Rural Strategists and their Functioning

Rural Strategists and their Functioning

Rural Strategists and their Functioning
Rural Strategists and their
Rural Strategists and theirFunctioning
Functioning (Unit 5)
Rural Strategists and their Functioning
Assignment of Strategic Management for Rural
Development
Rural Strategists and their Functioning


Roles and Functions
Community Leadership
 Participative Managemnt
Rural Strategists and their Functioning
 Conflict and change Management

Rural Strategists and their Functioning By

Deependra Singh

Rural Strategists and their Functioning

Rural Strategists and their Functioning
Rural Strategists and their Functioning
Rural Strategists and their Functioning
Rural Strategists and their Functioning
Rural Strategists and their Functioning
Rural Strategists and their Functioning
Rural Strategists and their Functioning
 The Strategist

The role of the strategist in the strategy process has been implied in terms of ‘crafting’ strategy.
The passivity ascribed to the strategist is evidenced in leading strategy textbooks which do not
explicitly address the strategist formation, role, skills and motivation, let alone their activities.
This neglect of the strategist is somewhat paradoxical, in spite of rational and analytical
capabilities emphasised as crucial contributions to strategy formation the role is often theorised
out of existence. To further the confusion the literature uses terms such as CEO, president,
manager, top leaders, strategic thinkers as a proxy for strategists. In essence the strategist is
silent partner or invisible being in the strategy literature.

In terms of searching for the strategist Whittington states that there are three fundamental issues
regarding strategists, or strategy practitioners, “who they are, how they get there and the skills
they need”. While research exists which gives some insight into the formation of more senior
executives at director level, there has been an apparent lack of research into participants lower
down the management level as opposed to these managerial elites, participants such as
professional strategy staff and strategy consultants.

Some authors have attempted to deal with the role of strategist through the lens of strategic
thinking, which encapsulates some of the strategist’s skills. Ohmae emphasises the importance of
analytical thinking, intuition leading to local optimisation as well as more transformative
reconfigurations. Similarly others note the necessity of challenging conventional wisdom and the
visionary aspects of strategic thinking. Boar argues that cardinality and synthesis, rather than
analytical decomposition, lies at the heart of strategic management. Thinking processes,
however, are often muted by externalities and consumed by operational minutiae. Evidently there
is also a dearth of research with respect to the skills strategists use.

The nature of the role of the strategist is also somewhat ambiguous. Garratt describes the role of
the strategist as: ‘managing the conjunction of the political world or ‘polity’, with the more
day-to-day routines of tactics and trying to keep them sufficiently in balance without
allowing ossification’. The fragmented and underdeveloped basis of the literature suggests the
imperative of exploratory work in this area. Johnson captures this succinctly ‘if the worlds of
practice and academic research demand a more micro perspective than the task is one of
empirical investigation’. To raise to this challenge the strategy field needs to understand and
explore who the strategist is in different organisational settings.

Rural Strategists:

The overall objective of the Rural Strategists is to provide a strategic framework that will
facilitate the co-coordinated implementation of sector policies and strategies concerned with the
development of rural communities. In particular, the Rural Development Strategists will support
the implementation of poverty alleviations mechanisms and create a development environment
that will contribute to enabling rural communities and households to achieve sustainable
livelihoods.
In this respect, the India Rural Development Strategists will identify short- and medium-term
priorities that will support the goal of sustainable livelihoods, and contribute to the long-term
goal, outlined in Vision 2055, of sustained economic growth.

Dimensions of the Rural Development Strategy

The realisation of rural development in the context of the country’s development vision largely
depends on the pace of growth in the agricultural sector, the adoption of a positive mindset by
the rural society, and a re-focusing of the institutional framework in the rural areas. In this
context, attention should be towards attaining the following:

Quality Livelihood
For rural dwellers, high quality livelihood will mean having access to affordable basic needs.
This includes access to sufficient and adequate food, preventive and curative health care; shelter
and clothing; education and training; and, safe water. They also need access to irrigation, energy,
information, transportation and communication.

An Enabling and Peoples Empowering Environment

Any initiative towards realising human development and reducing poverty in a more consistent
and sustainable manner should involve the people concerned. This implies that the stakeholders,
communities, individuals, households, firms, organisations and associations, are best positioned
to know their social, political and economic problems and needs, as well as their environmental,
cultural and spiritual aspirations. The Rural Development Strategy provides an enabling
environment and effective institutional framework that puts people at the centre of their
development. People should be empowered to guide the development process and influence it
towards the direction and speed they perceive it to be in tandem with their future development
aspirations.

