What is this group?

AdaptDev is a listserv for connecting the people and organizations who are promoting more adaptive methods across the international aid, development, and governance sectors.

What do we mean by "adaptive development"?

Practitioners, policymakers, and researchers increasingly recognize that our work needs to be more adaptive: working iteratively rather than constrained by linear planning models; tailoring to local needs rather than copying approaches from other contexts; navigating complexity rather than assuming simplicity. This takes many forms and the practices are still evolving. "Adaptive development" is not a single method, but rather a range of approaches for improving our impact.

Who should join?

Several recent initiatives have brought professionals together to move the adaptive development agenda forward in various ways, often using different terminology. This grooglegroup aims to provide lightweight connectivity across those various initiatives. The group will be most useful to anyone collaborating across organizations to promote adaptive development. Membership is open; anyone can request to join.

How can I use the group?

This should be a relatively unstructured space for sharing what various initiatives are working on, disseminating ideas and research, and identifying entry-points for collaboration or cross-pollination.

Who runs the list?

The list was launched by Alan Hudson and Dave Algoso, following conversations with like-minded partners at a range of organizations. However, other than setting up the group and inviting people, Alan and Dave play a more passive role; there will be no moderation of posts or conversations, unless the community starts to see the need.

Why googlegroups?

It’s lightweight, integrates well with email, and free. In settings, you can choose to receive an email every time someone posts, occasional digests of recent posts, or no email at all. You can always post, read, and reply to messages here: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/adaptdev

What about twitter?

The hashtag #adaptdev is also being used for sharing articles and organizing live-chats on twitter.

Adaptive Development | #AdaptDev