Community Development begins when
Recently I was informed that research which includes the 'human factors' is on the way out.
Community Development is about change. Essentially the factors that influence the change may be quick in occurrence or anticipated and prepared for. Either way change does and will occur on any level, anywhere. Change is a constant mixing of environmental, cultural, intellectual, educational, economical, human and other factors. These factors shape our daily lives. The influences on these factors being small alterations to Act of God or Government scale.
A chain of events once started brings life
Once a group of people have made decisions a reference point has occurred. A team can now develop and a pathway chosen. Identifying these common concerns so that the clear goals are made is necessary. Clearly defined objectives are made and noted. From this point formatting these decisions, outlined goals and objectives into an action plan takes time. Strategies for achieving the goals are written down.
The team can now be seen as having a working framework. Progressive team development while working together with commitment allows all to be together and work towards the changes can and will be seen to be occurring.
During meetings actions to be taken noted. Outcomes discovered and explored when various evaluations are done. With the resulting information used to find out how close to achieving what the original group of people set out to achieve. Variations from this ‘pathway’ are brought back to the team, new decisions may have to be made refining or changing this path.
It is the getting to this point that is the hardest energy user. A lot of back ground research and compilation, discussions and evaluations with what appears very little to be seen for it to this starting point. However when reading the minutes and noted discussions, evaluations and reports of various activities leading up to achieving the goals written progress is seen. Ideally progress seen is recorded. All are informed. Progress carries on.
Team development
From the start when the initial group of people made the decision to form a team and get things done the ‘formation’ of the team should have been inclusive of any community members interested enough to be involved. Teams that have positive directed energy flowing through them are known to have ‘life’. Further the team’s people will be proactive with damage control measures. The challenges of working out ways to overcome team disharmony and divisions, along with any negative growth vortexes will be overcome once identified. So as the team’s life matures the members prove that the team can function by itself. Teams have a life pattern in which they are given birth too, grow and mature, then either die [the ‘job’ is done] or the group regroups complete with reinforced changes or the team carries on as usual doing what needs to be done [rebirth] .
With continued positive growth and activities people around will talk. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful team recognition and development tools manufactured. People will want to integrate into the team, possibly not always as an active team member, but just as valuable – someone there who attends, lends a hand in the lead up and on the day is prepared to even be there for the clean up jobs. In activities, events and services to and within any community people will absorb and adopt the team’s good values and practices.
Creating a team’s identity
The teams identity is enhanced right from the start when the team’s member’s have ownership of ‘their’ team. People want to be part of the ‘herd’. They will do what it takes to be part of that successful team. The more popular the team, the higher the costs that are associated with membership be they financial or energy. Success promoted is a valuable marketing tool brining greater benefits of belonging to that team for everyone. Success feeds upon success. Care must be taken to stay within the bounds of the vision and mission, working through the strategies and achieving the objectives. Other wise disharmony and division will be seen as destructive shadows -tainting the successes made.
Making use of a teams identity
What is deemed successful is a team that is both efficient and effective. People want to be part of a success story so they spread both the good and the bad. Recognition for success is valuable. Celebrate the mile stones on the time line. Do something special. Reward the team and the community for helping someone is successful. Invite people to the celebration. Write about the celebration. Spread the word. All this creates an energy that people are drawn into. When the community knows what is happening they to want to be part of it.
To integrate into a successful team is to be deemed successful yourself. So to be accepted and part of that team a person will absorb and adopt the team’s good values and practices. Throughout the teams successful life people strongly identify with being part of that team. Team ‘ownership’ makes merging with the team principles, ethics and motivations towards achievement of goals more achievable. When people work ‘on’ belonging to that team having open discussions occur where they are included, their opinions and actions are acknowledged and valued makes the more challenging behaviour patterns and difficult times seem easier to pass through. People are more able to adapt and accept change when they have a clear early understanding of challenges, have had impute into their change discussions and conclusions. Thus continued development, also the redevelopment, of what the actual teams goals are, the strategies the team is to use to achieve their objectives is made easier. Every person, along with those they influence is on an even knowledge platform.
Coping with disharmony
People who do not agree with what the team’s mission, strategies and objectives are will choose to either leave, finding something else to occupy themselves with or will stay in order to change or hinder the progress. Behaviour modification should be a team agreement as with dispute resolutions. Again written down and formalised where necessary. Public outcry and ridicule are not encouraged as these actions help to destroy morale.
Here comes change.
Over time the team members will change. New people will do old jobs. The addition of their own imprint, ownership traits will have an effect of what and where the emerging team values are. The team needs to be aware that things must change. New paths are foraged. Pushing things through the various stages until completion or renewal and continuance o the team occurs once again. With community development, after the starting point, which ever way is chosen to journey along what the community decides to encompass has the human factors very evident.
How many factors interact, react and intra-react with humans has a large bearing on how we viewour world today, and how future generations will view our world today being dependant on how many communities evaluate their 'needs' analysis as they are currently, decide to lay out a plan of action based on what they collectively desire to achieve, how they will move forward to obtain their developing community objectives.
Many changes occur once large organisations with financial gain are able to have input. What happens when these organisations and the political pressure has move on, or diminished? Who and what help and resources are available then?
And what does Clear Vision do?
Clear Vision is there, behind the scenes, in this transitional Community. People are gradually taking up the challenge of working as a team, collaborating on changes they want to implement, taking up the challenge of learning and developing their skill, directing not only their own personal development, but to some extent their community development. In this community, the variety of generations taking up, support directly or indirectly development challenges, utilizing the membership of different voluntary groups, their membership bases locally and on a world wide scale is conveniently overlooked by many. Some of these in ignorance as the simply have not taken the time to get to know any better. Others who hold the tunnel vision politics that their organisation has a higher public profile, more money and therefore greater impact on policy and change.
Often working with another person in a support, guiding and directing role as a person undergoes challenges lifts not just that one person out of a poverty- low-self knowledge cycle that this person brings forth others who see changes occurring. Give one person the ability to experience and develop skills others will also need that uplift. An adult learning and practicing a new skill allows them the experience of seeing others trapped in this cycle a way of either avoidance or circumventing the non gaining of these skills. Work through one skill, in order to obtain another and a new person emergences.
Have a group of people within a community all supporting each other and the equivalent of the dust Willy Willy will occur. Where one dust storm wily wily is another, then another will slip into being. Change occurs.
Community development consists of three basic factors. The first is that often leaders use to lead from behind. Now the leaders need to lead from the centre. Leaders recognise that through duplicating everything and encouraging growth those around them become strong, supportive and knowledgeable. There emotional quota will be activates independently moving them ahead.
The second is that Community Development enlists supports and encourages other people to join in.
The last being that change will keep occurring. People will either be proactive or reactive. to the enevitable. Reactions to change are largely dependant on who the people are, along with the resilience to influences within their lives. As well as where they are going and where they currently see themselves being.
Thus, the statement that “research containing ‘Human factors’ is on the way out” needs revising. Human factors complement change factors. Change is always occurring. Humans react to change. Human and Change factors should not be discarded. But they must be constantly evaluated and challenged.
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