Knowledge Sharing

FIELD LEVEL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT – Addressing the Links in the Chain

The Centre of Excellence for Change Management (CEC) has a recognized commitment to provide clients with Organizational Transformation Tasks and consultancy Services of the highest possible standards.

The CEC provides an innovative, cutting-edge learning construct that acts as an incubator for cultural change which lies at the heart of transforming public sector service delivery. The key elements of the approach are creation of safe space for introspection and open dialogue for the officers, encouraging optimistic individuals emerging from the introspection and the process of dialogue as vanguard individuals, capable in aligning themselves as change agents to explore process improvements, better community outreach and competent to take on self-defined targets and results.

Service Delivery Enhancement

The unique change management process of Centre of Excellence for Change Management (CEC) has transformed many public utility officials from providers to partners and has enthused them to work closely with the community so as to enhance service delivery was initially imparted to about 600 Engineers from TamilNadu Water Supply and Drainage Board from 2003 to 2007 for improving its service delivery and meeting the MDGs. This change process foresaw the formation of the Change Management Group (CMG) in August 2004 as group of water sector officials committed to working as internal change agents to voluntarily improve service delivery in the water sector of Tamil Nadu.

The concept of Change Management expanded to Agricultural Engineering Department where around 240 Engineers underwent this process from 2007 to 2009 with significant results.

The CEC trained 940 Water Resources Engineers, for enhance service delivery in the Water Resources Department especially focusing on Participatory Water Management. The change initiatives contributed to more transparency in the system, enhanced accountability amongst Engineers and paved the way for community response programs.

The CEC was also involved in providing process labs to 3750 Agricultural Extension officials. In addition, 3300 ‘Community Collaborative Change Management Group’ (CCMG) Members (elected members) were also trained in change management.

Apart from the Change Management trainings to officials of public utilities, elected representatives around 2000 from Panchayat Institutions and Water Users Associations were given.

Multi Sectoral Convergence

Effective Integrated water resource management is a multi – sectoral challenge towards this end, public sector officials from the water, food and livelihood sector, underwent the CEC convergence modules towards holistic water management. Over 638 officials of the IAMWARM Project, from the above said sectors, attended the 3-day core workshops and 2 days follow on workshops both at District Level and State Level between 2012 – 2014.

Creating Core Facilitators

An integral part of the change process is Specialized Trainings to develop a core team of master trainers for peer-to-peer learning within and outside the State. The Curriculum was developed in the context of targeted training Design and Modules were developed by CEC to suit the specialized training needs. In Tamil Nadu 120 officials from Water, Agricultural and Livelihood Sector graduated to core facilitator. Similarly 467 master trainers were developed in 6 other States.

Apart from the above in Agriculture Sector about 40 officials were given master training who rolled out the Change Management Process to about 3750 Agricultural Extension officials. Also, 335 Social Sector officials recruited for providing capacity building to the Water Users Association Members were trained in behavioral and resource management.