Presentation to FAEO September 2019 Begin with a question. Can - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Presentation to FAEO – September 2019

• Begin with a question. Can we honestly say capacity building has

been a success in Africa? Has it led to measurable improvements in

• rganisational and individual performance?
• Some would say yes has been over the last decade growth, peace,

stability and some success in human development indicators. Others saying performance of public sector deteriorating given pressures, eg population growth, unemployment, little job creation.

• Whatever the consensus is a need for radical transformation in

performance at national, ministry and individual levels – a renaissance.

• According to the Africa We Want Agenda the critical enablers are;

mobilise African resources to finance infrastructure and industrialisation and strengthen governance; accountable leadership; responsive accountable and participatory institutions; changed attitudes and mindsets – self reliance, hard work, collective prosperity; learning from experience.

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• These are all aspirations of WHAT needs doing, NOT HOW to do it

except the last one – learn from experience, that is, reflect on what we’ve done, learn from this process and mistakes made then define remedial action and JUST DO IT.

• This is the core of action learning but the problem is we don’t learn

from experiences, we don’t question custom and practice because it’s not popular so we make some mistakes over and again. This is the core problem of institutions – the learning dilemma.

• I’ve been wrestling with this problem for decades.
• Began 50 years ago in Nigeria. 17-year-old VSO volunteer, then in

Oxford’s African social anthropology department, then in Manchester’s slums as P.O., then in industry as behavioural scientist, IR manager and HR director.

• Approach of HR specialist’s wrong – my experience of 6 weeks at a

lading UK business school – based on knowledge transfer NOT how to improve organisational performance.

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• The true value of education (training) lies NOT in knowing more but

in behaving differently. (John Ruskin)

• It’s not enough to know what is good, you must be able to do it

(George Bernard Shaw) What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing.

• Managers learn how to become more effective by pausing to reflect
• n these experiences, learning what did wrong, deciding what

needs to change and then ‘just doing it’. Involves a step CHANGE in approach to improving organisational and individual performance. This is what Africa being asked to do. Question is HOW?

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• Need a radically different approach to management development.
• My suggestion is via action learning as pioneered by UK’s 1st

action learning business school .

• IMCB adopted an action learning approach with the following

characteristics;

 Were delivered in single organisations over 2 years part-time. Content was customised to the needs of each organisation.  Involved 25 managers who, in small groups of 5/6, did group projects solving

• rganisation-wide problems.

 Each also did individual projects based on improving the TFP of their departments.  Also did personal development, competency-based plans (PDPs).  New knowledge workshops delivered by subject matter specialists and local directors.  Each programme had a set adviser – the architect of the learning process.  Assessment based on the quality of projects and individual and group vivas. Involved an external examiner and executives from the organisation.

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ACTION LEARNING AN ANSWER

4 elements; group projects, individual projects, PDP, knowledge workshops. eg Shell programme

• Won the UK national training award.
• Company newsletter;

‘The results of the individual projects have already led to savings

• f more than £250,000; group projects to more than £1 million.

Other improvements included; demonstrable improvements in service levels to external customers; development of a critical mass of managers committed to TQM and continuous improvement; erosion of the traditional functional boundaries and constraints; identification of waste by outside contractors’.

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• Institutions attacked the AL ethos; destroyed IMCB.
• My reaction was to create ICOM with AL diploma and MBA.
• Accredited by Oxford University (UODLE) and later Cambridge

University (UCLES) and Bradford University.

• These institutions accepted could assess performance via on-the-

job projects (group and individual), PDP and new knowledge workshops customised to client’s ‘industry’ and delivered by experienced directors and academics.

• Produced measurable improvements in departmental and

individual performance.

