CALD E.D. Participates in IAF Seminar

CALD Executive Director, Lito Arlegue attended an International Academy for Leadership (IAF) Seminar on Change Management last 10 – 17 July 2011 in Gummersbach, Germany.  The seminar, the first on the topic to be offered by the Academy, aims to equip the participants with the necessary tools to manage transformation and change processes in both political and civil society organizations.The seminar was attended by about two dozen participants from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.  These participants were warmly welcomed by IAF Director Ms. Birgit Lamm, who also provided an update on the recent developments in the Foundation and in the Academy.Dr. Rolf Freier, Bettina Hegmann and Carina El-Nomany served as facilitators, although the seminar was structured to ensure full participant ownership and management.  The first day started with an input regarding the perspectives, attributes and dimensions of change, after which, the participants were asked to group themselves according to regions and discuss the different dimensions of change in both their regional and local contexts.

On the second day, the factors which might facilitate or obstruct change were tackled, as well as the the different stages of the “change curve”.  The participants then resumed their group work and analyzed the key issue/s in the change process that they need to address.  The discussions continued on the next day, where a SWOT analysis of each group’s change process was conducted. A participant from another regional group was also requested to join each group and serve as a “consultant” in order to provide fresh insights and perspectives.

The fourth day commenced with a discussion of conditions for successful management set-up, followed by particular features of change management plans.  The afternoon was spent with a trip to Cologne, the largest city in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth largest in the entire country.  On the fifth day and sixth day, the focus was on communication plan and on overcoming resistance.  Every change project must be accompanied by a well thought out communication plan that takes into account possible resistance.  This, according to the facilitators, would be a key factor in ensuring the success of the change project.

“I consider my participation in the seminar as productive and fruitful”, says Arlegue.  He said that he was pleased that the Asian group chose CALD as an example of the change project, as it also provided the opportunity to inform other participants about the network.  “Indeed, the value of the seminar was not confined on learning more about the topic under consideration, but also on the networks and friendships that one forged in the course of the event”, he added.