CBODN Conference May 4, 2012

Your Presenters:

Agenda for this Session  Getting Started  Characteristics of a Resilient Organization  OTI as a Resilient Organization What is OTI and how does it operate? OTI as a multi-dimensional case of resiliency.  Reflections and Summary

Introductions  Please give us your name and organizational affiliation.

Musings about Resilience  How we consider resilience owes a lot to complexity theory, system’s thinking, and previous research in the fields of natural systems, psychology, and disaster planning.  At it’s heart, resilience is about change.  Sometimes it is rapid, even traumatic change, more often it is subtle and incremental.  Ignoring or fighting changes, or the potential for change, undermines the ability of an organization or system to survive for very long.

Further musings  One implication is that organizations and systems must be able to sense changes, no matter how subtle, assess their importance and impact, and then adapt the organization in a way that retains its core purpose and functionality.

Culture Clear Purpose and Values Effective Leadership Action Orientation Behaviors Scanning the Environment Attending to Emotions Flexibility and Experimentation Enabling Factors Open Communication Networks Devolved Decision Making Adequate Tools and Resources Organizational Identity

Characteristics  Creating a Culture of Resilience Organizational Identity - Clear and Common Purpose and Values Effective Leadership Action Orientation  Resilient Behaviors Scanning the environment and anticipating Flexibility and Experimentation Attending to the emotional consequences of change  Enabling Factors Open communication networks Devolved decision-making Adequate tools and resources

OTI Background Created in 1994: political response in post- Cold War world Focuses on key post-conflict, stabilization and transition issues in priority countries Operational with unique mechanisms. Catalytic Programs intended to be 2-3 years in duration

OTI Mission To support US foreign policy objectives by helping local partners advance peace and democracy in priority countries in crisis. Seizing critical windows of opportunity, OTI works on the ground to provide fast, flexible, short-term assistance targeted at key political transition and stabilization needs.

“Expeditionary” Nature of OTI  Need to establish field office and hire local staff quickly  Get outside the capital. Target local actors. Look beyond the “usual suspects.”  Seek out resiliencies within communities affected by transition, stabilization issues.  Identify existing capacities. Focus on local priorities, processes, ownership.

An Experimental, Operational Donor  Small is beautiful. “Action research” or “Safe- fail experiments” are the name of the game. Every activity is an opportunity to learn what works, what doesn’t and why.  Perceptions are reality. Focus on basic human desires, not basic humanitarian needs.  Continual assessment and collaborative design—with both “implementing partners” and “local partners”—surface local resiliencies.  Create multiple feedback loops. Flexible processes, systems and tools are required.

Let’s See How This Has Looked Around the World in…  Africa (Kenya)  Latin America (Colombia)  Europe (Macedonia)  Asia (Pakistan)

KENYA  Post-election “ethnic” violence  But nothing like local business, livelihoods, education to bring communities together  Tangible, local opportunities bring hope, build peace.

COLOMBIA  Once the heart of FARC-controlled countryside  Successful “clearing operations” created need for confidence-building, government services...  Followed by community-driven livelihoods initiatives and farm-to-market road rehab.  All that was needed was literally a little seed money (and tangible guarantees of security.)

MACEDONIA  You never know what might happen if you “give her a chance.”  Rural, grassroots campaign tapped into desire for change after Balkans wars and bankrupt politics.  Vote for a more “peaceful and prosperous future.” Vote for women.  Number of female parliamentarians tripled.

PAKISTAN  Processes that tap into local resiliencies are as important as the products they produce.  Traditional, community-based decision-making can offset corrupt, authoritarian regimes.  Tangible outcomes like rehabilitation of local schools (including schools for girls) can positively effect local perceptions of stability and build confidence in community leaders.

Culture Clear Purpose and Values Effective Leadership Action Orientation Behaviors Scanning the Environment Attending to Emotions Flexibility and Experimentation Enabling Factors Open Communication Networks Devolved Decision Making Adequate Tools and Resources Organizational Identity

 IF…effectively supporting sources of resiliency in these communities and complex environments requires a high degree of organizational resiliency,  THEN…How has OTI, a small office within a large government agency, managed to achieve this in its field operations?  Through the continual evolution of flexible, adaptive, field-focused learning and decision-making processes, systems and tools. Let’s take a look at a few of them…

Basic Business Model: Maintain an Action-Orientation Assess Continual context analysis Outcomes, effects, opportunties Act Targeted, rapid response Collaborative Design “Safe-fail” experiments Adapt Ongoing Decision-Making Multiple feedback loops & “program performance management” processes Action learning Risk reduction 23

Program Level Approaches & Priorities Activity Level Immediate effects Contextual analysis Strategic Level Three Levels of Analysis: Continuously Scan The Environment

25 Current Outcomes, Impact

How Do OTI Country Programs Fit Our Resiliency Model:  Culture:  Action orientation  Clear purpose & values ☐ Effective leadership  Behaviors:  Scanning the environment  Flexibility & experimentation ☐ Attending to emotions

How Do OTI Country Programs Fit Our Resiliency Model:  Enabling Factors: ☐ Open communication networks  Devolved decision-making  Adequate tools & resources

Culture Clear Purpose and Values Effective Leadership Action Orientation Behaviors Scanning the Environment Attending to Emotions Flexibility and Experimentation Enabling Factors Open Communication Networks Devolved Decision Making Adequate Tools and Resources Organizational Identity

Table Discussions  Given the types of resilient organizations with which you may have worked, which characteristics of the framework are most relevant?  Take about 10 minutes  We will be sampling the tables for those salient characteristics.

Thanks and Enjoy the Weekend