European Region World Organization of the Scout Movement Year 2002 Nr 1

Youth Programme

FROM VISION TO REALITY IMPLEMENTATION AT LOCAL LEVEL How to implement a national policy / strategy / plan at local level
1. Introduction
In order to offer better Scouting for more young people, national Scout associations all over Europe are reviewing, renewing and changing their programmes, structures and working methods.

Background
The European Scout Forum on Youth Programme and Adult Resources is held every two years. It aims to help National Scout Associations to develop their youth programme and improve the management of their adult resources. The f irst forum was held in Malta in 1999 and was widely appreciated. During the 2nd European Scout Forum, each participant worked in an international team on a project of mutual interest (International Team Task ITT). The Planning Team supported the projects through organising workshops on related areas. Examples of projects included: The International Dimension in the Scout Age Section, Participants or Customers ?, Managing the Progressive Scheme, Training the Trainer, and From Vision to Reality - Implementation at local level - the subject of this issue. q

However good the new policy, strategy or plan may be, it will not be effective unless it is accepted and implemented at local level. This issue of Euro.Scout.Doc deals with what may be the most common challenge facing associations today: how to manage change.

From Vision to Reality presents the results of the International Team Task (ITT) that worked on this key subject during the 2nd European Forum on Youth Programme and Adult Resources held in Malaga, Spain (19-26 May 2001). q

Euro.Scout.Doc is published by the European Scout Office (ESO). Its aim is to provide members of national Scout associations with an update on key developments in the five areas of the European Scout Plan 1999-2007, as well as results of seminars and events: Developing and promoting our Movement (Youth Policies) - purple; Better Scouting for more young people (Youth Programme) - orange; The adults we need (Adult Resources) - red; Regional communication network (Communication) - blue; Support to the development of national Scout associations (Support and Finance) - green. Each issue will focus on one of these areas, as indicated in its sub-title, using input from the European Scout Committee, European working groups and national associations. It will be distributed via EuroPak and made available on the regional web site: www.scout.org/europe. We hope that you will find Euro.Scout.Doc interesting, informative and attractive, and that it will inspire you not only to contribute your own ideas and experiences, but also to try out some of the new ideas you will find here. Please address all comments and suggestions to: eurobureau@euro.scout.org

2. General
The process described in this issue is intended to help National Scout Associations to implement and manage change. It can be useful for associations seeking to establish: a new general policy / strategy / plan; a new youth programme or revised parts of it; new training procedures; new general rules or regulations; new structures in the association; new projects.

Change
Three crucial factors for success: ensure participation ensure resources start small but start real

obstacles which any change or new element will inevitably trigger. a. Gathering and analysing data Gather and analyse relevant statistics, market research surveys, social research reports, etc. b Internal analysis Examine the culture of the association, its resources, structure, style of management, membership, trends, etc. Identify which internal barriers are most likely to interfere with the process of implementation. These could include: Fear of change, fear of learning, narrow-mindedness, traditionalism, laziness, stubbornness, etc.; Fear of losing ones place in a new system; Lack of training, lack of information or knowledge, fear of the unknown; Lack of resources. A waitand-see attitude (for human, f inancial, material resources); Ineffective communication (topdown or transversal); Lack of time; Lack of co-operation between sections at local level; Lack of f inances at national level; Lack of human resources.

3. Preparation
3.1 Establishing a working group / team / task force to work on the new element
Establish a clear mandate for the working group. They will be working together to develop a project on the implementation of change, with clear objectives, deadlines, budget, etc. Select a small number experienced leaders who have the necessary knowledge and skills, and who are motivated. Their position in the association and the level at which they work are not important. It is preferable to select people from a cross-section of levels in the association (including local) so as benef it from different perspectives, experiences, etc. If necessary, external experts may be invited to provide input on an ad hoc basis.

