Risking a Break

I was given an impossible task this week: "Il faut le casser sans le briser". Sometimes the degree of change required to implement a reform reaches so deep into the bowels of an organization that breaking without damaging seems like the simplest way to describe what needs to be done.

Being involved in a government reform in a developing country is somewhat like building a house of cards: it is a slow process where each step brings more weight to a fragile base and a new vulnerability.

According to the United Nations Development Programme there are very few examples, in developing countries where objectives of a reform have been met and sustained.[1] Reforms are high risk ventures and understanding the risks circling a reform reduces vulnerabilities. Due diligence is fundamental to the survival of risk-based ventures – and reforms are definitely a member of that family.

A risk is a possibility that something will occur. Processes for identifying, calculating, prioritizing and mitigating risks abound. Here are a few useful sites:

Nonprofit Risk Management Centre

University of Alberta

The Risk Management Guide

ALARM The National Forum for Risk Management in the Public Sector

Treasury Board of Canada Risk Management

The Institute of Risk Management

[1] Public Administration Reform Practice Note p.19 http://www.undp.org/policy/practicenotes.htm

Civil Service Reform

My arrival in Rwanda was as previous visits except this time the customs officer mentioned something about my becoming a Rwandese. I suppose my passport tells a story.

Progress was made in Rwanda since my departure in December last year. The construction of the new US Embassy’s main building is well into its third floor, the equipment at the nearby fitness club has been repaired, the walls at MIFOTRA have been newly painted and my favorite restaurant has grown a third of its original size to accommodate the new customers and prices.

Change is a good thing in Rwanda. Civil service reform is also about change, perhaps not so visible. There is no need for cranes, paint, new flooring or rare mechanical devices. Government reforms – those that bring new ways of managing a civil service – often owe their success to variables that are not so obvious to the eye. Those sited are:

Degree of risk
Alignment with strategic and operational goals
Competing priorities
Project management capacity
Sustainability
Compliance with rules
Organizational appetite
Commitment to innovation and learning
Leadership engagement
Benefits and rewards
Supporting research
Organizational and cultural fit
Available funds
Competencies
Return on investment
Performance measurement system
Potential partners and alliances
Communication

We will discuss these variables in the upcoming blogs. In the meantime, to find out more about Civil Service Reform visit:

Governance and Social Resource Development Resource Centre, DFID
The World Bank

Introduction to Rwanda

After having spent two full months in Canada, I am preparing for my 5th work assignment in Rwanda to provide support with several reform projects in HR. Bags are packed and travel details confirmed. I should find myself in Amsterdam on the 15th and at work in the capital city of Kigali by the 16th.

Rwanda is a landlocked developing country in central Africa east of the Central Democratic Republic of Congo, south of Uganda, west of Tanzania and north of Burundi. With a surface area of 26,338 sq km Rwanda is about half the size of Nova Scotia (Canada’s second smallest province) which sits at 55,490 sq km. The population in Rwanda is 7.8 M about 7 times greater than in Nova Scotia.

Rwanda is recovering from a civil war and genocide in which at least 800,000 people were killed, leaving 95,000 children orphaned. The country is now working to rebuild its economic and social infrastructure.

To read more about Rwanda visit:

http://www.gov.rw/
http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/rwanda-e
http://www.unrwanda.org/
http://www.rwandagateway.org/article.php3?id_article=127
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/rwanda_genocide.html

Welcome to HRSB Concepts Inc

HRSB Concepts is a firm created from the hopes and dreams of civil servants who work for the betterment of society. We are graced by the contributions of people who through commitment and fortitude bring about lasting change in the management of their civil service.

This blog will keep you informed of the latest developments about us.