Consensus on organisational structures that are fit for purpose

by Hamish Wilson/

When the Regional Centre for the Quality of Health Care (RCQHC) was set up in 1999, it was agreed that it would be temporarily hosted and administered by Makerere University in Uganda. However, when this arrangement continued for over ten years, the underlying institutional arrangements were perceived as not being “fit for purpose”.

Wasafiri was accordingly called upon in August 2011 to assist RCQHC in making some fundamental decisions about the purpose of its existence, and its structure and ways of working. The ultimate aim was to generate a set of recommendations on a possible legal autonomous model that would enable the Centre to operate at optimum capacity.

During preparations for the assignment, and especially when carrying out the diagnostic phase, Wasafiri’s guiding principle was that of giving our undivided attention to the client, listening with deep respect and without any sense of judgement. The views and reflections of the various stakeholders who were consulted on the type of institutional arrangements that would enable the RCQHC to function even more effectively were captured faithfully and analysed.

The draft report produced by Wasafiri, within the space of around 10 days, presented a range of feasible options. Responding to the draft report, the Director of RCQHC wrote to Wasafiri praising it as a “truly a professional job” and remarking “You are experts at helping organisations”.

Using reporting on mitigation for climate change negotiations

by Hamish Wilson/

In the framework of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in May 2010 in Bonn/Germany, South Africa, South Korea and Germany launched the International Partnership on Mitigation and MRV. The overall aim of the Partnership is to support a practical exchange on mitigation-related activities and MRV between developing and developed countries in order to help close the global ambition gap.

To this end, the activities of the Partnership contribute to the design and effective implementation of ‘Low-Emission Development Strategies’ (LEDS), ‘Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions’ (NAMAs) and ‘Measuring, Reporting and Verification’ (MRV) systems.

Bringing together climate experts from a variety of countries, the Partnership seeks to foster mutual learning between peers, identify best practices, establish a shared mitigation-related knowledge base, and disseminate lessons learnt. This will contribute to the building of trust, capacity and expertise, allowing countries to find nationally appropriate solutions to address and combat climate change.

Within this context, technical workshops offer the opportunity for members of the International Partnership on Mitigation and MRV to immerse into particular topics of individual interest within the spectrum of mitigation and MRV. Offering technical workshops, the Partnership aims at contributing to an in-depth understanding of key aspects critical to the implementation of ambitious climate policies.  During the workshops, participants from developing countries may together work on strategies and roadmaps for mitigation policies and measures of their individual countries.

The first technical workshop of the International Partnership on Mitigation and MRV took place in June 2012 for negotiators from member countries of the Partnership dealing with mitigation issues.It analysed the existing UNFCCC framework for MRV, identified necessary requirements and interest regarding MRV in developing countries, and supported  informed decision-making in the negotiations.

Wasafiri Consultant, Sampa Kalungu, was contracted by GIZ to facilitate the workshop, ensuring a participatory approach that promoted exchange of knowledge and experiences from participants. The workshop was a strong success, with participants leaving better able to harness their MRV in order to confidently represent developing countries at international climate change negotiations.

Forging an Alliance to end famine in the Horn of Africa and Sahel. Forever.

by Ian Randall/

2011 saw the worst drought in 60 years for the Horn of Africa, affecting over 13 million people and leading to famine due to the combination of regional instability, weak governance, a fragile agricultural economy, and low resilience within communities. Six months later, a similar story unfolded in the Sahel, affecting a further 18 million people.

The traditional humanitarian response was failing to create long-term solutions, and at worst was locking people in to a cycle of dependency and vulnerability. A new paradigm was needed that would take an integrated approach to building resilience, by coordinating humanitarian action, with security measures, agricultural growth, disaster risk reduction, long-term safety nets and better governance. This paradigm would require a new level of coordination across humanitarian and development agencies, and with national and regional governments. In 2012, the Global Alliance for Action for Drought Resilience and Growth was launched by African governments and international partners to put resilience at the heart of their efforts in the Horn of Africa and Sahel.

Wasafiri Consulting was called upon to provide independent facilitation of the first meeting of the Global Alliance in mid-2012. Over 2 days, the meeting brought together the international community behind a common understanding of how they could work together to end famine in the Horn of Africa and Sahel – forever. Delegates left with a commitment to collaborate with together and hold each other mutually accountable, and a clear set of actions that would sustain their momentum over the coming year.

Forging leadership to integrate Rwandan healthcare provision

by Hamish Wilson/

The Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) was established on 25 January 2011, following a merger of 14 organisations and agencies. Implementation of the merger was initiated in June 2011, with most of the senior leadership appointed in July of the same year. While the first few months post-integration proceeded smoothly, the complexity of the endeavour was considerable, with the fourteen merged organisations and agencies bringing with them a diversity of mind-sets, cultures, systems, values and processes.

In order to capitalise on the opportunities presented by this ambitious and complex venture, the RBC’s senior leadership determined to accelerate the transition, proposing that a senior leadership retreat be held in December, 2011. The leadership felt that this programme warranted support from an external consulting organisation specialised in facilitating complex change processes and developing high-performance leadership teams. Wasafiri was called in to perform that role.

Our team carried out an organisational analysis, comprising a set of perception surveys of leaders and staff, as well as face-to-face interviews. Although widespread dissatisfaction emerged with the RBC’s present state, so too did optimism for the organisation’s future and commitment to overcoming present obstacles.

The leadership retreat, conducted immediately following the organisational analysis, was geared to accelerating this transition, and to building stronger synergies across the RBC’s constituent entities and their leaders under a common mission, vision and plan of action. The programme was facilitated in such a way as to generate concerted, strategic action by this leadership group – so fundamental to the success of this bold undertaking.

