Lessons learnt on

Organizational Development

 Each organization already has at its disposal an existing

management system consisting of simple planning,
documentation, reporting, staff meetings.
 This system, even in a insufficient manner, already presents
some organizational know-how.
 Sustainability in organizational development will only be
achieved if we take up the existing know-how of an
organization and try to improve it from inside thus
bottom-up, instead of imposing an external system.
 Lessons learnt...

 Do not copy your international project management and monitoring

system to a national partner organization (top-down approach).
Your project management system will be much too complicated for
them and have no sustainability.
 With this in mind, we suggest a strategy of institution development
to improve step by step the existing structures and
management systems through a tailor made medium-size
system that ensures at the long run sustainability even after the
external project intervention (bottom-up approach).
Checklist for
Organizational Development
 Human resources development
 Is there any job description for each of the employees?

 What are the skill up grading training needs for employees?

 Are there regular weekly personnel meetings?

 Equipment administration
 Is there any list of the equipments (number and condition)?

 Planning
 Is there any action planning? (yearly, 6 month, or 3 month

planning?)
 Are there weekly personnel meetings for weekly planning?

 Is there any planning of visits and services to operators (BDS

planning)?
 Implementation of services to operators
 Are there regular visits to operators?

 Did you implement support activities to operators?

 Checklist...
 Recording and reporting
 Did you document these visits to operators?
 Did you document the situation analysis, main problems and
proposals of operators?
 Did you record your every day activities?
 Did you record your services to operators?
 Collaboration with partners in the field of BDS delivery
 Is there any list of partners of your region?
 Commercial BDS providers, NGO, Vocational and technical training
centres , Facilitating agencies
 Is there any study about the loan conditions of the finance
institutions of your region?
 Are there already personal contacts with the partners?
 Did they get your presentation brochure and your planning?
 Checklist...
 Formats
 Is there a folder with the following formats: Action plan, Activity
report, Records on services to operators, Business plan format for
operators, Loan application forms of the finance institutions of your
region
 Presentation of your own structure to national,
international partners and visitors
 Is there any presentation brochure or leaflet of your organization?
 Does this brochure include a presentation of the achievements
(services to business operators provided)?
 Is this presentation brochure always available?
 Are your offices equipped with presentation boards and are your
planning and services to operators fixed on it?
 May we find some photos of operator workshops on it?
Organize your Work with
the help of an Office Folder
 In order to improve the organizational capacity of
your own structure, your organization should be
well planned, implement real services to your
clients and have a complete documentation and
recording system of your activities and services
to operators.
 In order to organize yourself, apply the following
"FOLDER METHOD" tool:

Buy an office folder

 Organize the office folder by separators

 Insert the following separators:

 Mission and objectives of your agency

 Leaflet or presentation brochure

 Fields of intervention and services to operators

 Job description of each of your agents

 What kind of services am I able to provide and what are my needs

in skills upgrading? (to fill by the agent himself)

 List of businesses served since the last year up to now

 6-month action plans for your activities and services to operators

 Records on services to operators (ongoing activity)

 6 month activities reports

 List of partner organizations in your region (facilitating agencies,

BDS providers, training centers, micro-finance and finance institutions,

entrepreneur associations) and their services.

 fill the Folder...

 Now, proceed to fill this folder with the necessary activities and
information and re-organize your institution.
 If you already have written your mission and your action plan and report,
put it in. If not, write it.
 If all this activities as planning, implementation of services, recording and
presentation have been done and will be done permanently, your
organization will do a better work and will be improved. Note: Action
planning, recording and reporting has to be done not only once but
periodically.
 In order to use this folder not only for your internal organization but also
as presentation map for visitors and national and international partners,
this map should be in English language.
 Achievements
Capacity Building of Partner Organizations
 17 Partner Organisations use the "Folder method" for better organisational
management.
 Continuous follow-up to improve the management procedures, effective planning and
reporting and documentation has been made by the project staff.
 A checklist for organizational development has been introduced.
 The Chambers of Commerce have been supported for the publishing of their
webpages www.ethiopianchamber.com and www.adamachamber.com. The
webpages generate income by advertizing companies and give business information
services on taxation, business registration and arbitration.
 The project's BDS information booklets have been re-printed by the chambers and
are on sale for own profit. Some booklets have been translated in Amharic.
 About 20 heads of Partner Organisations (ReMSEDAs, Sub-cities) have been
introduced to the BDS approach in a one day workshop and help us to multiply our
efforts.
 Achievements...

Networking and Learning Platforms

 Seven meetings of the national BDS network have been held discussing issues
like taxation, access to finance, publishing a newsletter, how to organize follow-
up of BDS, access to premises, study tour results to Ghana, technological and
market support.
 35 members of public and private institutions as well as donor agencies and
international projects are regular.
 A BDS Internet portal has been created under www.bds-ethiopia.net learning
platform for the BDS network members and international agencies. The BDS
portal provides information on taxation, marketing, export-import, accounting
and cost calculation, business planning, association building as well as on BDS
strategies, networking and lessons learnt.
 A monthly e-mail based BDS newsletter is sent since May 2005 to more than
300 addressees and found a lot of words of encouragement.
 Lessons learnt on Networking
 Existence of Common Purpose and Clarity of Vision and Purpose
Networking should be based on a clear definition of common interest or
purpose. This is fundamental to a sustainable networking. It is important to
clarify the interests and expectations of each member and identify common
grounds on which the networking could be based.   
 Establishing a Network by self-initive of its members
Network should evolve and should not be imposed. Most networks usually starts
with a handful of organizations that are able to develop common purpose and
vision. As the network develops others who share the vision join. 
 Offering Concrete Benefits to Members
A network will not be sustainable if it is not offering concrete benefits to its
members. If members do not feel they are benefiting from being a member of a
network their commitment will disappear. Therefore the work of the network
should focus on what it can do for its members in facilitating their work,
building their capacities, lobbying on their behalf or publicizing their work etc.  
 lessons learnt on networking...

 Good quality leadership and governance 

Good quality leadership is critical for successful networks. There should be
critical mass of members who are able to create dynamism in the network.
Each member should feel responsible and important for the network’s
success. Each member should contribute to the network in different forms
and also benefit from the contribution of others.
 Accountability and Transparency
Network facilitator should be member driven, accountable to the members
and transparent.  Institutional membership brings with it power. 
 Sharing of Common Resources
The network should be able to use regularly the resources of its members to
achieve its goals instead of developing parallel capacities that compete with
its members. A good network relies on the resources of its members.
Learning Platforms are:

 Networks and working groups

 Workshops and Conferences
 Publications and Documents
 Webpages and email based Newsletters
 Films and Photodocumentations