Have you ever faced challenges in trying to improve organisational performance… and ended up not having positive impact? Here, Alexandra Amara Ouali shares some good practices that could be leveraged to deliver results with success.
Summary
In addition, the quality of the reference documents enhanced to meet UNICEF’s standards, which is all the more impressive in that new partnership procedures and templates were implemented in 2019, and no delays were registered.
The secret ingredients? Creativity, Inspiring Leadership and Empowerment. In this article, all the good practices implemented in a challenging humanitarian context are shared. They provide experience-based pragmatic advice to help achieve impactful aid results.
Keywords
Introduction
An empowerment culture is when managers adopt inspirational leadership practices: they set the direction, build relationships and develop people, to better deliver on the organisation’s mandate. They hold the staff in high esteem, give credit, and share information, rewards and power.They provide tools and resources, but more importantly, trust to help staff perform at their best.
This article highlights a successful experience in empowering staff, leading to dramatic performance improvement. It does not give a one-size-fits-all solution, rather it shares some good practices that could be leveraged according to different needs and contexts. Increasing the knowledge on innovative solutions could deliver humanitarian and development results in a more effective way.
With the hope of inspiring others and contributing to the debate about organisational performance from another perspective, this article explores the steps required to achieve an effective empowerment culture. How did this evolution work in practice?
Here is an example of a UNICEF Country Office in Sub-Saharan Africa, from October 2017 to October 2019.
Context
In 2017, one of the UNICEF Country Offices in Central Africa needed to process about 200 Programme Documents with more than 80 partners to which funding was provided. But half of the partnership agreements — including the required reference documents (the Due Diligence Verification Form, the Programme Document, etc.) — were not ready before the procedural time limits. In addition, the documents were not meeting UNICEF’s standards and/or following procedures and policies.
The position for a Partnership Officer was advertised and highlighted a number of tasks², including improving key performance indicators in partner selection, programme development, and activity implementation. There was a critical need to improve processes and increase effectivenessin order to support the mutual commitment of both UNICEF and partners to quality programme delivery, clear accountability, and ultimately results for children.
Working to streamline work processes, create new user-friendly tools, and coach people was the day to day routine as a Partnership Officer. However, the challenges were not just about “analysing causes of delays in the process of review of partners’ agreements and addressing the bottlenecks identified” — as stated in the audit performed in 2016 — pressure, poor time management, unclear definitions of roles and responsibilities, and lack of planning triggering emergencies were all too common. These challenges were ingrained as habit in partnership management.
To help the staff break out of culture-weakening routines, we had to embark on a culture change journey.
First Steps to Success
With 150 colleagues from 20 different countries (9 teams in the main office, and 4 field offices), one of the objectives was to ensure quality andcompliance with UNICEF priorities, operational policies and procedures — of all the documentation (programme document, logframe, budget etc.) related to more than 180 partnership agreements.
The UNICEF rules are that a Programme Document has to be developed by UNICEF staff and future partners, before being reviewed by the Partnership Review Committee (PRC), which offers its comments and may request adjustments. This eventually leads to signing a partnership agreement and starting programme implementation.
In a challenging context, there were recurrent issues. For example, the partnership review process was perceived as burdensome by UNICEF staff and partners. It was a real challenge to have the quorum for holding the PRC meetings. Indeed, many PRC members did not feel involved or meet the expectations of providing quality inputs. A feeling of frustrationresulted from other PRC members who were genuinely engaged.
Consulting colleagues from Programme Associates to Senior Managers, while liaising with regional and headquarters staff, was essential to start tackling the issues. Being innovative was a game-changer. Creative and problem solving skills were equally important. While implementing new initiatives, it was important to keep in mind that actions had to be commensurate with the capacity of the staff — i.e. time, resources available, etc.
Better individual and team accountability
Clearly defining the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for the individuals as well as for the teams was critical. Effective teams function best when members share a common understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities.
In addition to monthly meetings, a Guidance Note — which clearly identified the steps, roles and responsibilities of each actor from the Programme Section to the Deputy Representative Unit — was shared and sent as a reminder in emails.
Establishing and implementing efficient quality control processes, with regular monitoring, helped concomitantly to create better individual and team accountability in a transparent manner. For example, two online tools were created to allow PRC members to get involved on a rotational basis, and track the inputs and quality provided. Since then, there was less overlap of effort and greater productivity, as frustration started to vanish.
Get the Senior management involved
The next step was to get the senior management on board. In order to implement new initiatives, attaining the support of senior management was essential: not only to get the new actions vetted, but also to have the confidence needed to keep going.