The response from participants indicated that the retreat was extremely successful in achieving its ambitious aims and outcomes. Though much hard work still lies ahead, solid foundations have been laid for effectively managing the change process.

Grow Africa: An opportunity for collective action

by Ian Randall/

I am flying home from the first Grow Africa Investment Forum, held at the impressive new African Union Conference Centre in Addis Ababa. Never before have I been in a room with so many powerful people – Jean Ping, African Union Chair; Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; Jakaya Kikwete, President of Tanzania; Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia; Nick Blazquez, President, Diageo Africa; Doug McMillon, President, Walmart; Raj Shah, Administrator, USAID; Kanayo Nwanze, President, IFAD; and 270 other leaders from business, government and civil society.

And never before has a development initiative felt to melike a snowball rolling downhill gathering its own unstoppable momentum. Normally it feels like slogging uphill.

For the last 3 years Wasafiri has worked extensively on CAADP – Africa’s plan for transforming agriculture. CAADP has involved hard work for many people, but slow, steady progress has been made. Over half of African countries have developed detailed strategies, increased public sector investment, and elevated political commitment for their agricultural sector. However, Africa’s agricultural transformation ultimately depends on harnessing this foundational work to unlock a vibrant private sector that increases productivity, produces nutritious food, and creates wealth and employment. And until now CAADP has primarily been a public sector initiative with only token engagement by the private sector.

Just over a year ago I called a contact at the World Economic Forum to suggest we try connecting the world of CAADP, with their New Vision for Agriculture Initiative – a collaboration by the major food and agriculture companies to explore ways of addressing the world’s long-term food challenges. The basic concept proposed was to work with the domestic and international private sector to identify investment opportunities that would contribute to national agricultural plans developed under CAADP, and then advance them in partnership. Grow Africa was born and, pleasingly, I had the privilege to name it!

Grow Africa is now lauded by international leaders as a key mechanism for implementing CAADP and driving Africa’s agriculture transformation. Raj Shah (head of USAID) recently announced that Barack Obama and other G8 leaders are expected to add their public support at this week’s G8 Summit.  A year after conception, Grow Africa acts as a partnership platform to accelerate investments, catalyse partnerships and share best practice. Co-ordinated by the African Union, NEPAD and the World Economic Forum, it is connecting governments, businesses, investors, farmers and development partners in order to advance ambitious agricultural partnership initiatives. A first wave of countries are engaged – Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ghana, Kenya and Ethiopia – with more expected soon.

On 9th May, the first Grow Africa Investment Forum was held in the margins of the WEF Africa Summit. Seven countries showcased investment opportunities aligned to their national priorities for agricultural transformation. Private sector leaders responded very positively, with major companies committing to advancing discussions on investment and partnership with the potential to unlock billions of dollars of investment. The event deepened trust and understanding between public and private sector leaders, and highlighted both challenges and innovations regarding how to unleash the private sector in transforming African agriculture.

Wasafiri believes that deep development challenges cannot be tackled by any single organisation. Systemic change depends upon multiple actors engaging in alignment to rework a failing system. Wasafiri’s work is in facilitating that alignment, and committing people to act in concert. Agriculture is so complex in this regard that the development community abandoned it for decades, choosing instead to focus on sectors such as health and education that are less market-based and diverse. As Raj Shah put it, “Agricultural transformation is a collective action problem”.

Grow Africa, building on the foundational work of CAADP, has suddenly reached a tipping point. Government, business and civil society are engaging together, targeting their efforts on specific areas of common interest, usually along a single value chain or geographical area. In one day at the Grow Africa Investment Forum their collective belief in change made a tangible leap forward. African agriculture shifted from being a problem, to an incredible opportunity – both commercially and in terms of development impact. Sensing this shift, some top politicians from Africa and the world are adding their endorsement, a simple leadership act that will exponentially increase everyone’s confidence and commitment to engaging in concert.

There is still a long way to go. Interest must get translated into investment, and investment into results. And there are obvious risks around ensuring investments are sustainable and inclusive – with complex issues around land, water, labour, smallholders, climate change, women, youth and governance. Nonetheless, it is thrilling to sense collective action generating incredible momentum for change, such that growing Africa is no longer a problem, it is a profound opportunity. Wasafiri is committed to continue serving Africa in its agricultural transformation.

Visit: www.growafrica.com (website managed by Wasafiri for AUC, NEPAD and WEF)

Watch live as Barack Obama and others speak about Grow Africa in the context of the G8 initiative.  8am EST/ 1pm BST to 5pm EST/ 10pm BST, 18th May 2012: http://www.livestream.com/thechicagocouncil

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How to work creatively with senior leaders

by Martin Kalungu-Banda/

Introduction

Between 8th and 18th March, I was invited to facilitate and engage with the top national leaders of Ghana on the subject of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management.  “Martin, you have to bear in mind that these are the senior most leaders of our country,” Winfred Nelson, the Co-ordinator of the African Adaptation Programme kept on saying to me on phone before I flew to Accra. “The four workshops you are going to run have attracted the interest of our Vice-President and the Council of State, elder statesmen and women who are advisers to our President. Others who will get involved in the workshops include Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and senior government technocrats.” Cautious not to reveal how intimidated I was feeling, I responded, “I hear you, Winfred. I am doing all I can to prepare for this important task.”

Supported by the United Nations Development Programme in Ghana, the African Adaptation Programme contracted me as the consultant to engage Ghana’s national leaders into a conversation on how they could create a step change to their already appreciable work on climate change. Within the Ghanaian Government there was the feeling that Ghana could be a role model of what it takes to turn international agreements and protocols on climate change into domestic policy and legal frameworks that inspire practical actions on the ground.

