My original main goal as an Atma Mumbai volunteer was to map out internal processes and staff responsibilities at Nareshwadi with the aim to create job descriptions. Day by day, the project got broader and broader… as communication seemed to be quite a challenge, accountability was a completely unknown concept, common goal or vision was a big question mark. Thus, we decided to start from the very beginning…and create a common vision and a long-term strategy. Thereupon, the organization would be revised, job descriptions created, internal processes and reporting set… Quite an ambitious plan for the upcoming months taking into account my desire to involve all Nareshwadi staff in this process!
First challenge was to convince the principal (and others), that we actually need the vision for both external relations and internal alignment and that it is important to hold a vision workshop with all the staff. When we agreed the first date, it seemed that the understanding of importance is still not there and so… the workshop was being postponed because of other priorities. Finally, we managed to agree on 2 half day sessions on 23-24 August. Hurray!
We have devoted with Ameeth a lot of time to the preparation and planned the workflow by minutes… What is the goal of this exercise, what will the facilitators do, how will the groups work, what are the resources needed… and developed a full script that can be adopted by any other NGO. To make the facilitation easier, we have invited 2 additional Marathi speaking facilitators Sujeet and Amit 2 (who however had to cancel the participation few hours before the workshop). After distributing a considerable assignment to all the staff five days before the workshop, I felt quite confident that we are ready to run it and nothing could stop us (neither a punctured tyre, nor an absent key stakeholder).
The first day was dedicated to the vision and mission development. Before we started, we spent the whole hour introducing each other, as it was for the first time that teachers, houseparents, engineers and some of the farm staff met together. As one the teachers shared that he won 15 mixers, 1 bike and many other items in crossword and thus established a small business, everybody just started to laugh. The following brainstorming in small groups produced a fantastic number of ideas about future Nareshwadi based on pictures, rhymes or a mathmatical equation. At the end of the 3 hour session, 4 different visions and missions were created . This was an unbelievable achievement in Indian meeting culture! :)
First challenge was to convince the principal (and others), that we actually need the vision for both external relations and internal alignment and that it is important to hold a vision workshop with all the staff. When we agreed the first date, it seemed that the understanding of importance is still not there and so… the workshop was being postponed because of other priorities. Finally, we managed to agree on 2 half day sessions on 23-24 August. Hurray!
We have devoted with Ameeth a lot of time to the preparation and planned the workflow by minutes… What is the goal of this exercise, what will the facilitators do, how will the groups work, what are the resources needed… and developed a full script that can be adopted by any other NGO. To make the facilitation easier, we have invited 2 additional Marathi speaking facilitators Sujeet and Amit 2 (who however had to cancel the participation few hours before the workshop). After distributing a considerable assignment to all the staff five days before the workshop, I felt quite confident that we are ready to run it and nothing could stop us (neither a punctured tyre, nor an absent key stakeholder).
The first day was dedicated to the vision and mission development. Before we started, we spent the whole hour introducing each other, as it was for the first time that teachers, houseparents, engineers and some of the farm staff met together. As one the teachers shared that he won 15 mixers, 1 bike and many other items in crossword and thus established a small business, everybody just started to laugh. The following brainstorming in small groups produced a fantastic number of ideas about future Nareshwadi based on pictures, rhymes or a mathmatical equation. At the end of the 3 hour session, 4 different visions and missions were created . This was an unbelievable achievement in Indian meeting culture! :)
The second day was fully devoted to the strategy development, i.e. how to reach the vision we have just drafted. To kick-off the session, Ameeth mentioned the most frequent topics from the individual strategy inputs. The small focus groups started to work immediately and I was astonished to see that the teamwork across the hierarchy really worked! Engineers were discussing children’s health, teachers were discussing new building development… If I seemed to have been losing the faith at the very beginning, I was gaining it now… These people are really showing concern and care! If only they are given the chance…
At the end of the day, the discussion just couldn’t stop. As the atmosphere was really open, several staff members started to complain that these wonderful ideas may not be implemented, that the top management is not interested even to come to Nareshwadi. Ameeth argued that it has to be their representative to change it and make sure their voice is heard. It will not be the volunteers, but the principal and the Nareshwadi chief coordinator to debrief the management and follow-up. Big expectations have been created. And a big hope.As I am writing this article, the workshop outputs are just being documented and translated into English. Within few days, they will be presented hopefully to the top management. I do believe that the vision workshop at Nareshwadi was an immense success, so let’ s use this momentum and start to drive a real change….for “mulana”, the kids.
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If you would like to see more photos from this event, follow this link:
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If you want to run a similar workshop for your organization, following TIPS may help:
LEARNING 1: Get the first stakeholders on board. Convince them about the benefits of the workshop.
LEARNING 2: Collect data in field, ask different people about their ideas. Adopt the design of the proposal (workshop) accordingly.
LEARNING 3: Be persistent. Keep it as your priority and explain yet again why the workshop makes sense for each individual. Check they really understand.
LEARNING 4: Involve the owners and/or top management if you want them to decide in line with the vision newly created by the staff!
LEARNING 5: Plan everything thoroughly and get best facilitators to prepare and run the workshop in the language of the audience. If you believe that a full day instead of 2 half day sessions is better, do not compromise. However, when the workshop starts, trust the audience and the facilitators to deliver their best, enjoy the flow and remain flexible!
LEARNING 6: Follow-up and deliver quick wins. Use the momentum!