My motto was “To get heard, get them involved”. Meetings, emails, hard-copy communications, informal chats, and all opportunities had to be createdand seized, provided each was done with tact and diplomacy. For instance, meetings were set up with the Senior management and they were happily surprised of being engaged in breaking new grounds. The Chief Operating Officer expressed his enthusiasm: “This is a very good practice to be replicated!”.
Breathing Life into a New Vision
The outcome was as follows: UNICEF Country Office X, high-level of standards for quality partnerships, commitment and accountability — through effective management of activities and resources — for children and vulnerable populations.
The Vision was put as a motto on each internal document related to partnerships. It was the foundation stone to an ambitious culture shift. Who would openly contradict oneself by not following the very thing one had contributed to building?
Everyone was enthused and understood where we were going — we were on the same boat, and we were motivated to row in the same direction³. Whatever the challenges, the Vision was always there to inspire — the heart of a partnership being the sum of collective and collaborative efforts⁴.
Coaching to Empower
During all the workshops, participants were actively engaged, as they were quizzed from the beginning for instance. Individual coaching — i.e. a 10 minute bilateral meeting per day or a punctual weekly meeting — was a key entry point to give individualised consideration, and get constructive feedback.
Patience was a leitmotiv: the same thing had to repeated over and over again, before it was remembered and effectively put into practice. Producing eye-catching materials was a precious way of making knowledge more easily available. With more than 150 colleagues from diverse backgrounds, it is important not to assume procedural clarity. Delivering a one Pager to keep handy on each staff member’s desk, or a Poster that cannot be missed when entering an office made a big difference. As simple as that!
Bilateral and group-coaching, two-way communication, and key facts and figures in eye-catching messages set the tone for better ownership.
Change Starts at the Top
Stress tolerance, strong emotional intelligence, a good command of listening and communication skills were key qualities.
Still making a few mistakes, staff would not be ashamed nor left behind. Adopting a no-blame culture showed they could actually learn from their mistakes. They were entrusted with the sincere belief that they could do better, go above and beyond. Here is the great news, they did!
Believing in someone is a key step for a person to be a good performer. The new emotional connection triggered the willingness to overcome challenges and achieve results with a higher sense of commitment.
For instance, Programme Associates, often seen as secretaries, turned into valued members of the teams. They were given incentives to ensure active follow-ups and remind their teammates about deadlines. In one team, the Programme Associate took a proactive role in liaising with partners to ensure timely disbursement and reporting of funds. The result was immediate: no funds overdue. Unlocking latent potential helped deliver significant impact on organisational performance.
The vicious circle was broken and a new positive pattern was set. With practice and rehearsal, everyone could get the chance to be the best performer. Failures turned into learning opportunities, and became stepping stones towards success.
Celebrating Success
From January to December 2018, 8 teams and 41 PRC members were challenged with achieving the high standards necessary to win the Prizes. Performance was measured against a set of goals with transparent criteria.
After the first 6 months, a mid-term performance evaluation was shared during a participatory meeting. It gave the feedback needed to focus on what was lagging behind, and reminded staff of the time remaining to achieve the goals.
After one year, 12 Trophies were offered by the Jury, which included the UNICEF Representative, the Deputy Representative, the Chief of Operations and the Quality Assurance and M&E Specialists. They rewarded the 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams and PRC members in the following 4 categories: Effectiveness / Quality / Meeting deadlines / Archiving. In addition, out of 150 staff, 25 Champions were rewarded for the progress achieved.
The Award was a real success. The prospect of winning the prizes,enhanced by competition, provided genuine enthusiasm to perform. It made the expected outcomes an object of value and friendly rivalry. Along with breathing a new Vision and giving individualised consideration, it changed mindsets from focusing only on what needed to be done and the constraints towards giving the possibility to new opportunity.
Results
There was also a dramatic improvement of the benchmark of partnership agreements signed before the procedural time limits: from 54% in 2017 — to 77% in 2018 — and 89% by October 2019. This result was all the more impressive with new procedures and templates implemented in 2019, and no delays registered. 98% of the PRC members effectively participated in one of the 31 PRC meetings, on a rotational basis, with quality inputs.
The year 2019 showed that the innovative practices implemented in 2017–18 paid off. Achieving unprecedented results was a collective success, since 9 teams and 4 zonal offices contributed together to making it happen.