The day of the first workshop came. The workshop was for the distinguished members of the Council of State. The Council of State comprises men and women who are chosen from among the Ghanaians with exceptional achievements in their lives and professions. Some of them are professors emeritus in their fields; local and international public service experts; respected traditional leaders; and successful business and community leaders, among others. As if the titles of the participants were not unnerving enough, Winfred whispered to me just before the official opening of the workshop, “I know you have creative ways of engaging participants; but please take into account my director’s request that you carefully choose processes and techniques that befit the audience. These are honourable men and women who deserve utmost respect. Whatever interventions you use, take into account the status of our participants.” I simply nodded to acknowledge Winfred’s admonition.  I knew Winfred trusted my ways of working because we had worked together on a related project at the University of Oxford when more than 170 experts and policy makers from all over the world came together to think about and develop practical actions to climate change. However, I also knew that I had to take into account the responsibility he shouldered with regard to striking a fine balance between engaging in a creative process and ensuring that the participants were not frustrated by working in ways they would find unacceptable.

The Process

Working with intuition

When all the formalities that go with such august gatherings came to a close, my co-facilitator – Seth Osafo, a distinguished international public servant who had served the United Nations for many years and one of Africa’s leading experts on climate change negotiations – asked me to introduce myself. In an instant, I decided to introduce myself in the following way, “My name is Martin Kalungu-Banda. I come from the country you may not want to talk about now.” I paused to wait for the participants’ reaction. I could hear murmurs of “What country is that?” “Just tell us.” “What is this now?” I continued, “Please forgive me that I come from the country that is the current Africa Champion of football and responsible for eliminating Ghana from the tournament.” You should have seen the impromptu responses from the elder statesmen and women. Like ordinary mortals, the elder statesmen and women started screaming at me, “Watch what you say young man because we are in the same group for the world cup qualifying matches.” Some questioned Zambia’s victory, “What could we have done when our 11 players were competing against 22 Zambian players on the pitch?” Others warned, “If you want to have lunch, you should stop making reference to football. That chapter for now is closed for discussion.” One of the senior chiefs in the room said, “To be honest, we are very proud of what the Chipolopolo boys have achieved. As you celebrate your being champions for the first time ever, remember that Ghana are the four time champions of African.” There was laughter in the room.

With those reactions and responses from the distinguished participants, the ice had been broken. From then onwards, there developed a close joking but respectful “cousinship” between the leaders and myself as one of their facilitators. I knew that on that footballing note, I had earned their permission to work with them in ways they would not ordinarily allow.

My task during the event was to enable the leaders in the room see the issues of climate change and their role from different perspectives. The plot was to help the leaders to go through the following levels of experience.

Establishing personal connection with climate change

The first thing that shocked the leaders as they walked into the room was the sitting arrangement. They were asked to sit in clusters of 5 to 6 as if they were in a café instead of the traditional conference style. Seth, my co-facilitator dared even to ask those who were sitting with close friends to stand up and join tables with less familiar participants. I then asked the leaders to spend 30 minutes sharing in their tables in response to the following question:  “What does climate change mean to you personally? Share a moment when you have experienced or witnessed the real impact of climate change”.

Without hesitation, the leaders immediately engaged in very deep conversations. When it was time to share their stories in plenary, the leaders shared how people they knew or closely related to had lost their houses due to floods or the rising sea levels. Others nostalgically talked about how much they missed the butterflies, birds and natural flowers that in their childhood came with the change in seasons. Some participants shared about their pain of organising and providing relief food to their communities who ordinarily had the capacity to look after themselves if it had not been for the unpredictable and severe weather patterns.

What I was seeking to achieve in this process was to weave the issue of climate change from an intellectual topic to personal life experiences.  I wanted them to locate their personal connections to a subject that would otherwise be seen as ‘a global issue that does not immediately affect me’ or ‘an issue that is being pushed on us by western countries whose activities are largely responsible for climate change’. This is the reason why the event (workshop) did not begin with power point presentations from subject matter experts. The intention was to immediately tap into the knowledge and experiences of the people in the room. Early enough in the process, we sent the clear message that we would seek to find solutions through collective thinking and wisdom. Experts as we know them are simply one of the important and yet very small component of what it takes to solve complex challenges.

Deepening leaders’ appreciation of the challenge at hand

To enable the participants deepen their appreciation of the challenge of climate change Seth and I designed four interventions. The first one was in form of a thirty minute presentation of the impact of climate change on Ghana by a drama group from the University of Ghana School of Arts. The drama group led participants on a roller-coaster of anger, laughter, and shock. The young dramatists presented the often hard-to-understand information on climate change in an engaging and lucid manner. The leaders beamed, mumbled, chuckled, groaned, and laughed as they watched the young talent at work. The messages were sinking in.

The second intervention was a ten minute presentation by Seth on the historical perspective of climate change. Seth, being an expert who has been involved in negotiations and capacity building on climate change for many years, helped participants to see and trace what has led the world to where we are today. In a very accessible way, Seth explained the science and politics of climate change, tying his arguments neatly with observable phenomena that the participants identified with.

Soon after Seth’s presentation came the third intervention. This was a carefully cut 12 minute video which depicted the impact of climate change on Ghana. The video showed how communities have been affected by droughts and floods; the depleted forests of the country; the manifest economic and health consequences of climate change; and actions so far taken by the government and different players. The video ended with a call for leaders to be creative and more committed to thinking through and taking action on issues of adaptation and disaster risk management as urgently as they could.

