Capacity Building Of NGOs
OD And Management Consulting

By Shankar P. Rajbhandari

CAPACITY building has become a very popular buzzword in the course of development. As non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are not an exceptional to this, it is necessary to define the real sense of capacity building of NGOs and describe the core approaches towards achieving it.

There is a general conception that capacity building of an organisation means development of internal management capacity. As organisational capacity also covers its external concerns or environmental parts, it is not wise to limit its subject areas merely to its internal development affairs. Thus, capacity, building relation to NGOs needs to be looked at in a context specific manner. Broadly speaking, the intervention must take into account the stage of development of specific organisational needs as identified through a systematic process of organisational assessment.

Meanwhile, physical inputs do not necessary build capacity of NGOs. Many INGOs or donor agencies have wrong conception that the provision of any type of resource is a capacity building exercise. Basically, physical or technical inputs need to be based on an understanding of organisational or service delivery constraints. The impact of providing technical or physical inputs, however, is generally limited to enhancing service delivery function, rather than building wider orgnisational capacity and long-term viability.

Notably, capacity building and organisational development are not ends in themselves. Improved NGO management is only important in as much as it improves an NGO’s ability to meet the needs of the communities with which it works.

The success of enhancing organisational capacity depends upon the degree of effectiveness of its intervention approaches. Capacity building interventions seek to help NGOs become more effective by increasing their capacity: to manage changes in the operating environment; to manage organisational consolidation and growth; to target and use resources effectively; to assess and respond to clients’ needs, and to become sustainable and viable in the long run.

Effective capacity building interventions improve an NGO’s organisational and technical performance, enhancing its capacity to provide appropriate and sustainable services to its target groups. Thus, capacity building does not refer to a narrowly defined range of services, but encompasses any outside intervention or input aiming to increase the organisational or technical capacity of an NGO.

As per views expressed by many scholars, some core capacity building inputs that can also be regarded as outside inputs for strengthening NGOs’ performance can be enunciated as training; technical/physical resources, provision of volunteers/secondments, information flows and dissemination; and management advices including management consulting and OD (organisation development) consulting.

Capacity building of an organisation largely affects the external environmental of the organisation. In the complex and fluid environment, NGOs must adapt to rapidly changing political and economic circumstances, and respond appropriately to the evolving needs of the communities with which they work. The stronger NGOs are as organisations, the better equipped they are to anticipate changes in the environment and ensure a close match between their programmes and the needs of their target groups. In order to manage these external factors, NGOs need first to be competent, internally, with a clear sense of purpose and well functioning management systems.

Organisational development interventions lay the foundation for effective programme implementation by increasing an NGO’s overall organisational capacity. In contrast, most capacity building inputs, such as training are designed to improve a number of problem areas. However, such an intervention may be an approach which addresses particular problems in isolation and will fail to engage in important underlying issues relating to an organisation’s culture, values, mission and leadership style. It is sometimes necessary to reject a piecemeal approach to capacity building and consider the totality of an organisation if genuine overall improvements are to be made.

As mentioned above, management consulting and OD (organisation development) consulting are two separate outside inputs or approaches for enhancing NGOS’ performance and institutional capacity building. But many people become confused in understanding the differences between the functional objectives of management consulting and OD consulting. A clarification on such a differences is imperative particularly for NGO leaders who are mainly responsible for improving their organisations.

OD support is most often provided in the form of long-term and intermittent consultancy. Management consultants are not only useful as external experts hired to provide solutions to immediate problems or crises. External facilitation can help an NGO to identify its own priorities and to introduce appropriate and necessary changes in organisational structure and behaviour.

Organisational development consultancy differs from prespective and problem-solving management consultancy. Task focused consultants, designed to obtain a specific output from the consultants, can be effective in tackling particular organisational or operational issues, but are unlikely to initiate organisation-wide changes.

Organisational development consultants, in contrast, do not address specific procedural or system-related problems, but provide external facilitation to help an NGO identify and address its organisational weaknesses. NGOs must participate in the development of solution to their problems, and the role of the consultant should be to help the NGO develop the skills that would enable it to recognise and address future problems. If correctly and sensitively conducted, change is neither imposed nor prescribed. Instead, the NGO is encouraged to developed systems suited to its unique needs and requirements.

OD interventions are also more comprehensive. Their focus is not restricted to changes in one particular department or system area, but encompasses the wider issues of organisational identity, culture and behaviour. This wider perspective makes it a useful tool for initiating far-reaching and long lasting improvement in organisational and operational capacity. These rather ambitious aims invariably entail a lengthy and complex intervention, whose success is contingent on a variety of factors.