Self-Reliance and Self-Sustenance

The role of community and individual initiatives is of paramount importance and is given due
recognition in the strategy. This goes beyond providing and supporting enabling and facilitating
institutional structures and processes necessary to facilitate implementation. It also requires
deliberate efforts towards changing the people’s mindset. The Rural Development Strategy
provides a framework for stimulating private sector growth and development by streamlining
procedures and rationalising taxes and fees connected with doing business in rural areas.
Local Economic Development
Local economic development is the process by which public, business and non-governmental
sector partners work collectively to create better conditions for economic growth and
employment generation. The aim is to improve quality of life for all.

Sustainable and effective local economic development must contribute to the delivery of the
Government's strategy of poverty alleviation by helping farmers, foresters and others living in
the local economic areas to respond better to consumer requirements and become more
competitive, diverse, flexible and environmentally responsible. Such interventions must also
provide help to local economic businesses and communities which need to adapt and grow.

Proposed strategies must provide a framework for the operation of separate but integrated
schemes which provide new opportunities to protect and improve the countryside, to develop
sustainable enterprises and to help Local Economic communities to thrive. Specifically, local
economic development interventions must offer:

i. A clear and well-founded grounding in the present global economic trends based on
mainstream economic principles
ii. Facts and indices that describe and benchmark the major drivers of the economy
iii. Insights into how these economic drivers interact to affect daily lives and professional
responsibilities,
iv. Access to information on lessons to be learnt from people engaged in similar
activities elsewhere

Roles and Functions of the Rural Strategists:

(a) The institutional framework for co-coordinating and linking sector specific strategies
and programmes.
(b) The roles of national government, local authorities, the private sector, development
institutions, research institutions and civil society in the implementation and
monitoring of rural development programmes.
(c) The key linkages between sector specific strategies and programmes, and describes
how those linkages will be strengthened.
(d) The gaps in current policies and strategies, including implementation constraints, and
outlines strategic actions for responding to those gaps.
(e) The criteria for addressing geographical inequalities, that is gender and age-related
inequalities.
(f) The coordination mechanisms.
(g) The criteria for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Rural
Development Strategy.
 Understanding the Community Leadership Concept

Definition of Leadership:
Listening, draw a group of people together with one plan, mediator, central point of contact of
information, motivator, communicator, and facilitator.
Focal point of planning and communication, good listener, motivator, responsibility and
accountability, “agent of change”, applies common sense to decision-making.
Strong knowledge of how the community should look and has a vision for the community and do
what it takes to the job done. Lead by example. More than one person.
Leads by example, accepts responsibility, creative, inspires team- builder, recognizes diversity,
good listener, mentor, conceptual, visionary.

Definition of Community:
Collection of people with common interest, different nationalities of people living working
together, large extended family, physical boundaries of homes/people, partnerships/relationships
with neighborhoods, common economic or social interests.
Resource of people, group of people with a common goal, neighborhoods of diverse people, 4
people in house – 3 million in U.S., workplace, hospitals, schools, buildings, people living
together by custom or law, the human connection.

People working and bonding together with common objectives and resources to achieve their
goals.
Geographic boundaries, Identify stakeholders to network, multiple shared goals, builds
cohesiveness, become friends, branding, community meets a standard of leadership, moving
people from residents to involved stakeholders.

Definition of Community Leadership:

A facilitator identifying, inspiring, and establishing, with the community input, their needs and
goals, determining and prioritizing those goals/needs and guiding the efforts to achieve the goals.
involvement, group of people willing to accept responsibility and accountability for a common
goal, people (elected, volunteer, or respected) to be involved, spokesperson for community’s
issues and concerns, changing, local and involved people, city employees, board members,
council, mayor, political, specific person with a focus.
Good organizer of ideas, promises growth and develop of community, represents the goals of the
citizenry, works to achieve the common agenda, faith-based, develop and implement a plan,
inspires positive change, ability to develop the vision for the community’s common goal,
implements the action plan.
Envisioning goals and objectives, implementing plan, engaging the community to achieve long-
term results.

Roles and Responsibilities of Community Leadership:

Planning meetings/evens, budgeting, commitment, what’s best for the community,
accountability, willingness to change, encourage involvement, follower, maintain vision,
establish communication (directory, website, newsletter), inform about the roles/responsibilities,
liaison, making decisions and focus, maintaining neighborhood standards.
Fact-finder, listener, organizer, planner/implementer, good listening, visionary, accepts
compliments and criticisms.
Accountability to yourself, empower citizenry through education, i.e. how to landscape your
yard, inspire people to accept change, mentor new leaders for the community, hold others
accountable to community standards, fiduciary responsibility and accountability of community
funds.
Inspire and setting an example, organizer, facilitator, networker, visionary, communicator.