The fourth intervention was an invitation to leaders to reflect and engage in conversation in small groups of 5 to 6. The question that guided the conversation was, “What do the realities painted by the drama group, presentation from a climate change expert, and the video show mean to you as a person and as a leader?” Leaders immediately engaged one another into serious dialogue. It was amazing to observe the mood in the room change. The atmosphere was sombre and deeply reflective. There was a lot of listening and sharing.  Thereafter, participants widened the conversation into plenary.

Sculpting the future

The next part of the process was about tapping into the leaders’ creativity. I opened the conversation with a few slides showing some of the latest findings from neural science and how we can tap into the natural workings of the human brain and the rest of our bodies in order to be more innovative and creative. We then had a conversation on how artists find it natural to tap into the creative side of themselves. A lively conversation, small groups and then in plenary, followed my presentation. I then asked participants if they were ready to explore their creativity through play. They responded in affirmation. At that point we displayed on their tables all the kindergarten materials we had prepared for the exercise. We had play-dough, lego, and miniatures of plants, animals, vehicles as well as other creative materials.  The following was the task: “‘Playing’ with the materials provided, co-create the sculpture that represents the future you would like to see if you took appropriate actions NOW on climate change Adaptation and Disaster Risk management.”

I was deeply humbled by the openness and willingness of the distinguished leaders of Ghana to engage in play. With the same innocence that children engage one another when playing, the statesmen and women grabbed the ‘tools’ before them. They appeared to be having immense fun as they worked with the different materials at their disposal. The leaders genuinely discussed and argued amongst themselves how best to represent in 3D what their minds were creating or accessing. After 45 minutes of intense creativity, there were six beautiful and creative sculptures in the room. It was time to get introduced to each of these wonderful works of art. Each group, in turn, introduced their sculpture to the rest of the participants, explaining what their ‘game changing ideas were’.

Reflecting on the process of sculpturing the futures they saw, the leaders said that they were surprised at how creative they had been within a short period of time. They wondered how it would work out if they used similar creative processes when dealing with other equally vexing societal challenges.

Committing to taking action

The final session was about the young dramatists coming back on stage to “coax out” individual commitments from the leaders. The young people wanted each of the leaders to sign a pledge to do everything in their powers and use the clout of their offices to make practical and large-scale innovations to tackle climate change. Each of the leaders present made a solemn commitment as ‘demanded’ by the artists. The dramatists promised to send a copy of the commitment to each of the leaders and ‘warned’ the leaders that they would conduct the first “assessment” of the leaders’ commitment to action three months after the event.

Conclusion

What do I think made the work with the leaders a success? I see six things that account for the success:

1. Smooth transition from ‘officialdom’ to the creative moments. The Minister of Environment, the Secretary to Cabinet who represented the then Acting President and the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who spoke at the official opening ceremony of the event introduced the day in a way that made the leaders (participants) open up to the ‘unusual process’. The three officials sought permission, on behalf of the facilitators, from the elders that new ways of working be tried with the leaders’ blessing.

The lesson is that when permission to try out ‘untraditional’ ways of working is sought by the right authority and level of seniority, leaders are often willing to venture into the unknown and make new discoveries. This role was effectively played by the Minister of Environment, the Secretary to Cabinet and the Director of EPA.

2. Preparations prior to the event. Winfred, who was at the centre of coordinating all the work leading to the workshop ensured that the communication to the participants clearly stated that the process of the event would include trying out new ways of thinking and doing things.

The lesson here is that to manage the sense of surprise and possible rejection of ‘the new’, participants must be adequately informed about the intention of the event. Such communication psychologically prepares participants to experiment with new ways of thinking and increases their readiness for adventure.

3. The intuition to tap into the Chipolopolo magic. The early football conversation between the leaders (participants) and I created a very deep connection. I felt accepted by the participants and, together, we created a common reference point beyond what was going on in the workshop. At the end of the process the leaders genuinely invited me to return to Ghana to support them in further work on climate change and other similar issues.

The lesson here is that it is the duty of the facilitator to find a way of establishing deep connection with the participants. Good humour often does the magic. Otherwise, follow your intuition. It is this connection that the facilitator can harness to push the boundaries beyond what participants would ordinarily work with.

4. The variety in interventions. The process for the event was carefully orchestrated to allow participants to see, understand and experience the subject matter at hand from many perspectives and through a variety of mediums. The process was designed to communicate with the participants from the mind (intellectual understanding), through the heart (emotional connection with issues) and will power (the guts to move into action).

The lesson here is that when the intention of the process is to help people eventually take action, it is not enough to access participants’ intellects. The facilitator needs to have the skills to enable participants access their three faculties of open mind, open heart and open will. When the three faculties are impacted and ‘enlisted’ the chances of participants moving into practical actions are much greater than otherwise.

5. Departing from downloading expert knowledge. Leaders are often short-changed by being subjected to lengthy presentations from so-called experts during conferences or workshops. Even when we know that an individual’s information retention capacity does not go as long as these presentations do, people are still subjected to sitting in meetings where long speeches are delivered by the few that are presumed to know. The event on climate change with the leaders of Ghana focused more on creating room for them to have the deep conversations they ought to have on the subject. The wealth of knowledge they generated by themselves was phenomenal, valuable and indicative of the potential solutions that would come from participants. When there was need for expert input, this was very short (less than 15 minutes), focusing only on the essentials.

The lesson here is that assuming that there is a singular source of answers or solutions to complex issues we confront as humanity is not only a waste of time, but also a failure to understand the power of collective intelligence. The facilitator has to create a process that leads to diverse thinking, multiple possibilities and answers.

6. Creating moments for reflection and dialogue. The process for the event was deliberately created with moments of reflection at personal and small group levels. This is the space where insights come from.

