CBO coached to identify its critical leadership questions

A community based organization in Tanzania has applied all the “best practices” in terms of prevailing project based development approaches, including a well designed M & E system. Its vision statement is carefully crafted in a time-bound frame, which is effective in attracting the pragmatic ears of donors. Its project activities and training of local communities are well managed and supported by a relatively steady supply of funding.

In an organizational self-diagnosis process facilitated by EASUN in February 2011, one remaining question identified by the CBO is that it has not succeeded in building sustained relationships with local communities after projects are handed over. Through various interventions, EASUN is currently working with the organization to strengthen its capacity for organizational learning and, consequently, its ability to facilitate the learning, motivation and ownership of community groups working at project levels. The CBO has specific plans that are designed to help it, within a three (3) year time-frame, to transform its project work into a force for broader social development objectives, including the institutional development of local organizations involved in community project activities.

Emerging “ownership of learning” from the organizational diagnosis process became evident when, in subsequent coaching sessions, three leaders of the CBO developed their leadership change objectives. Temba, in particular, was concerned about the extent to which different people in the organization were internalizing the full scope of what emerging from the organizational diagnosis.

Institutionalizing a new paradigm of leadership

That was a critical leadership question underlining the fact that various forms of tensions, such as feelings of inequalities, disempowerment and other emotional circumstances that characterize organizations were likely to shape the scope of learning in the organization. Temba went on to formulate his change objective within the current coaching framework as “increased ability to facilitate others reach their learning objectives”.

The concern expressed by Temba suggests that he had come to a critical place of readiness to shift his whole approach to leadership and facilitation of development in others. The learning issue, or change objective he identified above reflects the awareness that his leadership and team facilitation were taking place in situations characterized by uniqueness, uncertainty, instability and complexity. Temba was going to have to manage relationships in ways that address both individuals’ feelings and thoughts in order to unearth the will and capacities of his team members to internalize new knowledge that will enable them to get things done more effectively.

In the coaching sessions, EASUN similarly applied methodologies that enabled each leader to come to terms with both his/her emotions and power relations in the coaching situation, in order to effectively support them toward internalizing new learning. In that way, the coaching process increased their capacities to plan leadership development objectives that will add value in the context of the CBO’s expressed desire to become an effective institution through knowledge management.

For more information on possible coaching of leaders at various levels in your organization contact mosi.kisare@easun-tz.org. For information about organizational surveys, team building, or strategic thinking contact atieno.olwal@easun-tz.org

Leadership stories from a training event

Cycle “N” of EASUN’s FOD leadership training for civil society organizations was finalized with the 3rd module of the course, held in Moshi, Tanzania, from 7th – 11th March, 2011. Twelve leaders of civil society organizations from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda successfully completed the training. The theme of the module was “Facilitator as Change Agent”. As proclaimed by a banner welcoming participants to their final training week in Moshi, being a change agent is essentially about “Bringing who you are to what you do.”

The module was introduced through a particular emphasis that in the “self” is the most important tool that enables all other tools to be effective in supporting change in human and organizational development situations. This was in recognition of the fact that participants had already practiced the use of a wide range of tools in modules I and II, held between August and November 2010. The new emphasis was designed to leverage a new outlook with regard to the most productive relationship between tools and facilitator behaviours in learning situations for change. Module III was thus designed for participants to practice the use of “self” as the best tool that leverages trust, openness, effective learning and shared commitment to managing planned change by individuals and organizations. 

It was particularly noted that the “self” is the place where the treasure of leadership is to be unearthed. Hidden treasure normally lies deep, which suggests that the development of a “leader as facilitator” (or “facilitator as leader”) requires consciously managed self-development. On the last day of the training, participants held a bonfire conversation that surfaced what they had learnt over the module III week.

Levers of leadership

Wilfred raised a particularly disturbing question, especially after the introductory one hour which had seemed to generate deep infatuation with the concept of self. “To what extent is the self an effective tool in facilitating organizational change when one is not in a position of leverage in terms of hierarchical position an organization? Fortunately, the discussion itself generated a model emerged that underlined the fact that the self is itself a tool of leverage. However, its effective use requires sharpening through conscious application in pursuit of ethical relationships in an organizational setting.