To achieve those results, there were hurdles to be surmounted along the way:
- Staff alignment meant facing resistance — especially when challenging the traditional way of doing business. Focusing on the large majority of people who adhered to the new culture was essential.
- It is important to bear in mind that such attitudinal change did not happen overnight. Consistency was critical. Staff appraisals needed to emphasise improvements, rather than pointing to the failures.
Future Perspectives
Building a pool of 20 Champions across the main and 4 zonal offices led to effective capacity building support. In a participatory manner, the Champions were identified as resource persons in partnership management. They were trained and provided with tools and resources.
In addition, strategic — physical and digital — filing system was put in place. It enabled quick access to files and improved the knowledge management process. Then, three national colleagues were thoroughly trained to ensure sustainability of results.
A well-detailed hand-over Note, with supporting documents, was one of the final pieces to bring peace of mind when the time came to leave. For example, the online Q&A — which listed all the recurring issues and questions about partnership management — proved to be a useful tool, as it was used by the senior management to deal with unexpected issues.
Conclusion
That was precisely what was missing in this UNICEF Country Office: the shared will to realign efforts to achieve greater results together. The alignment and transformation required was not only about improving work processes. It was also about transforming mindsets and attitudes, by inspiring and holding staff accountable for results, while creating space for discussion and exercising the right leadership style.
Inspiring leaders engage more than their minds and the ones of their staff, they engage their hearts as well. They model the desired behaviours, and employees become committed to the success of the organisation. Healing a working environment with openness, trust and collaboration is critical to success.
Sound inspiring to you? Then try these ingredients, create your own recipe! And let’s the stars shine in your organisation!
Please reach out if you would like to know more. Alexandra Amara Ouali
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- Guidance for Civil Society Organizations on Partnership with UNICEF, UNICEF Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring, February 2020
- For the main duties and responsibilities of this Position, please refer to the Annex 1.
- The creation of a shared vision is an important part of the leadership model known as transformational leadership. It underlines the development of a vision and the capacity to support and intellectually stimulate staff and get them committed to achieve shared goals. Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectation. New York: Free Press.
- There are various actors involved in a partnership: on the UNICEF side, the Programme Officer, the Programme Associate, the Chief of Section, the PRC members, the HACT, Gender, Communication, Financial and Supply Specialists, the Deputy Representative; and all their counterparts on the CSO side.
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Annex 1 : Job Description
Under the supervision of the Deputy Representative, the Partnerships Officer will provide technical guidance and support to country office programme sections and field offices (4) for advancement of partnerships with the civil society, nongovernmental and governmental organisation in support of development and implementation of UNICEF programme.
Main duties and Responsibilities
- Develop partnership framework for the UNICEF country office in line with the global partnerships framework for UNICEF tailored to the specific situation in the country which should guide the partnership with Civil Society Organizations in support of development and implementation of UNICEF programme.
- Develop and implement an effective and efficient Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA) work process through review of guidelines, procedures, PCA workflow, formats and templates, internal coordination with zone offices and externally with partners.
- Manage the PCA process and review PCA submissions from all programme sections for compliance with UNICEF programme priorities as outlined in work plans, operational requirements and quality assurance of project documents accompanying PCA submissions in line with global standards and country office specific requirements ensuring approval of agreements on time. Responsible for quality assurance of concept notes and programme documents for finalizing partnership agreements, and the correctness and completeness of the PCAs prior to the signature by UNICEF. Provide technical guidance to the PCA Review Committee.
- Oversee Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT) rollout process to include problem-solving and trouble-shooting as well as building capacity of UNICEF staff and their partners in HACT implementation. This will also include tracking the HACT implementation monitoring and providing regular, systematic feedback on progress and issues to Senior Management.
- Coordinate UNICEF-partner consultations; represents UNICEF in joint forums such as cluster meetings; conduct periodic assessments/evaluations on support and information required as well as proposed improvements from UNICEF in the areas of partnerships and the PCA management process leading to possible capacity building support and risk identification.
- Review the efficacy of partnerships undertaken with CSOs. Identify areas for improvement and recommend actions to accelerate/improve programme delivery and programme sustainability. Develop PCA training packages and partner PCA user guidelines and conduct trainings for UNICEF staff and partners ensuring the partnership/PCA policies and procedures are clearly practiced.
- Responsible to develop criteria for partner identification, assessment and approval; and maintenance of partner roster with regular updates with partner profile, programme and financial information, risk areas and capacity as well as performance status
- Prepare periodic reports to guide key processes in the office — programme reviews, capacity assessment, third party monitoring, risk assessment and audit processes.