The lesson here is that deep and complex challenges require moments of deep reflection to be resolves. As people move between individual reflections and dialogue and ‘working with our hands’, a new level of consciousness and awareness springs up. These new levels of consciousness and awareness are the sources of innovation, creativity, new thinking and new solutions.

Facilitation of CAADP conference rallies partners to action

by Hamish Wilson/

By early 2012, the AU’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) had helped establish over 20 Agricultural Investment Plans for countries and Regional Economic Communities across the continent. What was now needed was a shift from planning to delivery, which challenged CAADP to ask how its partners could best support accelerated implementation and thereby drive forward Africa’s agricultural transformation. This became the key theme of the 8th CAADP Partnership Platform in 2012, during which 2 days of lesson learning and engagement sessions were conducted with 200 attendees from across Africa and from the development community. Participants came from a broad spectrum of constituencies including government, civil society, farmers’ organisations, and the private sector as well as the donor community.

With a view to successfully unlocking the energy and knowledge of all participants to identify actions that would sustain CAADP’s momentum in this endeavour, the AUC/NPCA commissioned expert facilitation support from Wasafiri for the event. Wasafiri worked with the AUC and NPCA to agree key outcomes, develop a focussed agenda, prepare briefing materials, facilitate the event, and capture outcomes. In particular, Wasafiri was instrumental in structuring the agenda for the Platform to ensure extensive participation from the participants, including through the use of small-group sessions.

The Partnership Platform was widely heralded as the best-run and most interactive to date, achieving the strongest sense of African ownership for the initiative and its priorities. Among the concrete outcomes generated by the Wasafiri-facilitated event were follow-up actions identified around the themes of:

  • Leadership, ownership and accountability;
  • Investment financing for agriculture;
  • Policy alignment and institutional transformation; and
  • Responding to emerging trends and themes.

How to revive the true spirit of Public Service

by Martin Kalungu-Banda/

Introduction

Zambia has won the Africa Cup! What can my country’s latest achievement in football teach us about how to rekindle the spirit of Public Service? Does it take more than politicians to inspire a country? What are some of the missing elements in our effort to attain our desired standard of living for everyone? Are we paying the right level of attention to all those areas that are necessary for driving national development? These are some of the question I have been reflecting on as I write the subsequent paragraphs.

Many people would agree that national development needs committed political leaders and a robust or thriving private sector. Political leaders are largely responsible for initiating the laws and policies that govern the use of national resources (human and otherwise). The business sector is best suited to generating much of the wealth we need to attain the quality of life we feel everyone deserves. We can also easily see the contributions of civil society in making politicians and businesses accountable. The power of civil society showed itself in a very significant and extraordinary way when a number of governments collapsed in 2011 in what has come to be known as the Arab Spring. The Occupy Movement has also demonstrated civil society’s determination to influence a re-think of the role of the private sector in society. The entertainment and sports industry give us a glimpse of what we can do if we drop all our pettiness and focus on what unites us. Our performance in the just ended Africa Cup which has seen us emerge African Champions, for instance, shows that we can break new grounds if we push our boundaries just a little further.

I am of the opinion that we do not often sufficiently see and acknowledge the significant role that a truly committed and skilled Public Service plays in national development. By Public Service I am referring to the Civil Service (managerial/administrative of government) and all parastatal bodies or any other institutions that are set up by government to serve the citizens of a country.

Is the Spirit of Public Service dead?

Working in many African countries partly gives me the impression that the spirit of service in the public sector is dying. You begin to see this from airports of certain countries. You meet immigration officers and airport staff that show on their faces that they are at pains attending to you. They would rather be elsewhere.

You get similar experience as you go to the Ministry of Lands to follow up on your application for a piece of land you would want to acquire. The public servant sitting on the other side of the table looks very disinterested in attending to you. His attention is split between attending to you and listening to the small radio on his table. The story is the same when you rush to a clinic or hospital because you have suspected malaria. The officers attending to you are unable to hide their displeasure in the work they do. Things get a lot nastier when you go to the police station to report an incident. You are ridiculed for having your items stolen and then given a lecture on what you should do next not attract thieves.

In the end, you feel like you must inform the more senior public servant who might see things from a policy perspective. If you are lucky to be given an appointment with the ‘big boss’, you meet someone who is immaculately dressed, carrying more than one mobile phones and constantly answering both the mobile and land phones. In the end the big boss casually says, “I will ask someone to look into your issue”.

How can the true spirit of Public Service be revived?

Part of what it would take to revive the spirit of Public Service in developing countries is to make working in the public sector a prestigious experience. This has been the case before in Zambia and many other countries. To some extent, developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States have managed to make their Public Services environments where people who feel the need to contribute to their countries in a particular way seek to work – at least for a period of time in their careers. The Public Servants I have had the opportunity to work with in Rwanda display, with grace, great enthusiasm and exceptional professionalism.

What is it that makes the Public Service a prestigious environment to work in?

