Training -Extension for Non-Formal Education as Planned Change Strategy

A Reflection Paper

Michael O. Ogaya
DM 230 – 1st semester 2022-2023

It is inevitable that organizations are in the process of preparing for new goals or new
direction. This process where the organizations undergoing is commonly known as planned
change. The organization is keen on the process of planned change that will likely to influence
the structure, processes and even the culture where the members are accustomed to. It can be
noted also that change is the most constant event that is likely to happen in every organization,
however, not all changes is deliberately planned and embraced by every organization. Rafferty &
Griffin, 2006 notes that planned change include the perception of the individuals wherein there
exists deliberation and preparation prior to the implementation of change. This notion affirms
that planned change is intentional and carefully analyzed to reach the “new direction”. Susanto &
Mulyuno, 2017 agrees on the planned innovation of the structure until new certain policies and
objectives are implemented to influence the internal climate and style of operation. Planned
change anticipates changes in the future through various activities that are intentional and goal-
oriented (Du Plooy, 2022).

Planned change managers identified various strategies to initiate and influence the
organizations to embrace change brought by internal and external forces. Training-extension is
one of the specific planned change strategies employed by planned change managers to achieve
the aims of achieving the new goals or direction of a certain organization. This planned change
strategy looks into the fact that there is a need to capacitate the members and the whole
organization. This can be lack of skills or inability to adopt and improve the well-being of the
members of the organization. Thus, training is necessary to capacitate the members the
organization. Through training, the members will acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and
attitude that will help the organization to reach the new goals and direction. With training
programs taking place, extension activities are carried to anticipate the expected change in the
structure, process and culture within the organization thereby creating a conducive atmosphere
for participation. Extension activities are also great venues to create open communication
between the members of the organization and change agents. There are prompt exchange of ideas
and shared decision making. Hence, training-extension as a specific planned change strategy are
widely acknowledged especially in those areas where the acquisition of specific knowledge,
skills and attitudes are requisites to attain the planned change.

The use of training-extension as planned change strategy is due to the fact that there are
more than 800,000 extension workers around the world. Of this number, 39.66 is the average age
of extension agents who also served as change agents. Similarly, 93% of extension workers are
in the field of agriculture. Training-extension as planned change strategy employed the eight
steps to help the organization achieved their desired aims and direction. First, the need for
change is very crucial that the managers should be able to properly identify and why there is a
need to change. When there are justifiable and stronger reasons why there is a need for change,
goals should be developed. Development of goals will help the members to follow the track and
guide them throughout the process of change. When the organization was able to set the goals, it
is now the right time to identify the change agents that will help them work out with the goals.
Change agents are either internal or external members. The role of the change agents is very
crucial since they will be the key actors to instigate and inform the necessary change that is
required in the organization. Change agents are expected to be knowledgeable. With the presence
of change agent and the members of the organization, it is a must that the current condition of the
problem be defined. This will be the starting point of the change agent and members for the next
step which is the implementation of change. The elaboration of implementation of change is
carried out through trainings that is expected to influence the knowledge, skills and attitudes of
the members of the organization. Interventions are identified during the implementation of
change and so it is necessary to develop a plan on how interventions will be introduced. The plan
will help the change agents to lay out how interventions will be introduced and adopted later on.
The core of training-extension lies in the implementation of the plan. This is achieved by regular
training, visitation and other similar activities that will ultimately drive the organization through
the desired aims and direction. Lastly, the evaluation of the project will check whether or not the
desired planned strategies work and instituted in the organization. Training-extension as planned
change strategy works when the knowledge, skills and attitude of the members improved.

Training-extension, like any other specific planned change strategy, works only in a
certain organization, problem or condition. Hence, it should be noted that in implementing
planned change, it must be checked whether or not this will solve the problem. One planned
change strategy will not provide solutions to every problem or condition. Only a certain planned
change strategy will work best in a certain condition or problem. Here, training-extension as
planned change strategy works best in problems like rural people lack of capability to adopt a
certain technology or innovation. Similarly, this is a planned change strategy that is carried out
mostly in the agriculture sector though other sectors are doing this but not so much with great
emphasis in the problems that occurred in the agriculture.

References:

https://www.fao.org/3/w5830e/w5830e09.htm
https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/news-and-events/division-of-extended-studies-blog/march-
2021/change-management-how-to-guide-your-organization-t
Rafferty, A. E., & Griffin, M. A. (2006). Perceptions of organizational change: a stress and
coping perspective. Journal of applied psychology, 91(5), 1154.
Susanto, A., & Mulyono, N. B. (2017). The transitional change on the implementation of ISO
14001: 2015 in copper ore mill–case study. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 18(5).
Du Plooy, P. J. (2022). Analysing implementation of Business Process Management at a mining
company from a Systems Leadership perspective (Doctoral dissertation, North-West University
(South Africa)).
Kangah, H., & Atampugre, G. (2022). Farmer adoption of planned climate adaptation:
Institutional constraints and opportunities in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Cogent Social
Sciences, 8(1), 2035048.
Antwi-Agyei, P., & Stringer, L. C. (2021). Improving the effectiveness of agricultural extension
services in supporting farmers to adapt to climate change: Insights from northeastern Ghana.
Climate Risk Management, 32, 100304.