Barriers and Challenges to Community Leadership:

Involvement (lack of), misinformation/getting facts out, too much involvement, negativity,
monies, social/economic variety, burn-out of involvement, age-generation gaps, time – people
not available, cultural, fear or retaliation, educational level. People have to see the value of the
efforts.
Negativity, education of citizenry, inform citizens of issues, education level, choosing sides,
misinformation, trying to be a spokesperson for the unspoken, closed-minded, own agenda,
language barrier/non-hearing, Spanish, leader lack of effort, preconceived ideas, prejudices,
disconnected neighborhood.
Non-participation, singular ideas and agendas, money – lack of it, apathy, lack of cohesive ideas,
family and work-life over-rides community, diversity Candy in language and culture, community
resistance, small-minded attitudes – don’t gossip about your neighbors.
Cultural and language, general apathy, getting their attention, competing demands, renters vs.
owners, information gathering, funding for community infrastructure, fear of involvement and/or
retaliation.

What is Participative Management?

Participative (or participatory) management, otherwise known as employee involvement or

participative decision making, encourages the involvement of stakeholders at all levels of an
organization in the analysis of problems, development of strategies, and implementation of
solutions. Employees are invited to share in the decision-making process of the firm by
participating in activities such as setting goals, determining work schedules, and making
suggestions. Other forms of participative management include increasing the responsibility of
employees (job enrichment); forming self-managed teams, quality circles, or quality-of-work-life
committees; and soliciting survey feedback. Participative management, however, involves more
than allowing employees to take part in making decisions. It also involves management treating
the ideas and suggestions of employees with consideration and respect. The most extensive form
of participative management is direct employee ownership of a company.

in other words we say like this “Type of management in which employees at all levels are
encouraged to contribute ideas towards identifying and setting organizational-goals, problem
solving, and other decisions that may directly affect them. Also called consultative
management”.
Four processes influence participation. These processes create employee involvement as they are
pushed down to the lowest levels in an organization. The farther down these processes move, the
higher the level of involvement by employees. The four processes include:

1.Information sharing, which is concerned with keeping employees informed about the economic
status of the company.
2.Training, which involves raising the skill levels of employees and offering development
opportunities that allow them to apply new skills to make effective decisions regarding the
organization as a whole.
3.Employee decision making, which can take many forms, from determining work schedules to
deciding on budgets or processes.
4.Rewards, which should be tied to suggestions and ideas as well as performance.

BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATIVE MANAGEMENT

A participative management style offers various benefits at all levels of the organization. By
creating a sense of ownership in the company, participative management instills a sense of pride
and motivates employees to increase productivity in order to achieve their goals. Employees who
participate in the decisions of the company feel like they are a part of a team with a common
goal, and find their sense of self-esteem and creative fulfillment heightened.

Managers who use a participative style find that employees are more receptive to change than in
situations in which they have no voice. Changes are implemented more effectively when
employees have input and make contributions to decisions. Participation keeps employees
informed of upcoming events so they will be aware of potential changes. The organization can
then place itself in a proactive mode instead of a reactive one, as managers are able to quickly
identify areas of concern and turn to employees for solutions.

REQUIREMENTS OF PARTICIPATIVE MANAGEMENT

A common misconception by managers is that participative management involves simply asking

employees to participate or make suggestions. Effective programs involve more than just a
suggestion box. In order for participative management to work, several issues must be resolved
and several requirements must be met. First, managers must be willing to relinquish some control
to their workers; managers must feel secure in their position in order for participation to be
successful. Often managers do not realize that employees’ respect for them will increase instead
of decrease when they implement a participative management style.

The success of participative management depends on careful planning and a slow, phased
approach. Changing employees’ ideas about management takes time, as does any successful
attempt at a total cultural change from a democratic or autocratic style of management to a
participative style. Long-term employees may resist changes, not believing they will last. In
order for participation to be effective, managers must be genuine and honest in implementing the
program. Many employees will need to consistently see proof that their ideas will be accepted or
at least seriously considered. The employees must be able to trust their managers and feel they
are respected.

Successful participation requires managers to approach employee involvement with an open

mind. They must be open to new ideas and alternatives in order for participative management to
work. It is important to remember that although the manager may not agree with every idea or
suggestion an employee makes, how those ideas are received is critical to the success of
participative management.

CONCERNS
Participative management is not a magic cure for all that ails an organization. Managers should
carefully weigh the pros and the cons before implementing this style of management. Managers
must realize that changes will not take effect overnight and will require consistency and patience
before employees will begin to see that management is serious about employee involvement.
Participative management is probably the most difficult style of management to practice. It is
challenging not only for managers but for employees as well.

