03/2008Nucleus-International.net1 Organisational Development of Business Chambers & Associations Nucleus-International.net

03/2008 Nucleus-International.net 1

Organisational Development of

Business Chambers & Associations

Nucleus-International.netNucleus-International.net


Organisational Development - what is it?

• A planned process to change– the behaviour, attitudes and capacities of the

actors in the organisation– the culture and attitudes of the organisation– the organisation and communication structures– the strategies

• Objective: To improve both internal and external performance of the organisation


Some basic elements of OD

• Organisation members’ participation– in identifying problems– in developing solutions– in implementing changes

• A moderator / consultant accompanies the process

• OD is a learning process within the organisation


Prerequisites to start an OD process

• The will– to learn– to change the organisation

(enterprise / business chamber)

• due to– internal / external problems or– new visions


Prerequisite to start an OD process

• A problem:negative situation, the organisation suffers

• A vision:adequate situation,but the organisation wants to improve more

desired situation

current situation

problem

vision

current situation

future situation

+

-


Questions

• Do the chambers suffer in a way that they want to change their organisation ?

• Do they have visions? Do they have ideas where they want to be in 5 or 10 years ?


The traditional Chamber-OD approach

Board

Staff

Members

ConsultingTraining

Instruments:- equipment / grants- administration costs / grants- consulting- traininginformation- etc.

Assumption : Who knows better acts better

Chamber


Results

• We do not know one Chamber-OD-Project where this approach caused successfully sustainable effects. The reasons:– The assumption is wrong– We cannot - and it is also not our task - change

persons– Board and staff members change frequently.

With their exit the new knowledge exits too. The knowledge is not transferred to the successors


Results

– The project contributes to some repairs under the existing paradigm This means: The “Business Club” remains a “Business Club”and does not change into a “Professional Service and Lobby Institution”

– Effect : No sustainability– Example: more than 10 years promotion of

CCICP through RDP / ESSP in Sri Lanka


The “Nucleus” Approach

• The first objective of the “Nucleus” Approach

is not the promotion of SMEs

but the organizational development of business chambers and associations


Chamber-OD under the Nucleus approach

Board ofDirectors

Employees Members /Nuclei

Intervention

Int

Inte

rven

tio

n


The goal

• Create a positive / constructive “tension” between the Chamber’s actors– Members start to request, propose, participate,

press– Employees start to orientate towards the

members– The chairperson / board of directors start to

negotiate with members / Nuclei and employees


Society / Government

Members

Employees

CEO

ChairmanBoard

Public Relations

Services

Lobby

Administration

A BusinessChamber


Members

Employees

ChairmanBoard

N

Public Relations

Lobby

Services

Administration


Start of Nuclei

CEO


Members

Employees

CEO

ChairmanBoard

Public Relations

Lobby

N

New employee:counsellor

Services

Administration



Members

Employees

ChairmanBoard

Public Relations

Lobby

N

New tasksfor the

CEO

Services

Administration


CEO


Members

Employees

ChairmanBoard

Public Relations

Lobby

N

New services:counselling

traininginformation

support

Services

Administration


CEO


Members

Employees

Chairman Board

N

Public Relations

Lobby

Services

N

New type ofrelationship

among members

Administration

N NN


CEO


Members

Employees

ChairmanBoard

Public Relations

Lobby

Services

N

More members:more tasks

for theadministration

Administration

N


CEO


Members

Employees

ChairmanBoard

N

Public Relations

Lobby

Services

Administration

New tasks regarding

Public Relations


CEO


Members

Employees

ChairmanBoard

N

Public Relations

Lobby

Services

Administration

New tasksfor chairperson

and board


CEO


Members

Employees

ChairmanBoard

Public Relations

Lobby

Services

Administration

New goals andtasks in terms

of lobbying

N


CEO


Members

Employees

ChairmanBoard

Public Relations

Lobby

Services

Administration

At the end:everything

is changing!

NN N NN


CEO


Results

• Members / Nuclei start to understand the chamber more as their organisation – They are the owners, not the board and the

employees– They pay membership fee and therefore can

complain and request services and quality

When the chamber changes into a “Service Organisation” – a new paradigm –

there are more chances for sustainability


Logic of the Development of Chambers of Entrepreneurs

ServicesInformation / Consultation

Training / Support

Lobby in front of Government and other groups of the

society

Higher attractiveness for Entrepreneurs

Law of great number:the more members, the more influence

Chamber

More Entrepreneurs apply for membership

More members pay more membership fees

More means to finance more and

better services


Chamber DO

• Possible fields for interventions– Lobby

- whom, in what, how to influence- planning of objectives and goals- public relations

– Services- training- individual & group counselling in technology, business administration, legal affairs- information - other income generating services


– Organisation & administration- management of organs, staff etc.- membership fees - member administration

– Networking- other chambers- chamber – regional chamber – federation- public & private institutions


Nucleus-International.net

• This file is part of our material to present and illustrate our activities to professional and elected officials of business associations, personnel from technical cooperation projects, and other people with an interest in this field. We are involved in a constant process of elaborating and improving this material, and targeting it to the demands of specific groups.

• You may use, copy, and change this file as you like (we do not insist on a copyright).

• We would, however, like to ask you for the following: please send us a copy (as a file or printout) and additional information if you use the file or parts of it.

• Thank you!• The Nucleus-International.net team

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03/2008Nucleus-International.net1 Organisational Development of Business Chambers & Associations Nucleus-International.net