  • Perceived to be uniquely professional: When the Public Service is perceived by the general public to carry out its functions in a uniquely professional way, it gives a good feel to those who work in it. This perception becomes an attraction to young and accomplished talent. It must be easy for us to imagine how many young children in Zambia will in the next few years dream to play professional football after seeing the magic our National Team displayed in the last few weeks in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Many workers enjoy being seen as a special group of professionals – people who know how to perform their functions with great and exceptional distinction. The label “professional” in the Public Service comes from years of specialised training in and experience of how to make the bureaucracy (used in the positive sense of an instrument for making government achieve it reason for existence and objectives) function as effectively as possible.
  • Public Servants viewed as individuals with a special vocation: Working in the Public Service is and must be made to look as a special vocation. The Public Service is a special vocation in that it ought to attract people who have a special inclination to using their giftedness to serving the interests of their country. Public Servants are expected to be individuals who can be trusted with the privilege of wielding state powers, not for self-interest, but in service of the public-interest. In comparison to people who serve in other sectors, Public Servants carry a lot of powers to suspend, stop, and encourage the activities (and even existence) of other sectors.  It is expected that the men and women who work in the Public Service will not use these special powers in any manner other than promoting the public-interest.  
  • Recruited from among the best: When the Public Service is perceived as a special vocation in service of the country, it acquires the capacity to recruit its staff from among the best in the country. Sufficient numbers of young men and young women who are top of their classes in colleges and universities compete for their entry into the Public Service. Accomplished professionals in others sectors find it prestigious to be invited to offer their services – on a temporary or permanent basis – in the Public Service.
  • Quality working environment: Those dedicated to the service of their country must work in fitting conditions. They must have the physical environment that permits them to think hard about the needs and challenges of the country. It means their offices must not be over-crowded and full of dilapidated furniture. The equipment and technology must be top of the range to enable efficiency to be an obvious part of the culture of the Public Service.
  • Reasonably remunerated: Although Public Servants have a special vocation to serve their country, they need to be reasonably remunerated. This does not mean they should have conditions of service that are equal to those who work in the profit oriented private sector (although where conditions permit people must be remunerated as well as possible). There should be creativity in how to create attractive conditions of service for public servants. A healthy pension scheme, good working environment, quality facilities, the prestige that comes with the sector, and opportunities for professional development, among other sources of motivation and inspiration help to build the notion of worthwhile remuneration or reward.
  • Acknowledgement and encouragement from leaders: Public servants are often ridiculed and used as a scapegoat by leaders in situations of failure or underperformance. While this will definitely occur from time to time, public servants must be acknowledged and encouraged openly and publicly by political and other leaders for good they do. Acknowledgement and encouragement in word and deed invites the best in public servants. Leaders have an obligation to build a healthy and genuine positive perception of the Public Service.

Conclusion

Zambia, as a nation, has evidently found a way to inspire our national football team to great success. How can we transfer our learning to the way we run our public institutions? I suggest that we find ways to make the Public Service attractive to the best men and women with a calling to serve their country in this special way. Having had the opportunity to serve my country as a civil servant at Parliament, a lecturer at the University of Zambia and an adviser to the President, I have witnessed the significance of the work that public servants do. I have a lot of respect for those who consciously choose to serve their country by working for government or its sub-systems.

The honour of waking up every day and thinking about how best to use the instruments of the state to promote the interests of the country and fellow citizens gives immeasurable reward even before the pay roll is run. It is an incredible responsibility to know that what I do on a daily basis as a public servant affects whether the farmer gets his her fertiliser or not; that my work is directly related to the health of children, women and the rest of society; that how I spend my day in the office can determine the education level of a child; that how I perform in my job has an impact on the quality of infrastructure my country has; and that my work contributes to whether some families sleep hungry or have enough to eat. Being a faithful, efficient and effective Public Servant is one of the noblest of vocations one can be called to in life.

Why do African Presidents fail to deliver on their promises?

by Martin Kalungu-Banda/

Introduction

I am writing this article with the assumption that many African Presidents (and their governments), with the exception of one or two cases, fail to achieve what they promise their people at the beginning of their term of office. This failure of leadership shows itself in the poverty that the African continent continues to suffer. The failure also shows itself in the untapped potentials (human and otherwise) of many countries on the continent. Rampant corruption is another indicator.

What then explains the failure?

If, for now, we work on the basis that my assumption that there is a failure of leadership in Africa is correct, what are some of the possible explanations for this failure? How can such failure be corrected or avoided?

As Dr Otto C Scharmer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) puts it, the failure of leadership (in reference to leaders anywhere in the world and in any sector) comes from two critical factors. Firstly, leaders are often unable to “access their own ignorance”. Secondly, leaders are unaware of the need – and often lack the skills – to engage in meaningful dialogue with those around them. Let me explain.

By “failure to access one’s ignorance” I mean the inability of leaders to know what they ought to know to be successful in their work. To be continuously successful, leaders must hear, see and experience what is truly going in the systems they run or manage. We all have our own leadership blind spots. Our challenge (and task) is to increasingly become aware of these blind spots so that we can access new data/information that should ignite new responses. One way in which leaders can access new data is by engaging in honest dialogue or conversation.

Believe it or not, although we hear and see that leaders are often in meetings, they rarely have dialogue with their equals. I am using the term dialogue in its etymological meaning – flow of meaning (dia – logos). In this context, true dialogue happens when leaders seek to co-discover or co-create meaning with their fellow leaders. Meaning is not always self-evident. It must be discovered. I have been privileged to observe those who serve Presidents or Heads of State in different parts of Africa through my work as an adviser to the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative and my own experience of having served President Levy Mwanawasa (Zambia’s third President). Through my work, I have learnt that those who work around Heads of State rarely engage the President or Prime Minister (or any person of power) as an equal. This situation tends to play at every level of leadership. Why might this be the case? The office of President or Prime Minister comes with such aura and some of form of mystery that, if not well managed, it tends to ‘drown’ or ‘swallow’ and even ‘smother’ the voices and thoughts of people around it. This, more often than not, happens under the guise of ‘respect for the highest office in the land’.

