Dr C.J. Burman

The Development Facilitation and Training Institute, University of Limpopo,

World Vision - Complex Adaptive Systems: New Strategies for Transformational Development

31st August, 2010

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute

(DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 2

! Technical Development Paradigms - Comfort zones (all of us have them) - Linear thinking (Pavlov; variables, scaling-up from a case study; Euro/anglo thinking (cake baking & patterns of thinking)? - Yet the paradigm exists / persists .... in a rapidly shifting context (climate change, fiscal crisis, community responsiveness etc.)

Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania

09/01/10 3

! Are we working with Cars or Communities?! Are we rejecting the technical component of

development? No: but we need to better connect cultural realities to policy and implementation approaches

! How does the existing paradigm ‘fit’ with the uncertain changes that we expect the next century to contain (climate change in particular)?

! Where can we look for new ideas?

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 4

! Systems (organic networks & alliances that help us do things)

! But the system/s are necessarily unstable because a fixed system would not be able to cope in the ‘real world’

! Systems (driven by the ‘M’ & sense making) have the ability to change, mutate, grow or alter direction;

! Systems are emergent and self-organising ! Hence – Complex Adaptive Systems

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 5

! When a development project is focused on a particular area the system begins to change in particular anticipation of what is coming

! So the system often changes even before implementation and as it unfolds

! And often the ‘development machine’ is at the periphery of this self-organising, emergent set of changes

! And the responses to this change are nearly always technical reactions to the change and

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 6

! Development becomes a tussle for power: the community system is already motivated and changing with one ambition (gorilla)

! And the developmental machine (another system) is motivated by another ambition

! So the two inter-connected systems are even more complex as they react / respond to the other system’s reactions

! Is this useful if we want to see improved outcomes (community) in the face of

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 7

! Community-University Partnership Programme, funded by the Department: Science and Technology in South Africa

! Focus: Community Engagement in the face of continuous change

! The case study focused on the application of complexity approaches to a Community Engagement project: Boys 2 Men

! Designing a Mentorship Programme & understanding the cultural system to do so

Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 09/01/10 8

09/01/10 9Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 10

Bio-medical knowledge HIV; circumcision; human rights & facilitation tips

Respond to community interest & girls interest; other

Respond to difficult questions from boys; other

Circumcision (efficacy / efficiency); other

! Called a Review of Boys 2 Men! We wanted a better understanding of the

system the mentors will work in! And to reinforce / adjust our work plan for

the mentorship design (& offer a platform for the existing facilitators to share knowledge)

! Pre-hypothesis approach! Future Backwards! Archetype Construction ! The abridged findings are listed below

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of

Limpopo: World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 11

Capricorn District Mopane District Facilitators

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World

Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 12

DevFTI

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World

Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 13

Capricorn District DevFTI

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World

Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 14

Mopane District DevFTI

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World

Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 15

! Confirms DevFTI’s concerns that circumcision is a cultural issue

! Highlighted the complexity of the Initiation School

! Shows different perspectives of the same focus area (B2M)

! Useful visual discussion documents (insights into the complex adaptive system)

! The process is simple and it helps to identify issues for the designing a Mentor Programme

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 16

! Construction of fictional personalities who express common values, attitudes and behaviours in the system

! Enables deeper analysis of more specific cultural issues from the perspective of system sub-groups

! Involves anecdote circles [empirical micro-narrative capture], coding of data and then more images

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World

Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 17

A structure in decay (a common theme); youth intent on destructive behaviour despite the formal warnings posted.

Stereotype InfluenceBuddies 50%Sexual 17%Circumcision

17%Community 17%

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World

Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 18

Associated with corruption, excessive greed and materialism with little interest in upholding family

Stereotype InfluenceCircumcision 13%Sexual 26%Community 13%Upstanding People 13%Youth 38%

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World

Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 19

Demonstrably ‘macho’ that is a blend of both modern and traditional values associated with ‘false

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 20

Stereotype InfluenceMacho 23%Sexual 16%Family 16%Drugs 15%Gentleman 8%Sport 8%Circumcision

8%Outcast 8%

Young women as being dependent on partners for money, manipulative, lazy, gossiping and sabotaging.

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World

Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 21

Stereotype InfluenceViolence 20%Workshop 20%Community 20%Tradition 20%Legal 20%

The participants were adamant that the outcast is female. She is stubborn, strong, self-sufficient and despite the community’s determination to reject the archetype her survival instinct obstinately resists.

Stereotype InfluenceSexual 33%Development

33%Workshop 22%Violence 11%

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World

Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 22

! The approach has roots in complexity and sense making techniques based upon a pre-hypothesis approach

! The data we have is thick! It informs us of the players and cultural

influencers within an emerging, self-organising complex system

! And the data is useful for designing a Mentorship Programme that fits our complex context

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 23

! We have talked to old men about how the Initiation Schools have changed

! We will be talking to the Traditional Healers when I return

! We are going to see if we can’t get the B2M programme in the Initiation Schools

! WHY? Because responding to challenges using this approach means we are going to try and disrupt the influence of the Initiation Schools & reinforce the positive impacts

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 24

! This requires leadership buy-in! It is not rocket science but does require a

shift in mindset about what we want to achieve

! In the context of HIV-prevention this is logical because US7.4B (AVAC data) invested in vaccine & microbicides

! Condoms & male circumcision are the bulk of prevention strategies available today – yet that depends on linear presumptions

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 25

! Out of the 50 people sitting here ! I bet that many of you have an intractable

challenge at work ! That you intuitively believe will not go away

unless you do something differntly

And complexity, mixed with sense making, may assist you to do that.

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 26

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo: World

Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 27

Areas of high instability

Areas ready for change (target resources here)

Areas where change is unlikely (don’t waste resources here)

New pattern formation (new cultural phenomenon emerging – keep an eye on this area as we don’t know what it is yet)

Questions Tell me, and I’ll forget, Show me, and I may not remember, Involve me, and I’ll understand.

(Native American proverb or Confucius)

09/01/10Dr C.J. Burman, The Development, Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI), University of Limpopo:

World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania 28