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Stories from the field
Six steps to change
Most in-country assignments involve capacity development, which includes assisting a local counterpart to improve their work in a sustainable way. Implementing change within an organisation can be a challenge, especially when you're from a different cultural background to the rest of your team. Three volunteers offer their top tips on capacity building methods that worked for them in a cross-cultural environment.
1. Understand what's important to your colleagues.
"Take the approach of being a learner rather than a trainer," says Anton Clark. "In Australian culture, you're defined by your job and what you achieve. But in Indonesia, to be overtly enthusiastic and pushy about your job is to be vulgar. I made a few huge blunders before I realised that."
In his role as marketing adviser at Yayasan Pekerti in Jakarta, Indonesia, Anton helped source almost half a million dollars in funding and launched several new projects. Yet as he explains, it took many months to build trust among his colleagues.
Anton recommends asking 'reporter's questions' - who, what, when, where, why, how - on a continual basis. "If you use these questions to collect information - like 'who's the boss?, 'how does this work?', 'why does this happen?' - then you will understand how your organisation works and be more effective as well."
2. Use practical examples to sell the benefits of a new approach.
When Libby Wrench arrived at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, Solomon Islands, pharmacy staff were using a "glorified typewriter" for labelling prescriptions. They were reluctant to change, despite lengthy delays in the dispensing process. As chief pharmacist Libby identified a software package for dispensing and inventory control.
"It's difficult to sell the benefits of a new system to people who don't know what they're missing out on," she says. "So I asked them about the things they found time-consuming, like manually counting prescriptions at the end of the day or having to wind back the printer each time to print a label. Then I pointed out that there was a way to print 50 labels at once and just walk away."
"It was also really good that the system was already being used by another store. That way, it wasn't just me bringing in a whiz-bang new idea, I was just taking the next step with something already in use."
3. Appreciate that people learn in different ways.
"When I introduced the system, I asked myself how I'd like to be taught," says Libby. "So I wrote quite detailed manuals, prepared 'How to' guides and flowcharts and pasted them around the office. None of that worked."
"When I asked the staff, they all said that the best way was for me to stand right beside someone and talk them through the process of labelling a prescription from beginning to end, letting them use the system. Once I did that three times with each person, they really got it."
Anton, on the other hand, found that a visual approach worked best. "I've introduced a lot of mind mapping, timelines and tree diagrams. People grasp the concept best when they can see the problems and issues."
4. Encourage sharing of information throughout the process.
In her work with Cambodia's Ministry of Women's Affairs Kanaha Sabapathy found that her colleagues rarely shared information with one another. As a media adviser with the Ministry her main project was to initiate a radio documentary series on domestic violence.
"The feeling was that if you knew a little bit more than other people, your chances of getting opportunities were far better," she says. "So I kept explaining, 'Teach, because as you teach, you learn. When you share your knowledge, your product improves and your donors recognise your work. So everyone gains'."
Kanaha organised a group of four staff to manage the radio series, insisting on equal pay and position for all team members. "Some were better at writing and scripting and some were better at technical activities. I made it clear that although we all had different capabilities, we would all learn to use each others' strengths and work together as a team."
5. Empower colleagues to manage the change themselves.
Kanaha found that her colleagues initially struggled to come up with ideas for the documentary project, however their confidence increased when she helped them break the topic down into its various components.
"It's not that they did not know what information was needed, they just found it difficult to organise it into a logical structure," she explains.
In Honiara, Libby introduced a trial version of the new software on a stand-alone terminal and encouraged pharmacy staff to practice on it under her guidance. When the new system went live, she left the old typewriter and printer in the dispensary so that people felt secure. "The staff taught each other the new system much more effectively than I could have, because their Pidgin's much better than mine. On day three, before I came in, they had packed up the old typewriter and decided to go live with the new system only. I was so excited to see that."
Encouraged, Libby asked the staff for input on further changes, resulting in the dispensary being completely reorganised at their instigation.
6. Be a constant example.
"Volunteers need to realise that they are a conduit for change," says Anton. "In some places, people can be prone to thinking that they can't do any better if opportunities haven't come their way. But you need to be like a dog at a bone, and encourage your colleagues to be persistent - not to accept just one answer, don't open just one door, explore all ideas."
"I've shown in the amount of work I do, the hours I put in and the number of proposals I write, that opportunities can come if you put in the extra effort."
- Text and images copyright Australian Volunteers International. Homepage image copyright AusAID