It’s the job of our faculty affiliates — including Ted — to ask important questions and seek answers through rigorous research; it’s our job to create centralized resources and economies of scale that enable our researchers to carry out their work efficiently and effectively. Our team is backed by a mix of unrestricted support from donors, plus modest carve-outs from the projects we support.
Serengeti, Tanzania (credit: Cameron Breslin)The core functions of the Center’s operations include:
- Promoting learning: Internally, CEGA builds scalable systems for sharing information, setting and maintaining quality standards, and increasing efficiency. All routine operations are documented in a wiki. We use collaborative platforms like Asana, Salesforce, Slack, and Confluence to manage workflow. Together, these activities enhance the transfer of institutional knowledge, foster teamwork, and ensure transparency across the Center.
- Cultivating expertise: CEGA’s operations staff have deep knowledge of essential administrative functions, serving as a centralized infrastructure that faculty and staff can plug into to get things done. We consult on project budgets and grant reporting, people management, risk mitigation, and branding. We manage events around the world, contract with hundreds of research partners, and support communications across the Center. We act as multipliers, enabling our colleagues to focus on research and policy outreach.
- Research translation: A major value-add of centers like CEGA is the translation of research findings for non-academic audiences. We are constantly searching for effective ways to engage decision-makers, field partners, students, and the public. Some of our stakeholders already understand the value of evidence based on rigorous scientific research; others are learning for the first time — about randomized trials, quasi-experiments, machine learning, and more. Snapshots of our work are captured in a monthly newsletter (Impact Note) and annual report, while more detailed project summaries and customized reports are created for the direct end-users of our research. We also foster communities of practice around specific research topics, through events, blogs, newsletters, social media, and websites. All of this requires operational staffing and technology supported by the Center.
- Evaluating effectiveness: Investments in Salesforce and other data collection tools, combined with quarterly research portfolio reviews, have allowed CEGA to monitor the performance of programs and make more informed management decisions. We regularly measure the time it takes to complete of key tasks — from contracting and hiring, to grant disbursements and data set publication. We track outcomes of our research and training initiatives, including publications, student learning, and partnerships developed. We capture anecdotal evidence of impact, primarily through examples of changes in government policy informed by our research. We also monitor year-on-year trends for indicators such as researcher diversity, policy-maker engagement, and spend by research topic.
- Building community: last but certainly not least, feeling engaged and appreciated at work is important for all of us. Staff happiness pays dividends for the organization. Performance improves when colleagues work well together, feel valued, and have opportunities to share and learn from one other. CEGA fosters a sense of community through potlucks, 5Ks, an emphasis on quality mentoring, and inclusive HR practices. We try to promote a positive culture that values families (including pets!) and invests in the development of our talented workforce.
At the end of the day, operations management is the backbone of many organizations. But if we are doing our job well, we keep a low profile. We introduce new tools for efficiency, while accommodating busy workflows. We exercise flexibility, creativity, and political acumen — but we also understand the rules of the game. Ultimately, our focus is to help researchers, field partners, and end-users operate within complex environments… but always with an eye towards inspiring positive global change through evidence and innovation.
