2 CBOs transforming governance through organizational learning
EASUN works through deep interventions that transform internal governance purposes and practices to strengthen civil society organizations as effective institutions advocating inclusive, equitable structures and processes in social development. Our work with two Tanzanian civil society organizations in October and November 2010 (reported below) demonstrate how governance and institutional development of CSOs require much more, in capacity development, than the current trend of simply attempting to fix them as templates of efficient administrative machines.
Board training for purposeful governance at UZIKWASA
UZIKWASA (Uzima kwa Sanaa or “Alive through Art”) is an non-government community based organization founded in 2003 with headquarters in Pangani town, in Tanga region of Tanzania. UZIKWASA has a strong activity orientation toward behaviour change, with regard to HIV & AIDS in local communities and conservation and preservation—of Pangani’s cultural and historic heritage.
The training of UZIKWASA board members, from 15-18 November 2010, in Pangani, was part of conscious transition management at various levels of the organization, which started with constitutional review in November 2009. Since then a new board has come into place in 2010. The training was part of new board members’ orientation, in an organization that is particularly purposeful toward aligning its governance systems with organizational values reflected in its statements of purpose.
Why Board training?
An organization looks for board members who are experienced and able to add value to its life and work. A board offers guidance and support, while it is also performing, in order to enable an organization meet its purpose. In order to fulfil and sustain this, a board needs development to enhance its effectiveness, and increase its ability to work collectively as a team.
The Board training in UZIKWASA included team building, discussion of board roles, as well as learning about the important governance questions of accountability and leadership in guiding the organization to effectively manage its core purpose, organizational culture and relevant practices toward realization of its vision and mission.
Prior to the Board training, UZIKWASA had reviewed its constitution in 2009, to enable it to formally institutionalize new approaches to leadership that would facilitate organizational learning and effective team work. The constitutional review process had also highlighted the fact that UZIKWASA was shifting toward the integrated phase of team based management, shared leadership and participatory governance. UZIKWASA realized that as part of conscious transition management, it needed to enhance the capacity of the board to address the leadership challenges inherent in the various stages of organizational development. In this regard, UZIKWASA board and management staff needed to strengthen new understanding, attitudes and sets of skills that would provide appropriate governance through 1) skills and capacities for learning; 2) orientation toward shared leadership); 3) Transformational leadership, i.e., supporting professional development and motivation of others to produce shifts in values, attitudes, beliefs and needs of a team in a way that transforms the whole organization.
In calling for board training, UZIKWASA expressed its understanding that good governance starts with framing and applying leadership practices that directly address stated organizational purpose and building practices that will sustain organizational culture that is aligned to the values reflected in that purpose. It was noted, in one of the first brainstorm sessions, that in order to perform effectively in guiding the organization toward achieving its purpose, the new board needed to 1) become well oriented to UZIKWASA’s vision, mission and values; 2) be open to regular training, including team building that involves the board and management staff; 3) develop a clear understanding of board roles and responsibilities; 4) avoid conflict of interest; 5) orient itself toward transformational leadership skills and practices.
Specific leadership qualities enabled successful transitions in UZIKWASA
The coming in of a new Board was a critical leadership transition moment for UZIKWASA. This fact influenced the training activities in some specific ways, for instance, sharing of the biography of the organization to identify what had been learnt from critical events in the development of the organization since its inception. The critical events analysis also helped the board to characterize the leadership specific strengths that had leveraged sustained institutional development. These are captured in the table below.
| Transformational leadership qualities/skills | Organizational practice outcomes (values based action and development processes)* |
| 1. Inspiring shared vision | 1. Constantly renewing capacities |
| 2. Building trust | 2. Confident & responsive programming |
| 3. Creating a learning organization | 3. Self-reflection |
| 4. Transparency/openness | 4. Participatory approaches |
| 5. Mentorship–maintaining enthusiasm, professionalism, and commitment | 5. Resourcefulness to local communities |
| 6. Conscious role modelling | 6. Team work and team learning |
| 7. Good understanding of local environment | 7. Strong connection to vision and organizational sense of purpose |
| 8. Facilitating team learning and development | 8. Creativity and innovativeness |
| 9. Creating enabling environment. | 9. Checks and balances in governance |
|
|
Surfaced and restated organizational values of UZIKWASA
1) Facilitators of learning; 2) Empowering communities for ownership; 3) Transformational leaders; 4) Dedicated performers; 5) Advocates of culture awareness; 6) Creative innovators; 7) Enablers of participation; 8) Advocating team work; 9) Striving for people’s well being; 10) Working with love and care.