While it is important that management allows employees to participate in decision making and
encourages involvement in the organization’s direction, managers must be cognizant of the
potential for employees to spend more time formulating suggestions and less time completing
their work. Upper-level management will not support a participative management program if
they believe employees are not meeting their daily or weekly goals. Some suggestions for
overcoming this potential problem are to set aside a particular time each week for workers to
meet with management in order to share their ideas, or to allow them to work on their ideas
during less busy times of the day or week. Another idea that works for some managers is to
allow employees to set up individual appointments to discuss ideas or suggestions.

Managers should remember that participative management is not always the appropriate way to
handle a given situation. Employees often respect a manager that uses his or her authority and
makes decisions when it is necessary. There are times when, as a manager, it is important to be
in charge, make a decision, and then accept the responsibility for the choices made. For example,
participative management is probably not appropriate when disciplinary action is needed.

About Conflict

Conflict is when two or more values, perspectives and opinions are contradictory in nature and
haven't been aligned or agreed about yet, including:
1. Within yourself when you're not living according to your values;
2. When your values and perspectives are threatened; or
3. Discomfort from fear of the unknown or from lack of fulfillment.
Conflict is inevitable and often good, for example, good teams always go through a "form, storm,
norm and perform" period. Getting the most out of diversity means often-contradictory values,
perspectives and opinions.
In other words we can say that

While no single definition of conflict exists, most definitions seem to involve the following
factors: that there are at least two independent groups, the groups perceive some incompatibility
between themselves, and the groups interact with each other in some way. Two example
definitions are, “process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or
negatively affected by another party", and “the interactive process manifested in compatibility,
disagreement, or dissonance within or between social entities”.

There are several causes of conflict. Conflict may occur when:

 A party is required to engage in an activity that is incongruent with his or her needs or
interests.
 A party holds behavioral preferences, the satisfaction of which is incompatible with
another person's implementation of his or her preferences.
 A party wants some mutually desirable resource that is in short supply, such that the
wants of all parties involved may not be satisfied fully.
 A party possesses attitudes, values, skills, and goals that are salient in directing his or her
behavior but are perceived to be exclusive of the attitudes, values, skills, and goals held
by the other(s).
 Two parties have partially exclusive behavioral preferences regarding their joint actions.
 Two parties are interdependent in the performance of functions or activities.

Conflict management involves implementing strategies to limit the negative aspects of conflict
and to increase the positive aspects of conflict at a level equal to or higher than where the
conflict is taking place. Furthermore, the aim of conflict management is to enhance learning and
group outcomes (effectiveness or performance in organizational setting). It is not concerned with
eliminating all conflict or avoiding conflict. Conflict can be valuable to groups and
organizations. It has been shown to increase group outcomes when managed properly.

Conflict is often needed. It:

1. Helps to raise and address problems.
2. Energizes work to be on the most appropriate issues.
3. Helps people "be real", for example, it motivates them to participate.
4. Helps people learn how to recognize and benefit from their differences.
Conflict is not the same as discomfort. The conflict isn't the problem - it is when conflict is
poorly managed that is the problem.

Conflict is a problem when it:

1. Hampers productivity.
2. Lowers morale.
3. Causes more and continued conflicts.
4. Causes inappropriate behaviors.
Models of Conflict Management There have been many styles of conflict management
behavior that have been researched in the past century. One of the earliest, Mary Parker Follett
(1926/1940) found that conflict was managed by individuals in three main ways: domination,
compromise, and integration. She also found other ways of handling conflict that were employed
by organizations, such as avoidance and suppression.

Early Conflict Management Models

Blake and Mouton (1964) were among the first to present a conceptual scheme for classifying
the modes (styles) for handling interpersonal conflicts into five types: forcing, withdrawing,
smoothing, compromising, and problem solving.

In the 1970’s and 1980’s, researchers began using the intentions of the parties involved to
classify the styles of conflict management that they would include in their models. Both Thomas
(1976) and Pruitt (1983) put forth a model based on the concerns of the parties involved in the
conflict. The combination of the parties concern for their own interests (i.e. assertiveness) and
their concern for the interests of those across the table (i.e cooperativeness) would yield a
particular conflict management style. Pruitt called these styles yielding (low assertiveness/high
cooperativeness), problem solving (high assertiveness/high cooperativeness), inaction (low
assertiveness/low cooperativeness), and contending (high assertiveness/low cooperativeness).
Pruitt argues that problem-solving is the preferred method when seeking mutually beneficial
options.

