Optimising the Allocation of Resources
Every organisation, regardless of sector and it business, has to determine how to allocate its staff and funding to be most effective in achieving its mission. This means overcoming many challenges:
- for established organisations, inertia is typically a strong force. It is difficult to make changes to how resources are allocated from one year to another, even if the context and issues facing the organisation change;
- for new or redesigned organisations, determining the “right” allocation of resources requires understanding what impact the organisation can have, determining the resource requirements to make an impact, and making choices between different aims of the organisation. Not doing this properly may lead to “locking in” resources in areas that do not reflect organisational priorities;
- shifting resources carries risks. It is often not clear in advance what the potential benefits are from redirecting resources from one programme or intervention to another, or indeed if the change will help the organisation become more or less effective;
and - centralised funding bodies have different options on how to base allocations to regional or
local organisations. It is not usually obvious which option to choose. Should resources be distributed to promote equality, to reward improvements, to maximise benefits, or a mix
of these?
We have substantial expertise in:
- helping organisations evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different ways of
allocating resources and delivering these approaches; - ensuring that the allocations are based on evidence and link to organisational priorities; and
- alternative engagement strategies to support stakeholders engage with trade off decisions concerning the allocation of resources.
For more information on how Matrix allocates resources in particular sectors click here.
