Capacity for Community Development: An Approach to Conceptualization and Measurement

The concept of "capacity" has generated substantial interest among community development practitioners and scholars. This article describes our efforts to understand and measure health promotion capacity in Saskatchewan, and encourages readers to think about the usefulness of this concept in other community development contexts. We conceptualize capacity as a set of knowledge, skills, commitments, and resources required by individuals and organizations to effectively plan, implement, and evaluate health promotion activities. We initially operationalized and measured capacity through survey instruments designed to elicit responses from health promotion practitioners and leaders of regional health care organizations. After the initial administration of these two surveys, and following additional qualitative consultations with respondents to the surveys, we developed "capacity checklists" as practical tools to help practitioners and leaders assess their individual and organizational capacity for health promotion work. The ability to better understand and measure capacity enables community developers to more effectively pursue continuing education and organizational development efforts.