The steps involve:

in

the

process

Preparation
Establishing a working group / team / task force to work on the new element Identifying and overcoming main obstacles and potential diff iculties (resistance) Identifying key people responsible for implementing the new element Def ining the tools/working methods needed for implementation Establishing the time framework for completing the task Establishing the budget and the resources required

3.2 Identifying obstacles and difficulties

This is a necessary step in order to recognise and deal with the

Implementation
Implementing the new policy / strategy / plan

Evaluation and support

Evaluating the process Providing continuous support to the local level

c. External analysis Examine the politico-socioeconomic environment, i.e. the political situation of the country, social and economic problems, etc. d. Categorising the obstacles/ difficulties Analyse the obstacles and group them into categories. (It can be useful to conduct this exercise in a workshop setting with a wider group of people as part of a participatory process.) Category 1 Objectively insurmountable obstacles, e.g. legal regulations. Category 2 Obstacles that are surmountable, but which would require additional resources, e.g. extra funding, more human resources, time, training, etc. Category 3 Obstacles related to the culture of the association, traditions, processes, interpersonal relationships, etc., e.g. a complex hierarchy. Category 4 Obstacles related to individual peoples perceptions, e.g. perceptions concerning their own abilities. Examine how the obstacles could be overcome. Different approaches may be needed for the various categories. e. Thinking ahead (scenarios) Analyse how your proposed change might be different if internal and/or external circumstances change. List possible scenarios and examine how each would affect the intended changes, e.g.: if X factor changed, how would this affect the envisaged change ?

Methods of identifying obstacles/difficulties

Using the following simple methods will help identify diff iculties that might not be immediately obvious: SWOT analysis (internal strengths and weaknesses, external opportunities and threats), Questionnaires, Surveys, Observation, Forums, seminars, workshops for leaders, External surveys and other organisations f indings, Local level reports and evaluations, Internet or e-conferences to obtain peoples ideas and opinions.

3.4. Overcoming resistance

Some ways of overcoming resistance from local level to the implementation of new plans and ideas.

Within the target group, establish a core group of people who will be responsible for implementation. Try to select people who are respected in their own groups and who are likely to accept the plan. In addition, include in the group some of the people who were involved in developing the plan. Key people might include some of the following: Local leaders with charisma, Representatives of units and regions, Members of the programme sections, Trainers, Key outside people. Be aware that the key people may be both obstacles and opportunities. When sending out advance information about the project, do not offend anyone by excluding them from the mailing list. It is often better if 80% of people accept 80% of new ideas than if 50% of people accept 100% of new ideas.

3.3. Identifying the target group (customers) and key people

In order to implement the plan it is important that the right people have the correct information.

Show why change is needed; Show the benef its of change / compare old and new; Show what needs to be changed; Show how to change; Relate the changes to Scoutings principles and values; Show that it is a way for everyone to reach a common goal; Agree on a commitment to work with the plan/strategy in an agreed time frame; Agree on a method of feedback; Include as many people as possible in the process;

Open Space Technology

heard elsewhere but absorb what they like. In order to really make an event using Open Space Technology a success with an optimum of openness, communication, networking and a systematic approach, there are some good practices to bear in mind: Everyone brings his/her potentials: Show up, be there, be honest, let it go! Everyone tries to convince others to join their workshop. All workshops, times and rooms are announced in the market place. All results are written down immediately. Everyone receives a copy of these and is invited to network and continue working on them. The event should last two or three days. However, as an experiment, Open Space Technology has already been used successfully in half-day Scout leader training events. The original system used to document the results and keep them up to date involved laptop computers in every salon (workshop room). However, flip charts do the same job as long as you f ind a way to multiply the ideas and plans that have been written down during the workshops. In addition to the concrete results of the workshops, Open Space Technology offers an underlying opportunity to further develop a number of skills that will be familiar to Scouters: Make use of everyones creativity, energy and will to get organised. Develop your organisational skills. Improve your communication skills. Take responsibility for yourself and for solving problems. Focus on networking: share your ideas and knowledge. Question the traditional systems and rules. q