CSO leadership, organizational purpose, values and service to communities
The training enabled board members to recognize important approaches to leadership that sustained institutional development of UZIKWASA since its founding in 2003 as a civil society organization with a specific stated purpose. Characterizing and, in effect, seeing the leadership and organizational practices required also enabled the board to take ownership and develop special commitment to strengthening the same as guidelines for its leadership and governance.
Internalization and practice of organizational values is possible only through team learning and effective role modelling at leadership levels. The training enabled the new board of UZIKWASA to recognize that its governance roles include promoting and sustaining organizational environment and capacities that will enable UZIKWASA to take forward its unique purpose of increasing the abilities of communities of Pangani District to enjoy good health, and empowering them to utilize the benefits of their local history and culture.
For discussion on board leadership in the context of organizational purpose contact Mosi Kisare mosi.kisare@easun-tz.org. For inquiries about board training contact atieno.olwal@easun-tz.org. For information on UZIKWASA’s work in Pangani contact Dr. Vera Pieroth mamaveratz@gmail.com
________________________________CBO’s new skills in communication and organizational learning
MKUKI is a non-government community based organization founded in 1993, with the main purpose of awareness raising and other service responses to address HIV & AIDS in Moshi Rural district of Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. EASUN was invited to train to MKUKI field workers and managerial staff in the development and use of simple methods for data gathering and documentation of field experiences. The training workshop took place in HIMO, Moshi, from 4th – 6th October 2010. Nine members of MKUKI staff, comprising of 6 men and 3 women, participated.
A short story of the intervention
The intervention went quite well. MKUKI members felt satisfied and happy, not least because of some immediate outputs in terms of new data gathering tools that they developed in the practical learning exercises. These included: 1) a form for documenting follow up on school performance by orphan students they are supporting, 2) a tool for gathering information on the status and support needs of grandmothers (grannies) supporting AIDS orphans in their homes.
It was also important for MKUKI staff members that they had learnt the principles and practical skills in developing data gathering tools, including: 1) “framing questions” of purpose for which the data needs to be gathered, 2) design of focused data gathering tools in terms of their likelihood to generate responses that address real community needs.
Participants also had the chance to learn to handle electronic equipment for documenting community activities. For some, this looked rather natural, while others showed extreme nervousness, which probably had more to do with exposure and confidence than inability to take pictures. The issue of safety of expensive equipment was clearly evident. It emerged that developing proficiency in this area will require both the skills for handling different types of cameras, but also the development of a mindset that allows fieldworkers access to the equipment as they travel deep in rural communities.
What was also helpful for them was the development of an action-learning based M & E system, which entailed construction of a “learning site” that would become the heart of MKUKI’s information management system. An interesting 3 minute role-play demonstrated “simulation” as a method of data gathering through observation. In addition, simulations of organizational learning situations enabled MKUKI members to practice sharing and documenting information gathered from the field in ways that will support its organizational learning, particularly enabling it to see emerging questions that may call for conscious practice development or some changes in how it responds in local community situations.
The latter is particularly significant because MKUKI members learnt that data gathering, far from being an activity only for transmitting information related to project funding, is essential for monitoring and benchmarking practices in order to continuously improve performance, strengthen networking at various levels, and sustain impact of the organization’s activities in local communities.
For inquiries about a possible OD intervention from EASUN contact atieno.olwal@easun-tz.org. For more information about MKUKI contact Dr. Joseph Minja or Mrs. Lina Mlay mkukihimo@yahoo.co.uk
________________________________Please take note: Build your transformational leadership skills and train your senior programme staff to make interventions informed by OD skills: Enrol in the FOD (Facilitating Organization Development) Course. We accept applications of up to 3 candidates per organization. Send inquiries now to alando.anyona@easun-tz.org . Next cycle of FOD starts in August 2011. Intake number is restricted. Enrol now to ensure a place
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