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The diploma programme became the flagship of ICOM. We delivered 60 of these part-time, 12-18 month programmes in the UK, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Barbados, Ghana and Abu Dhabi and used the approach on shorter programmes in India, Saudi Arabia and St Lucia. All these programmes were customised to the ‘technology of the clients’ in construction, house building, telecoms, ports and shipping etc. Customisation was done by specialists in each technical area in conjunction with ICOM faculty and senior managers from each client, ie co-design of programmes, not ‘off the shelf’.

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Majority of participants were engineers by training Their projects were about engineering in construction, water, power, ports, shipbuilding, hotels, telecoms, manufacturing, aerospace, highways.

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Evaluation of these programmes The initial criteria we established to judge the success of each programme were;

• Did participants accept the action learning process? Was

the process transferred to their own management teams?

• Did they adopt the process in improving their personal

managerial performance?

• Did they create high performing teams in their group

projects during the programme?

• Did they transfer the action learning methods and team

building competence in particular to their own departments and improve the overall performance of these departments?

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Using these criteria these programmes were highly successful. BUT we wanted more, ie impact on whole organisation and into the

• community. Did this in Barbados.

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The Barbados programme was an in-company MBA conducted in the leading all-inclusive hotel company on the Island. It had the following characteristics;  Was delivered to the whole top management team including the Chief Executive.  Was customised to solve the problems being faced by the Company in its highly competitive market – tourism in the

• Caribbean. The group project team analysed the market and

defined a new business plan and how it was to be implemented.  Individual projects dealt with defining and implementing the participants’ own business strategies and tackling the

• perational problems including engineering.

 PDP focused on improving the technical and managerial competencies needed to excel in their roles.  Workshops included presentations by tourism and hospitality experts from the region, its universities and from politicians such as the Minister of Tourism.

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The results of the programme were exceptional leading to significant improvements in operational performance, in the performance of each individual and success in achieving the diploma and MBA However, this programme was the only one done for the top management committee of our client organisations. Our aim was to replicate the Barbadian experience in all our future programmes.

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Change in Strategic Direction

A key element of action learning is reflecting on experience, learning from this process, determining whether improvements can be made and mistakes rectified and then taking remedial action. We conducted such a review and decided to refocus our programmes

• n;

 The top management teams of politicians, senior civil servants and their organisations in Africa.  Specific African countries and how they were implementing their development strategies at national, ministerial, departmental and project levels, ie the cascade of the NDP.  Improving the effectiveness of the infrastructure sector and in particular the role it can play in solving two of Africa’s major problems; youth unemployment and closing the skills gap.  Focus initially on water and sanitation. IWRI.

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Aims of the new strategy

• Create a ‘critical mass’ of C&C to deliver the renaissance – needs

groups not just individuals.

• Need an organisation culture which aims for operational and

individual excellence; HPWO; CI & CL; personal responsibility for their departments and their own outputs.

• Via PPAL – problem focused, project driven, action learning. For

politicians, top management down to coal face.

• Focus on infrastructure, public-private sector involvement project

C, Q, D; social multiplier; into community; focus on involvement of the people, skills development, job creation (SMEs) private sector CSR ++

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Into the Community

• Ministries need to involve the private sector and the community

and its organisations in planning and delivery.

• Do through stakeholder conferences where ministry

development plans are discussed, challenged and implementation agreed.

• Follow up critical. Done via sector development councils of

senior managers from ministries, private sector, NGOs, civil society etc.

• Identify key obstacles to be solved by problem solving groups,

eg how to improve productivity, reduce NRW, how to co-create customised solutions, is there a need for a permanent body to focus on implementation or an innovation hub of young people to help drive the process of effective delivery?

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Sector Skills Development Councils

• Acute shortage of craftsmen, technicians, engineers, supervisors

in developing world – and UK!

• Governments failed to invest in TVET; dozens of reports but little

action; serious constraint on economic development.

• Negative view of TVET, c.f. university training; existing TVET

systems not demand driven.

• Solution is funded TVET within NDP cascade via cabinet clusters

(eg infrastructure) featuring skills development and providing job relevant skills.