In the 1980s, the American Harrison Owen made a discovery that many of us will recognise from personal experience. He had organised a large conference for the medical profession with hundreds of participants, the most expensive speakers, the most important workshops and the most relevant presentations. However, both the quantity of participants attending the sessions and the conference evaluation made it clear that people had not come for what he considered important - they had came for peer exchange. The most highly rate items on the agenda were... the coffee breaks. Harrison Owen decided not to organise a conference of that style again. Instead, he organised a long coffee break to combine the advantages of free and intense communication around goal-oriented work. He realised that some procedures would be needed and that only interesting topics would attract people. However, he wanted participants to decide on what and how to work. That was the start of Open Space Technology. It was been successfully used in many workshops, and even in the recent reconciliation process in South Africa. The organisation of Open Space Technology is built around a market place: a room or space where participants meet at the

start of the event and then from time to time. Here, participants display the workshops that they would like to run, they tell others what they are interested in, what they would like to share ideas about or what kind of project they would like to start. Each workshop proposal displays a written notice of where and when the workshop will take place. Everyone can then decide which workshop to join, if any. The open space thereby created works according to the following principles: Whoever turns up is the right person. Whatever happens is okay - it is the only thing that could happen. It starts when it starts. When its over, its over. This means that a workshop starts if people turn up at the appointed time and it ends when there is no one left who is interested in the issue. It might even be cancelled if no one turns up. It also means that people are free to leave a workshop when they feel like moving somewhere else. Thus, while some will concentrate solely on a particular subject, others will change workshops. They split up like butterflies or bumblebees. Bumblebees sit down for a while and carry ideas from one workshop to another, thereby pollinating them. Butterflies mainly pass around - they do not disseminate ideas that they

Explain in detail to help people to understand; S h o w all the different ways in which the project will be of benef it to young people; Present the plan/idea in an exciting way; Organise large-scale, participatory projects; Encourage the active support of those who accept the idea; Encourage active support from outside the association (parents, other organizations and institutions). If the proposed change is radical, it is important to advance in small steps.

PROFILES
Innovators :
People who invent and deliver new ideas and plans (2% of population).

Early joiners:
People who accept change quickly and immediately (10%).

Late joiners:
People who do not accept change immediately (or are indifferent), but who later start to accept it (mostly experienced people). This is likely to be the prof ile of the main implementation target group (70-80% of the population).

Blockers:
People who do not accept change at all. They are divided in two subgroups: a) passive people who do not accept change, but are indifferent; b) active people who do not accept change and are actively against it. Management Tools: f inancial support and benef its, telephone back-up from the planning team, person-to-person contact, pilot projects, informal meetings, advisors and experts in the field, or consultants, etc., to provide information at meetings. realise that some changes will have taken place in that time

3.5 Defining the tools/working methods needed for the implementation process
Some of the following tools will be useful to prepare the implementation of any kind of plan/strategy/project. The different categories of tools should not be considered in isolation: they should be considered as a whole so that each tool used supports the others. Information and Communication Tools: brochures, leaflets, electronic conference, web site, off icial publications, magazines, newsletters, support document/handbooks, logo and motto, market researches, photographs, video tapes, CDROMs, personal contacts, meetings, etc. Training Tools: training courses, forums, seminars, workshops, leaders meeting, debates, focus groups, handbooks, etc. Marketing Tools: brochures, leaflets, calendars, magazines, publications, exhibitions, hats, T-shirts, posters, logo and motto, etc.

3.6 Establishing the time frame

It is important to: Bear timing in mind; Plan the implementation of the project step by step; Consider all the possibilities and possible results - before starting the process; Be aware that trying to implement radical changes too quickly will result in considerable resistance. This diagram is a geometric progression. It illustrates the effectiveness of starting slowly and building up networks of people who work with others to implement change. The rate of change is inevitably slow in the beginning, but it soon gathers momentum. There is invariably a time difference between when your plan is ready and when it is implemented. It is important to

which may affect the plan. The plan will therefore need to be adapted as necessary.