Respect for the President or Head of State emanates from what the office represents. It represents and embodies the ‘spirit of the nation’. It is the highest expression of the unity or oneness and collective will of a country. To this extent, then, the office of Head of State is sacred (deserving utmost respect). The office of President is even more mysterious in cultures and traditions were leaders are deemed “Father of the Nation” or “Father of our Liberation”; inviting reverence as the normal attitude and response before the leader. If this situation is not mitigate (by mainly actions of the leader himself or herself), those around the leader may not find it easy to pitch themselves as equals to the person who holds the high office. The job of those around the President is, subsequently, reduced to merely following presidential instructions. Presidential advisers cease being advisers and begin to compete on who carries presidential instructions, expressed or imaginary, the fastest.

Another way through which a leader can access his or her blind spot is through seeing and experiencing the system one is superintending. This means the President should find and establish processes and techniques through which he or she accesses the real world in which his or her citizens live. The visit of a President invites extraordinary efforts to make the place look ‘fit for a Head of State’. With the good intentions of being respectful to the President who embodies the spirit of the nation, people tend to go out of their way to welcome the visitor. As a result, the President tends to experience the life that his citizens do not live. He eats the food that people can afford only for important guests. He experiences surroundings that are far much cleaner than his people usually live in. People go out of their way to show respect for the head of state.

One of the jokes I have picked in the UK is that the Queen of England thinks all rooms outside her palace have the smell of paint. This is because rooms that the Queen visits are often re-painted just before she makes her visit to ensure that they are ‘royalty clean’. More often than not, Presidents have no idea what the real situation of most citizens is. Even those leaders who come to power on the strength of their ability to understand the people’s will and needs can fast slide into ignorance of what is truly going on. After operating and living in an ‘abnormally’ powerful and resource-rich environment for two to three years, leaders may tend to create a figment in their own minds. They take their circumstances as every person’s world. A few months of visiting only well adorned places, buildings that are properly refurbished, the natural environment that is nicely kempt (and often seen through tinted windows of a bullet proof Mercedes Benz car), and travelling without being hindered by traffic lights and on aircrafts that must wait for you; the President begins to think his personal efforts and those of government have paid dividend. Personal well-being becomes national well-being.

In conversations with fellow leaders (ministers and advisers), Presidents end up receiving half-truths and sometimes outright lies. My teacher, Lance Secretan – one of the world’s leading thinkers on the subject of leadership and bestselling author of numerous books, says, “The higher you go, the less truth reaches you”. People around the President tend to second guess what would please the ‘Boss’. From time to time, President Mwanawasa would invite me to Nkwazi (official residence) for lunch or dinner. Over a meal, he would ask me what my thoughts were about some of the issues that were going on in the country. He would often end with the question, “What do you know about what is going in the country that I should know?”  or “What is affecting our people that I should worry about tonight?” In those moments, I knew that the President was looking for ‘brutal facts’ rather than polite conversations that showered him with praises. He would often remark to me, “It is very difficult to have honest adult conversations when you are President. Many people I have a lot of regard for seem to lose their voice in my presence, what could explain this?”

President Mwanawasa yearned for peer challenge and rarely got it. I cannot count more than five names of people who I saw engage the President as equals. The rest grovelled and almost knelt before him. Their role was simply to oblige to the expressed or imaginary wish of the boss. Obliging is part of what it takes to work for a President, but it is only half the story. The other half is engaging the President in tough conversations so that he is well positioned and well informed to make the tougher and more critical decisions that the nation deserves and expects.

Dr Kaunda, the first President of Zambia, expressed similar yearning. He once shared with me that among the critical things he missed while he was Head of State was engaging in quality and honest conversations with colleagues. A few years ago, while I worked for Oxfam GB, I had the privilege of inviting Dr Kaunda to officiate at an Oxfam function in Lilongwe, Malawi. I flew from London to Lusaka in order to travel with the former President to Malawi. Recognising the status of Dr Kaunda, Oxfam flew the former President in business class while I travelled economy. He was the only one in business class that day. Thirty minutes after the plane took off from Lusaka; Dr Kaunda said to one of the air hostesses, “I have a friend sitting at the back of the plane. Kindly permit him to come and sit with me.” His request was granted expeditiously. I was delighted to sit directly opposite the former President.

I couldn’t resist asking Dr Kaunda, “With the benefit of hindsight, Your Excellency, what are the key lessons you picked from your time as our head of state?” He looked at me for a few seconds without uttering any word. He gave out his characteristic smile and then said, “My young man, that is a critical question”. He paused again. He then went on to share with me how difficult it was for him to have colleagues to genuinely think with. “There were a few exceptional cases, I must say.” He shared a moment when he met someone who was not willing to sacrifice the truth even if the President did not like it. “Soon after independence, a young Zambian judge ruled against the state,” Dr Kaunda began. “This was a case in which I, as head of state, was deeply interested. I felt that if the case was ruled in favour of the state, it would enhance our political independence from colonialism. The young Judge ruled against the state.” He paused, again, for almost minute. “When I had the opportunity to meet the young judge,” he continued, “I asked him why he had ruled against the state. The young judge said to me, ‘Your Excellence, while I understand and appreciate our nation’s political agenda, the law currently does not support what the state would like to do.’ I asked Dr Kaunda, “What did that make you feel?” He replied, “Young man, although I did not like the judge’s answer, I could not ignore his courage and was deeply humbled. Humbled, indeed. The young judge’s response made me realise the importance of working with people who are courageous and willing to tell the truth as they know and see it.” He remained silent for a while as if to let me internalise what he was saying. Dr Kaunda concluded, “A few months later, I invited the young judge to be our first indigenous Zambian Chief Justice. I knew that our judiciary would be in capable hands.” He was referring to Justice Annel Silungwe.

How can a leader constantly receive honest feedback?