• Based on project level leadership and skills academies on site

which CBS intend to support directly from level 4 upwards and at lower levels to introduce our joint venture partners with the technical skills to deliver programmes of a specific technical

• nature. May need an IDI covering all infrastructure sectors.

Develop Local Organisations in the Sector

• PPAL to develop local contractors, SMEs, engineering institutes.
• Develop strong in-country engineering skills especially on projects.
• Feature job creation and skills development.
• Begin in national engineering institutes and their FAEO.

Can local engineering institutions do this? If so, how? Can they play a role in delivering the Africa We Want Agenda? Can they develop the competence to improve the effectiveness

• f engineering-based local organisations and their projects?

Can they provide data, background papers and research about engineers in Africa and beyond? Can they manage the development of innovation hubs of young people? Can they create relationships with key partners such as governments and funders? YES.

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Incorporate MNC expertise in project delivery

• MNC, particularly in the oil and gas sector, are developing their

direct involvement in recruiting and training local individuals and using local organisations to provide services and products often driven by local content government requirements.

• Where training of local staff is involved it is important to integrate

these activities into the national TVET system.

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Water & Sanitation Ministry

• Cabinet to own delivery of NDP featuring WAS service.
• Cabinet clusters, eg infrastructure. President to drive it. Hold

HOCS responsible for delivery of NDP.

• Ministers hold their chief officers personally responsible for

implementation of development plan via cascade;

Directors of ministry and their department. Management teams of SOE/utilities down to team responsible for peri-urban service and coordination of NGOs and CBO. Focus on projects, C, Q, D and social multiplier. Cascade delivered by PPAL (problem focused, project driven, action learning programmes). Into community; stakeholder conferences, sector skills councils, develop local organisations (eg SMEs, Engineering Institutions etc)

Problems;

• Dilapidated assets.
• Poor maintenance skills
• Limited funds
• Low tariffs and collection
• Culture of living off state subsidies
• Population explosion
• Limited technical and managerial competence
• Low levels of personal motivation.

Can these be solved?

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Yes via PPAL programmes, aims of which are;

• 1. improve E&E and C&C; create a culture of operational and

individual excellence;

• 2. performance and individual responsibility;
• 3. maximise revenue (eg reduce NRW);
• 4. increase customer base and reduce arrears;
• 5. improve network and service in peri-urban areas;
• 6. introduce regulation on compliance with pro-poor policy;
• 7. create a pro-poor unit in the SOE.

Summary and Action Plan

Our approach to delivering the required renaissance featured in the Africa We Want Agenda 2063 is focused on;

• Action learning programmes (PPAL) customised initially to the

infrastructure sector beginning with the water and sanitation sector.

• Their focus is on achieving measurable improvement in
• rganisational and individual performance.
• They MUST become an integral part of day-to-day activities and NOT

seen as a training add on.

• This integration cascade achieved by focusing on THE KBP –

implementation of the NDP and ministry plans at all levels.

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• Every stage of the cascade of the NDP to be ‘enveloped’ by the 4

elements of action learning – projects, PDP, workshops.

• PPAL programmes should be designed for single organisations and

their management teams at all levels.

• Heads of theses management teams to be held responsible for

improving the E&E and outputs of their departments – not just maintaining current practice.

• Ideally begin with PPAL for cabinets and HOCS. If not practical do

for management teams of chosen ministry, eg WAS.

• In WAS, delivery of services frequently decentralised to SOE. If so,

focus on SOE management teams at all levels down to team responsible for urban and rural poor and integration with NGO and CSOs.

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• Focus on projects achieving C, Q, D targets and social multiplier.
• Then into the community with stakeholder conferences, sector skills

development councils; programmes to develop local organisations (SMEs, Institutes of Engineers); integrate private sector

• rganisations’ approach to social purpose.
• Feature skills development and job creation.
• Develop innovation hubs of young people.
• Include train the trainer approach.

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Can engineers and their institutes and Federation do this?

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