Kozan’s Group Conflict Management Models

In the 1990’s and 2000’s, research began to focus more on models that would explain how
conflict is managed within groups and organizations. Kozan (1997) established three normative
(not prescriptive) models of group conflict management.

1. Confrontational model - In this model, conflicts are made of multiple sub-issues which
are broken down and confronted by both parties. Both sides of the conflict are openly
acknowledged, and a sense of reasonable compromise is important to the success of the
resolution of the sub-issues involved.
2. Harmony model - In this model, conflict is managed mostly though avoiding it. This is
accomplished through the observation of societal and organizational norms. Conflict is
not seen as an opportunity to find solutions to problems, but as a harmful state of affairs.
When conflict does occur, it is often handled through mediation by third parties.
3. Regulative model - In the regulative model, conflict is handled by strict rules and
regulations. Bureaucratic means are used extensively to minimize conflicts or to aid
conflict avoidance. When conflicts occur, they are defined in terms of general principles
and resolved in a predetermined fashion.

Khun and Poole’s Model

Khun and Poole (2000) established a similar system of group conflict management. In their
system, they split Kozan’s confrontational model into two sub models: distributive and
integrative.

 Distributive - Here conflict is approached as a distribution of a fixed amount of positive

outcomes or resources, where one side will end up winning and the other losing, even if
they do win some concessions.
 Integrative - Groups utilizing the integrative model see conflict as a chance to integrate
the needs and concerns of both groups and make the best outcome possible. This model
has a heavier emphasis on compromise than the distributive model. Kuhun and Poole
found that the integrative model resulted in consistently better task related outcomes than
those using the distributive model.

DeChurch and Marks’s Meta-Taxonomy

DeChurch and Marks (2001) examined the literature available on conflict management at the
time and established what they claimed was a "meta-taxonomy" that encompasses all other
models. They argued that all other styles have inherent in them into two dimensions - activeness
("the extent to which conflict behaviors make a responsive and direct rather than inert and
indirect impression") and agreeableness ("the extent to which conflict behaviors make a pleasant
and relaxed rather than unpleasant and strainful impression"). High activeness is characterized by
openly discussing differences of opinion while fully going after their own interest. High
agreeableness is characterized by attempting to satisfy all parties involved

In the study they conducted to validate this division, activeness did not have a significant effect
on the effectiveness of conflict resolution, but the agreeableness of the conflict management
style, whatever it was, did in fact have a positive impact on how groups felt about the way the
conflict was managed, regardless of the outcome.

“Current” Conflict Management:

Rahim (2002) noted that there is agreement among management scholars that there is no one
best approach to how to make decisions, lead or manage conflict. In a similar vein, rather than
creating a very specific model of conflict management, Rahim created a meta-model (in much
the same way that DeChurch and Marks, 2001, created a meta-taxonomy) for conflict styles
based on two dimensions, concern for self and concern for others (as shown in Figure 2).
Change management is a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and
organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed
at empowering employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment.
In project management, change management refers to a project management process where
changes to a project are formally introduced and approved.

1. Missionary changes
2. Strategic changes
3. Operational changes (including Structural changes)
4. Technological changes
5. Changing the attitudes and behaviors of personnel

As a multidisciplinary practice that has evolved as a result of scholarly research, Organizational

Change Management should begin with a systematic diagnosis of the current situation in order to
determine both the need for change and the capability to change. The objectives, content, and
process of change should all be specified as part of a Change Management plan.

Change Management processes may include creative marketing to enable communication

between change audiences, but also deep social understanding about leadership’s styles and
group dynamics. As a visible track on transformation projects, Organizational Change
Management aligns groups’ expectations, communicates, integrates teams and manages people
training. It makes use of performance metrics, such as financial results, operational efficiency,
leadership commitment, communication effectiveness, and the perceived need for change to
design appropriate strategies, in order to avoid change failures or solve troubled change projects.

Successful change management is more likely to occur if the following are included:

1. Benefits management and realization to define measurable stakeholder aims, create a

business case for their achievement (which should be continuously updated), and monitor
assumptions, risks, dependencies, costs, return on investment, dis-benefits and cultural
issues affecting the progress of the associated work.
2. Effective Communications that informs various stakeholders of the reasons for the
change (why?), the benefits of successful implementation (what is in it for us, and you) as
well as the details of the change (when? where? who is involved? how much will it cost?
etc.).
3. Devise an effective education, training and/or skills upgrading scheme for the
organization.
4. Counter resistance from the employees of companies and align them to overall strategic
direction of the organization.
5. Provide personal counseling (if required) to alleviate any change related fears.
6. Monitoring of the implementation and fine-tuning as required.