3.7 Establishing the budget and resources required

It is important to remember the following: Keep a balance between goals and resources; Keep a constant check on resources (they are always more limited than one thinks!); Consider all options to make sure that resources are used as eff iciently as possible; Ensure that the resources to be invested (material, time, f inancial, human, logistic resources, etc.) are in a reasonable proportion to the importance of what the resources are being used for (e.g. it would not be reasonable to spend 80% of available

Disadvantages: Two systems running in parallel can be confusing; Change is slower; It may cause heterogeneous growth; It can encourage a split in your association.

4.3. Pilot Projects

This is a method whereby some groups or units implement the new plan/strategy for a period of time as an experiment. Effectiveness can therefore be assessed before it is implemented on a broader scale. Advantages: The plan/strategy can be improved before it is implemented throughout the association;

resources on an aspect that is peripheral or low in potential impact); Make use of everyone who can help and check all channels of potential resources.

4.Implementation
Here are three models of implementation: Big Bang Parallel programme Pilot projects

which may lead to confrontation; People may not be comfortable with an immediate change; It may be more diff icult to support; It takes considerable resources to make it effective.

4.2 Parallel Programme

With this method the new system is introduced and supported, but people are still allowed to continue with the old one for a certain period of time. (The period of time needs to be determined and communicated.) At the end of the specif ied period, everyone transfers to the new system. Advantages: The change is gradual and so it does not encounter as much resistance; People feel more in control when they have a choice and when they have time to adapt; It allows time for feedback from units so as to sort out problems with the new system before it becomes the sole system in use.

4.1 Big Bang

This is a method by which complete change occurs at a specific time. People would be advised of a date of implementation and everyone would work towards implementing the change on that date. Advantages: It is time effective; It is clear what everyone should be doing; Everyone changes at the same time. Disadvantages: It can create great resistance

It is much easier to organise; Initially, it requires fewer resources; It is easy to document the development of the project; The results can be used to present the plan/strategy to others. Disadvantages: The method is limited in application; Time; A small scale success may not be replicable on a larger scale; The Pilot Project needs to be followed up with one of the two methods mentioned above for widespread change to occur.

5. Evaluation and Support

5.1 Evaluating the process
Local groups need to carry out an evaluation process so that they can see for themselves how the objectives are being reached. For evaluation and feedback, make use of: seminars; personal contacts and informal situations; questionnaires and surveys. Act on the f indings: if the evaluation reveals that modif ications need to be made to the plan/strategy, then it is important to take action. Explain what modif ications have been made and why. The main target group must be leaders at local level because they are the people responsible for the educational work with the associations membership.

the groups involved are very important. Evaluating feedback on a regular basis will help to identify areas where greater support is needed. Personal support Use the personal contacts made with groups at local level during the implementation process. Ensure that the core group is in regular contact with them. Create and maintain interest by showing how the project is working. Ensure that they know how to contact key people if they wish to do so. Printed Materials Handbooks and support documents need to be clear, interesting and attractive.

They should be readily available and easy to acquire. Reports and newsletters detailing the progress of the project should be circulated. Telephone and Internet support Encourage this quick and easy form of communication. Resource persons at regional and national level It is important that groups are easily able to contact someone who will always have the information they require or who will be able to obtain it for them quickly. The core group needs to ensure that these resource people at regional and national level are kept informed and have the necessary information and answers.

5.2 Providing on-going support

The success of the plan/strategy will depend to a large extent on the support provided throughout the process. Communication and interaction between all of

Training and seminars It is important that the trainers who will be giving courses for the leaders in the association are fully informed and know where to obtain support for the project. As leaders progress through the training system, they should be informed of the details of the project. Information and resources can be made available at seminars to support the project.

international teams have continued to work together. Such forums enable members of national teams to gain a wide overview of youth programme and adult resources management. They can also provide opportunities to work in depth on a more specif ic topic. The European Scout Region will therefore continue to organise similar events for a large number of participants. In addition, the Region will continue to organise a number of sub-regional seminars so as to offer associations more tailor made support and the opportunity to develop networks and projects amongst associations with the same problems or interests. q

6. Follow-Up
The Forum in Malaga can be considered a success in view of the participants positive evaluation, the quality of the output (such as the results presented in this issue) and the fact that, following the event, many of the