It was noted that power tends to saw seeds of discord, fragmentation and conflict when it is devoid of values-based use of the “self.  Conscious use of self, as a tool, is a lever for facilitative leadership. Participants noted how in Africa today we have “old type Presidents” who do not know how to respond to people’s growing demand that “people’s rights” are a legitimate nation building agenda. Important aspects of development and community building such as identity construction, shared purpose, justice and peace are lost in circumstances where leadership is legitimated on the basis of executive (or hierarchical) position alone. 

The discussion brought about increased clarity of how the FOD course is a specific model for developing appropriate leadership of the civil society sector in East Africa. This was illustrated by Anike’s reflection on how her leadership as a facilitator was transformed over the eight months of the course. “What should I be leveraging as a facilitator of capacity development and change?”

Anike asked herself that question; reflecting on ways in which she had, in the past, perceived and sought to use her leverage as she worked to build capacities of community based organizations in Tanzania. “To what extent was I a listening partner, applying my knowledge and skills to support an organization’s change efforts toward improving its effectiveness?” She realized that her partnership and role as facilitator were mostly gauged on her ability to leverage the flow of financial resources, i.e., “a conduit responding to expressed needs of organizations and communities from a position of top-down power, serving my superior position?”

“Letting go”, to discover something new

Anike realized that her role as a leader in facilitating change is to allow people to grow by keeping it simple and “letting go” of control and outcome. “Letting go” means working with power in a participatory manner.

Joel reflected on the U-procedure, the last tool that was introduced in module III. “I have learnt that this diagnostic and strategic thinking tool enables an organization to lift up its spirit and build a new body on it. It does this by bringing an organization to a point of creative tension, where it must decide on “what we must let go of” and “what we must take on as new ways of thinking or doing things.”

Patrick examined his current values, attitudes and behaviour at point no. 3 in the U-procedure and discovered that coming to acceptance of what he needed to “let go of” was leading him to discover the “self” in him as a treasure that will enable him to become a more facilitative leader. Wilfred Opobo added: “As I gained confidence in a new kind of leadership, I was able to let go of lecturing and acquired a more facilitative posture in supporting other people’s development.”

For more information and application for FOD course contact alando.anyona@easun-tz.org

Nairobi meeting underlines need for OD awareness in East Africa

Two EASUN staff members, Alando Anyona and Terry Morton, attended an OD conference organized by the African Centre for Volunteers (ACV) based in Kenya.  The meeting took place at the end of March 2011. Participants came from 24 organizations in Africa, and included seasoned OD practitioners, some NGOs that have received OD support in the past, and others that are new to OD.  Wangui Karanja, who was a Program Officer at EASUN from 1998-2008, was one of three outstanding presenters at the workshop.

It was refreshing to exchange approaches and tools with other practitioners, and also to share the value of OD with those who were new to the discipline.  Some of the key areas explored were the role of OD in building the capacity of an organization, OD intervention types and tools, opportunities and challenges of organizational growth over time, the role of leadership in making OD work in organizations, and the value of reflecting on practice for learning ways to improve.  The uniqueness of OD among other disciplines was particularly noted, as illustrated by the following:

• OD increases organizational effectiveness by structuring processes for people to learn from their experience and sustain performance on the cutting edge of change;
• Facilitators use an in-depth understanding of conscious and unconscious processes in people and organizations to guide the OD process;
• The central agent of change is people, so awareness of the impact of structure on relationships is foundational;
• OD is driven by values that foster positive engagement, responsibility-taking and democratic decision-making;
• Solutions lie within the organization—members do their own diagnoses, problem solving, implementation of changes, monitoring and learning from results to continually improve;
• OD embraces a systems approach to change, so OD interventions are organization-wide and promote distributed leadership;
• OD develops capacities for empowered participation.

One participant from South Africa commented, “I never knew that OD is a learning experience—I always thought it was used to evaluate an organization’s performance.” This sentiment was shared by many organizations participating in the Nairobi meeting who have never experienced what OD really stands for as an intervention for transforming organizational practices.

Support EASUN to spread the word about developmental capacity building relationships that will enhance the identity and role of civil society organizations in building social capital in East Africa. Contact alando.anyona@easun-tz; terry.morton@easun-tz.org; atieno.olwal@easun-tz.org

EASUN Centre for Organisational Learning
P.O. Box 6120 Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255-(0)27-2548803
Fax +255-(0)27-2548289
info@easun-tz.org
www.easun-tz.org

EASUN acknowledges sustained funding support from and EED with appreciation.
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