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Change Agents (1)
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | The only constant thing is change. Change agents attempt to steer
it in this direction rather than that |
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | The one-pagers listed here are drawn from the separate disciplines
of Education, Management, and Development Theory |
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | They are all inspired by the same paradigm shift - power to the
people |
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | They all consider what might be involved in being an effective
change agent/ social activist |
-
Types of tutor/facilitator/adviser authority |
g980116d |
The project agent |
941209b |
External agents in RTD |
941215c |
Advisers as external agents of change |
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Facilitator roles for intervention |
g951201 |
The 7Ds of a successful adviser |
g971215b |
Facilitating change - keys to advisory success of failure |
g971215a |
The role of the external mentor |
g970626 |
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Types of tutor/ facilitator/ adviser authority
Heron J (1993) Group Facilitation - theories and models for
practice; Kogan Page
As an adviser/tutor/facilitator of learning you have access, according to Heron, to
three types of authority each of which can have two styles:
Tutelary Authority
|
means that the facilitator has mastered some body of knowledge
and skill and appropriate procedures for passing it on; can communicate effectively to
learners through the written and spoken word and other presentations; can care competently
for learners, and can be guardian of their needs and interests. |
Political authority
|
means that facilitators take decisions that affect the whole
programme of learning. It involves the exercise of educational decision-making with
respect to the content, methods and timing of learning. |
Charismatic authority
|
means that facilitators influence learners and the learning
process by virtue of their presence, style, and manner, that is, through their personal
delivery of tutelary and political authority. |
The two styles of authority are as follows:
Genuine Authority |
Oppressive Authority |
benign, luminous and truly educative |
punitive, indoctrinating and intimidating |
This proceeds from those people who are
flourishing from their own inner resources and can thereby enable other people to flower
in the same way. |
This is rigid authoritarianism and proceeds from people
who are denying some of their basic inner resources and can only use a model of
overcontrol in trying to educate others. |
It manifests as the facilitative ability to empower. It is
the basis of the move towards learner centred and experiential learning. |
It manifest as the manipulative power to dominate. It has been the bane of
education at all levels. Traditional teaching, still strongly with us, is beset by
authoritarianism |
Charismatic authority is central to this and thus underlies
tutelary and political authority |
Those operating in this way tend to try and dismiss tutelary, political
and charismatic authority as being the same thing. |
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The Project Agent
Oakley P et al (1991) Projects with People; ILO/WEP
The project agent has been variously described as an educator, catalyst,
facilitator, broker, intermediary or activist, and this broad range of terms reflects the
diffuseness of the agent's role and the difficulties of encapsulating it within commonly
understood perameters. A review of participatory projects suggests the following as the
major dimensions of the project agent's role: |
An outsider who comes with ready made
solutions is worse than useless. He must first understand from us what our questions are
and help us articulate the questions better, and then help us find solutions. Outsiders
also have to change. He alone is a friend who helps us think about our problems on our own
(Tilakaratna, 1987) |
Animation
|
A process of assisting people to develop their own
intellectual capacities, that is, to stimulate their critical awareness; this critical
awareness enables rural people to examine and explain issues in their own words and, as a
result, to realise what they can do to bring about change. |
Structuring
|
The development of internal cohesion and solidarity among
rural people, and of some form of structure or organization which can help bring the
people together and serve as the forum for their continued involvement. |
Facilitation
|
A service role which assists people to undertake specific
actions designed to strengthen their participation; these actions can include the
acquiring of particular technical skills, gaining access to available resources or
translating their own ideas into feasible projects. |
Intermediary
|
To serve, in the initial stages, as a go-between in relation
to other external services or forces; to help establish contacts with existing services
and introduce people to the procedures and mechanisms for dealing with these services. |
Linking
|
To help develop links between people in similar contexts and
facing similar problems; this linking at district and regional level creates a wider base
of support for participation. |
Withdrawal
|
A progressive redundancy, whereby the agent consciously
withdraws from a direct role with the people and increasingly encourages them to undertake
and manage the projects in which they are involved. |
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External Agents in PTD
Appropriate Technology Vol 21 No 1 June 1994 p4
There are a number of roles which external agents - be they AT organizations in the
North or South, other NGOs, technical specialists, governments or local authorities - can
play in a Participatory Technology Development (PTD) process, if they recognise that the
basic goals of PTD are empowerment and equity. Not all roles are relevant or necessary in
all circumstances: the following list covers a range of possible interventions.
