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Compilations of one-pagers

The reference number for each compilation is the date of its preparation.

Earlier compilations obviously do not refer to one-pagers prepared later.

Send me an email if you want an update. clark@srds.co.uk

 

There are over 600 one-pagers waiting to be converted to html and published for downloading.

Email me if you see something you fancy which is not yet published.

 

g960902a 

On action planning - how to make the dream come true

1. Change

In essence we are talking about changing things for the better. The process of change can be studied to give  useful insights to the process. Associated with the change process there are the related concepts of conflict, avoidance and groupthink.

2. Power

There are options for the way in which power is held and used within organisations. This is the basis of politics as an academic discipline and we use nations as metaphors for how schools can be organised. This gives rise to thoughts about participation and decentralization and to different styles of leadership and ways in which initiatives from below might be stifled by inappropriate leadership styles.

3. Teams and groups

Participation and decentralised organizational structures will involve people working in groups and teams. It is helpful to have some models of what is likely to happen in these situations.

4. Action Planning

When things happen rationally there is planning, implementation and evaluation. There are higher and lower levels of these activities. Implementation, tactical or action planning is what we are primarily concerned with here. Implementation often faces problems because of ineffective action planning so it is desirable to have some frameworks to guide the process. Part of this involves having good, clear, shared objectives.

5. Appendices

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g970306

Stakeholder involvement for project sustainability, and the new style TCO

The first three papers outline the main thrust of the rest. First the idea of moving from theory x to theory y in terms of management style, and then the implications of this in terms of how to deal with stakeholders.

The next set offers the guts of theories X and Y with some variations on it. I have thrown in Theory Z because it exists - it relates to quality circles and other such trendy new techniques.

Theory Y involves ‘participation’ and the next three papers look at various aspects of this concept. I have many more on this theme should anyone be interested.

There is a move to Theory Y because the present pattern of aid, especially technical assistance, has come heavily under fire - four samples are given here.

There are problems with the Project Approach in its own right but here we look at modifications to it rather than replacement of it. The move is towards a more ‘process’ approach.

There is much confusing talk these days of institutional development and capacity building. These concepts need exploring.

Another buzz word is ‘sustainability’ - two explorations!

And of course we have to deal with the concept of ‘stakeholders’.

And all of the above have implications for the future role of ‘Technical Assistance’. After a few typologies for the new breed we have a quick look at styles of strategic management and finish with some principles of fourth generation evaluation - I confess to being totally enamoured of the theories of Guba and Lincoln - I have tried them, they work!

And if you still have an appetite for more there are a couple of reading lists. All the materials are available on request from the ODA library in East Kilbride.

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G970325B

Team Work and Group Dynamics

All teams are groups but not all groups need operate as teams. Groups normally get together to achieve some task and often this is ‘managed’ within some organizational setting. We thus begin by looking at the changing thinking in terms of how best to ‘manage’ teams in organizational settings, at some options in terms of power and domination and then a more down to earth list of duties for a manager.

But, however, the group/team is managed, patterns can be identified in the way in which they operate for the better or the worse, and the overall functions which they might serve.

‘Group Dynamics’ looks more at the role of different individuals within a group and the specific patterns of interactions between individuals. Many typologies are available.

And then there are the tools or instruments which can be used to measure the extent and quality of social interactions within groups:

As a postscript it is useful to note that most groups operate in conditions of change and that this can give rise to conflict and that this can be dealt with more or less rationally:

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g970513A

Interventions to promote Sustainability

Based  on: Clayton AMH and Radcliffe NJ (1996) Sustainability - a systems approach; Earthscan ISBN 1 85383 3193

It was common in the past that when development projects ended they also collapsed. It is not thus surprising  to hear the call for development interventions to be sustainable.

Most development interventions are channelled through organisations within local social systems - mainly through government  but increasingly through NGOs. This being the case it is useful to consider the nature of ‘systems’ and the history of the ‘systems thinking’ which, known to them or not,  pervades the thinking of most development professionals.

This collection of one-pagers covers the main ideas inherent in the systems approach, differentiates between hard and soft systems, and suggest some strategies for building elements of sustainability into the latter.

In ‘The Nature of Systems" [g970509d] we see that the systems approach deals not only with things and events but also with the relationships between them. The key concepts of emergence, hierarchical control and communication are briefly expounded.

In ‘Defining Systems’ [g970509c] we note that there is no commonly accepted way of categorising the many different types of system which exist but the fundamental difference between natural, designed and human activity systems is noted.

The next two papers look in turn at the characteristics of hard [g970512c] and soft [g970512d] systems. The shrewd reader may reflect that most development project planning assumes that intervention in social systems is a ‘hard’ process while it blatantly is not!

In ‘Positional Analysis’ [g970512e] there is a brief sketch of a technique to bring transparency to decision making processes - such an important requirement when dealing with soft systems.

The last paper throws down the gauntlet by saying that ‘Flexibility is necessary for Sustainability’ [g970512b] and that this can only be achieved through a paradigm shift in management style.

Hands up all those hard system control freaks who

(a) begin to see the error of their simplistic ways and

 

(b) are willing to let go softly?

 

Note: It might be found useful to refer to two other collections of one-pagers which relate to this issue:

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