In the late 1960s and early 70s, psychologist Walter Mischel conducted a series of experiments that came to be known collectively as the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment. The premise was simple. A child would be given a snack, such as a marshmallow, and told that if they could sit with it for a short time and not eat it, the experimenter would give them a second one. Children who were able to invest their time in waiting not only got their second marshmallow, but also went on in life to enjoy greater success.
Joachim de Posada described these experiments at TED recently, and has a great video of the kids in his experiments – for more on the experiment, take a look.
Marshmallows and global development
In these experiments we have an illustration of the humanitarian and global development sector’s relationship with the infrastructure necessary to tackle integrity risks like fraud, terrorist diversion and safeguarding.
Sure, organisations that do not invest in good governance and infrastructure (especially, for example, finance, systems, human resources, IT and supply chain management) can still deliver programmes and reach beneficiaries. But those who do invest can reclaim the hidden losses, and therefore do more and reach further. They get the second marshmallow.
Effective risk and integrity frameworks are not optional extras – they’re vital to ensure your organisation gets the most from its resources. And that, of course, means that your beneficiaries get the best from you.
This blog explores how humanitarian and global development organisations can maximise their effectiveness at reducing integrity risks – and get the second marshmallow.
Second Marshmallow 