External agents are not a homogenous group: donors, engineers, and intermediary
organizations (for example) will all have different skills to offer, and different
priorities. Work in PTD in agriculture indicates that possible roles can fall under four
broad and occasionally overlapping headings: facilitator, networker, educator, and
co-researcher.
Facilitator
|
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | offer support in the strengthening of local diagnostic skills (identifying problems or
bottlenecks) whether or not the problems are technical. |
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | where useful and possible, help with the analysis of how desired change may be
facilitated by technology. |
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | be prepared to support the community in tackling issues of power and vested interests
where these are factors in the changes that are needed. |
|
Networker
|
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | strengthen local capacity to obtain and use technical or other information, both from
inside and outside the area. |
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | strengthen local technical capacity through the sharing of appropriate external
information. |
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | translate technical needs identified by local people into performance specifications for
suppliers. |
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | help to facilitate the formation of necessary links between those wanting change, and
the markets, R&D insititutions, and other sources of knowledge, both nationally and
regionally. |
|
Educator
|
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | support local skills in the identification of necessary changes, and possible solutions. |
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | where possible, help to widen the range of methods and solutions available. |
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | be prepared to offer advice when asked, but also to withdraw when not needed. |
|
Co-researcher
|
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | help identify the appropriate non-technical skills that are needed. |
![bullet](_themes/nature/nabull1.gif) | recognize and help to strengthen local specifically technical skills in experimentation
and adaptation, if necessary by supporting risk. |
|
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Advisers as External Agents of Change.
Wilson DC & Rosenfeld RH (1990) Managing Organisations;
McGraw Hill
Wilson and Rosenfeld (1990) set out a long list of possible reasons for external agents
of change not being successful in promoting change. It is not an easy process but neither
is it impossible.
The following list notes some of the ways in which an external agent of change has
advantages over someone on the inside. External Agents can:
- act as "court jesters".
They can poke
fun at practices in the organization which others, who are employed within it, cannot
voice without fear of repercussions for themselves or their department.
- act freely, not tied to office politics
- get access to a wider range of individuals and departments than
internal people can
- use a wider "vocabulary" than organizational members.
They
can express organizational events and processes in a new way, and in terms unfamiliar to
those in the organization. This alone can be a powerful stimulant for critical thinking
and a first step towards getting people to think of a different future.
- send information around the organization which would be
impossible or prohibited to others
- avoid responsibility, to some extent, if things subsequently go
wrong
The external agent of change working alone is unlikely to cause significant
organizational change. The best strategy is to work with several internal agents of change
who are preferably drawn from different departments within the organization. These can
provide the external agent with the detailed information which is needed and they can also
act as a forum for trying out new ideas. Support from the highest authorities in the
school will also be required.
The task then is to mobilise the internal group so as to achieve the "critical
mass" of support which will be required before the change can be institutionalised or
"refreezed". This latter process can be facilitated by inventing a new
vocabulary to describe what happens in the new organizational pattern.
The internal group also have the longer term task of monitoring the extent to which the
change is adopted and in keeping the initiative alive so as to prevent slippage back into
the old ways.
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Facilitator Roles for Intervention
Everard B & Morris G (1990) Effective School management;
PCP
The following list is taken from Everard and Morris (1990) at the end of Chapter 17
where they have been looking at "A Systematic Approach to Change."