In one of his articles to the Post newspaper soon after the inauguration of President Michael Sata (Zambia’s fifth President), Professor Hansungule stated that the one key quality of leadership in our time is the ability to listen to the people’s will. I totally agree with Prof Hansungule. However, the challenge lies in whether there are conditions in which the leader can engage in honest conversations so that he can access the will of the people. Anyone who has worked around powerful men and women can attest to how difficult it is to tell “the emperor that he is naked.” Prof Edgar Schein of MIT, under whose feet I have had the rare privilege of learning, says that there is one key lesson he has learnt in his more than 50 years of working with leaders in different parts of the world. The lesson is that unless the leader suspends, from time to time, social rules around his or her office, he or she would increasingly lose the ability to engage in honest conversation and feedback.

In most societies, if not all, there are ‘social rules’ or ‘socially acceptable ways’ or the ‘etiquette’ of how to communicate and relate with leaders. These rules are, in their original and purest form, meant to signify the importance of the role played by a given office. They are also meant to enable the office occupant perform certain roles with ease for the benefit of the constituency. What does suspension of social rules then mean? This is when a leader deliberately creates, from time to time, an environment or conditions were those around him or her can share what they think and feel without any inhibition. Some aspects of the Japanese culture developed its own practice of how to suspend social rules for the greater good of the military. It is called After Action Review (AAR). Upon accomplishing an operation, the commander or head of the platoon would call all those who were involved in the operation to conduct an AAR. During the AAR, social rules of the military (deep respect for ranks and seniority) would be suspended. The private soldier and the commander would temporarily have equal status as they review their actions. They both would have equal amount of time to speak and ask whatever (tough) questions they have. They would challenge each other’s views. At the end of the AAR, the truth was often found, enabling the military to learn from its actions for the future.

AAR is practised in some Japanese companies and other systems world-wide that have learnt the ‘ritual’. On a Friday, for instance, the managing director or head of department of a company would invite a cross section of staff – juniors and seniors – for a drink. As soon as staff step into a pub or bar, they are presumed to be drunk. This means that every member of staff, even before he or she sips his or her drink, can say to the managing director or any other staff, “I think that decision you made last Monday was really silly…” and gives reasons for his or her assertion. The whole drinking session, often without anybody getting really drunk, is a conversation about how serious issues affecting the company can be tackled and lessons learnt. As soon as the drinking session ends and the staff have stepped outside the bar, normal social rules or etiquette are expected to be in operation, irrespective of whether one is truly drank or not.

In December 2011, I was in Lusaka visiting my ailing father. One morning when I observed that he was not in so much pain, I asked him if there was any equivalent of AAR in our traditions and culture. He explained to me that among the Ba Bemba, for instance, were praise singers who had unlimited access to the palace. Although these singers were thought to compose and sing songs of praise for the king, they equally composed and sung songs of rebuking the King when he was perceived not to be running the kingdom properly. The King was not permitted to punish them even when they said something he did not like. Their ‘office’ was protected by tradition. My father explained that the skill of the praise singers lay in their ability to tell it as it was while still “saving the face of the King”. This means that the praise singers critiqued the King in the language that only those properly educated in this form of communication could decode. For the rest of the people, these were just ordinary songs. For those with ‘ears’, the King included, songs were sometimes tough feedback for the ruler.

Reflection points for our new national leaders in Zambia

There is a new air of hope in Zambia since the Patriotic Front swept to office. Generally, people have high hopes that the new leaders will make a difference. President Sata has made key and important pronouncements that if implemented should make Zambia one of the beacons of hope on a continent that seems to be stuck in mismanagement and, as the country’s current Minister of Finance would put it, ‘kleptocracy’ (theft). I offer the following as reflection points for our leaders in government, and perhaps, business and civil society:

  • Create opportunities where those around you can tell you what their honest thoughts are. The power of your office combined with our traditional respect for leaders will tend to prevent you from relating as an equal to those around you. From time to time, create conditions were others can communicate with you sincerely as a peer.
  • Surround yourself with men and women who have the courage to share what they think, feel and what they are learning from society, no matter how unpalatable that might be to you. Do not be shy away from employing those who are not enthusiastic about praising you.
  • Whenever you can, access the reality of the citizens’ living conditions when they are not camouflaged by the need to impress you. Find the time to see – by yourself – situations as they truly are. If you can, spend 40% of your time doing paper work in your office and 60% meeting and talking to people (customers, debtors and creditors in the case of business leaders) in their true or real environment.
  • Employ managers who are more skilled than yourself to take care of the managerial and administrative duties of your office. For the President, this means identifying a highly qualified and competent Chief of Staff and Senior Advisers. For Ministers, this means looking out (through the President) for true professionals for Permanent Secretaries and Directors of key public institutions.
  • Leaders need to create what one of my mentors and a celebrated author, Nancy Kline, calls “Think Environment”. Most leaders’ work situations are “Instruction Environments”. A Thinking Environment assumes equality between people, creativity in the search for solutions, and taking turns to make contributions. Failure to create a Thinking Environment leads to infantilisation of adults and poverty of ideas and the ensuing actions. A Thinking Environment leads to productive dialogue. When expertly facilitated, dialogue generates wisdom and new knowledge.
  • In today’s world, the currency is shared leadership. The era of single hero leaders or ‘lone rangers’ is gone. No single leader can find answers to the many complex challenges that confront our society. Collaborative leadership is the answer.

Blog written by Martin Kalungu-Banda. (The author of this article is an Organisation Development Consultant and author of the bestseller “Leading Like Madiba: Leadership Lessons from Nelson Mandela” and “It’s How We End That Matters: Leadership Lessons from an African President”).