Group Dynamics Adviser
|
eg bringing to the groups attention an
important issue eg a disruptive group member; when they are conspiring to suppress; so
that the problem can be faced and handled |
Consultant
|
about management processes, organizational
structure |
Process Facilitator
|
eg suggesting ways of getting a difficult
decision unblocked |
Learning Facilitator
|
eg to insist on more time being spent on
process review rather than task |
Coach/Tutor
|
eg giving advice on a selection of a
management technique; getting people to keep "learning logs" |
Co-ordinator/ Convener
|
eg arranging meetings or other events on
behalf of a task group |
Scribe
|
eg using a flipchart to help a group with
its work |
Observer/ Note taker
|
Keeping notes in two columns - task and
process - for use in reviews |
Discussion Leader
|
eg temporary take-over of the group process
to get them back on track |
Exemplar/ Demonstrator
|
eg showing a learning group how to review
its process |
Catalyst/ Assumption Challenger
|
eg a creative intervention that lifts a
group out of its rut of tramelled thinking |
Norm Establisher
|
eg create a climate in which it is OK to
give and receive personal feedback |
Resource Investigator
|
eg helping to satisfy a groups need
for information not immediately available |
Pace-maker
|
eg if a group does not manage its time
well, then chivying it to complete the task |
Reminder
|
eg drawing attention to the groups
remit, if this seems forgotten |
Dynamiser
|
eg after the event, stimulating people to
implement any plans they have agreed. |
Task Facilitator
|
eg helping a group analyse the problem |
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The 7Ds of a successful Adviser
Margerison CJ (1988) Managerial Consulting Skills - a
practical guide; Gower
Margerison lists what he calls the 7Ds of effective consulting which could easily be
seen as the 7Ds of a successful secondary school adviser:
Define
|
what you are being asked to do carefully by asking the
client(s) what they want to achieve as an output. |
Diagnose
|
what or who is getting in the way by doing some
investigations. Remember to bring people together who dont normally meet to discuss
issues face to face. |
Design
|
, in conjunction with your client, something that will
be an improvement on the present approach. |
Develop
|
a means of implementing the design so it becomes operational. |
Deliver
|
the new approach so everyone knows what to do, by training
people and giving them both the tools and knowledge to change. |
Delegate
|
to the client the involvement and implementation at all
levels. Remember your task is to be the consultant adviser, not take over the
managers job. |
Debrief
|
through debate and discussion on a regular structured basis
what has been learned and what can be done next. |
And we can let William Shakespeare have the final word:
- Give each man thine ear, but few thy voice;
- Take each mans censure, but reserve thy judgement ...
- This above all: to thine own self be true,
- And it must follow, as the night the day,
- Thou canst not then be false to any man.
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Facilitating Change - keys to advisory success or failure
Margerison CJ (1988) Managerial Consulting Skills - a
practical guide; Gower
The following list of key factors suggests what might contribute to the success or
failure of an advisor (or a group of advisers) in attempting to facilitate change in a
school:
Failure can be caused by:
- not involving influential persons early enough - the make or break people
- proposing solutions before problems are diagnosed
- presenting reports full of content without an equal regard for the process of discussion
- moving too quickly, causing surprises and creating defensive behaviour amongst clients
- not recognising the effect of change in one part of the system on another part of the
system
Success is usually dependent on:
- spending time in understanding the cues and clues
- accurate summaries of issues raised, and effective conversational control
- in-depth contracting and agreement to ensure an action is on a solid basis
- attention to the political processes of the clients organisation and the
involvement of the relevant people
- delivery on time to the required standard
- the management of the assignment by establishing a structure through which all involved
can resolve issues.
Sharp tasks |
Think of a community group or
an organisation in which you have had success or failure as an adviser or change agent.
Use the above lists to explain your results |
The lack of coordination
between different agencies is a common complaint. If you were employed as a
consultant to overcome this problem, how would you do it? |
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The role of the external mentor
Vonk JHC (1993) Supervision of Instruction: Mentor Knowledge
and Skills Base; Induction Programme, CIEMST, NUL
It has often been observed that development happens from within. If this
is true then what are the roles of people operating from without?
Counseling/facilitating would form a part. But what does this
mean? Vonk (1993) provides some ideas about essential counselling skills targeted on
individuals:
- establishing a good and caring relationship which, amongst other things, involves being
open, showing unconditional acceptance of whatever the client feels,
respecting what is told in confidence.
- being a good (active) listener which, amongst other things, involves mastering
techniques such as paraphrasing, probing, and reflecting feelings.
- assisting with behavioural change eg by providing appropriate information and/or
alternatives, encouraging decision making, and planning for further learning/training..
- knowing where to find appropriate information or, if the problem is beyond you, knowing
who to recommend the client to see.
But many people find it difficult to keep to this ideal of counseling and tend rather
to push forward their own perceptions, experiences and solutions. The following are some
ideas to help prevent yourself from becoming an instructor:
- look at yourself as a facilitator of the other persons thinking process
- listen rather than speak
- act as a mirror of the actions and the feelings observed ie notice them and
describe them but do not judge them
- be non-directive rather than directive ie offer several options or suggestions regarding
any topic and let the client choose which to go with.
But, social activists also work with departments as a whole ie with groups, or possibly
teams, of individuals. Groups can also be mentored. The essential processes would
be similar to those mentioned above but there might be a need for some degree of input
about team roles and team dynamics so as to give individuals a conceptual field and
vocabulary-set to understand and talk about their relationships.
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