Management consulting and OD consulting are both the useful tools for strengthening NGOs. But Nepalese NGOs are seldom aware of this fact and they are hardly responsive to use these tools for rapid growth and development of their organisations. Nepalese NGO leaders are, therefore, duly advised to be attractive enough to use and take advantage of management consulting and OD consulting in strengthening their organisatons on a regular basis.

It is high time that all the above innovative thinking and practices were introduced, for a sustainable support to build organisational capacity of NGOs in Nepal. As many popular NGO management consultancy organisations working in different countries like Community Development Resources Association (CDRA), and Triple Trust Organisation (TTO) of South Africa; and Systems Management Consultancy (SYMACON) of Zimbabwe, the Nepalese management consulting and OD consulting agencies need to be duty rejuvenated or set up a new exclusively to provide quality consulting services for NGOs.

Tihar’s Deusi & Bhailo: Then And Now

By Gyan Rai

CHANGE is the only constant in the world, goes an oft-repeated saying.

But for some Nepalese who have been hearing the Deusi and Bhailo carols sung every year during the Tihar festival since the last four or five decades, this same adage could be somewhat defunct, if not irrelevant.

Yet, a somewhat subtle change seems to be taking place in the very realm that some people still consider to be the bedrock of Tihar festival—herein, in the Deusi and Bhailo carols sung by singers during this festival.

Before going into the subtle changes noticed in the Deusi and Bhailo carols, this writer would like to clarify that the carols, per se, have not changed. Nor, for that matter, the way in which they are sung by the Deusi and Bhailo singers. Rather, the carols’ lyrics are as sweet and enduring as they were say, over four decades ago. And as far as their allegorical nuances are concerned, they are as strong today as they were over four decades ago in that they still have the power to instantly bring forth the intended imagery before the listeners’ eyes.

Herein, what needs to be said about the Deusi and Bhailo carol singers’ ability to instantly bring forth the intended imagery before the listeners’ eyes is nothing less than spontaneous. And hence, remarkable. Deusi and Bhailo carols, as many know by now, are made up of a string of stanzas. Each stanza contains two short verses. But what never fails to surprise many listeners is that by using just two short verses, that too always containing words (or imageries?) that, if used separately, would not give any meaning, the Deusi and Bhailo carol singers can still convey to the listeners what they intend to say or mean. Like, for example, "Bhaisi banne kilo; Hamilai bhaisako dhelo" (A halter to tie up a buffalo; It’s already too late for us). Or, "Jhilimile jhilla, Sai rupee milla" (Dazzling lights of Tihar; We will be surely getting one hundred rupees)

In fact, it would not be outlandish to say that these Deusi and Bhailo carol singers are metaphysical poets in the making! Yes, for metaphysical poets are known for their inherent ability to juxtapose two diametrically opposite-meaning verses or even stanzas in their poems to convey coherent meanings or messages. Quite surprisingly, same poetic leeway is resorted to by the Deusi and Bhailo carol singers, as can be gleaned from the two examples mentioned earlier. The only difference between these two is that while the metaphysical poets like John Donne penned poems that invariably contain many verses, if not stanzas, to enlighten the readers as to their poems’ core messages or meanings, the same is done by the Deusi and Bhailo carol singers in just two short verses. And the latter’s choice and usage of words to convey the imagery is no less powerful than that used by the metaphysical poets. Or would it be better still to term these natural yet rustic metaphysical poets as Haiku masters?

Of course, their choice of words, for better or worse, has changed. However, this is inevitable and inescapable in that the meaning and usage of words, like the changes in any society, gradually yet inexorably, undergo a change. Even then, since the new words have by now already gained local currency and flavour, the listeners of the Deusi and Bhailo carol don’t seem to be that too fastidious or conservative in the carol singers’ choice and usage of new words. What, then, has changed?

Well, for one, the pace of the Deusi and Bhailo carols sung by today’s singers. Yes, pace. When this writer first heard—or, better still, started to understand the carols’ intended imagery—Deusi and Bhailo carols, the singers used to sing them in a very leisurely pace. (In fact, languid would be a better word to describe the way in which carols were sung then). Nevertheless, the unhurried way and manner in which the Deusi and Bhailo singers sang their carols then gave the householders enough time to prepare the ingredients deemed most necessary to not only bid them good-bye but also to elicit their blessings which they are duty bound to give when their carols come to an end. Nowadays, the householders are indeed a harried lot in that the Deusi or Bhailo group, hardly 10 minutes into their traditionally sanctioned activity, start to sing "Bhaisi banne kilo; Hamilai bhaisako dhelo"! (A halter to tie up a buffalo; It’s already too late for us). And woe to the householder who drums up enough courage to chide them for their....eh, let’s say tongue-in-cheek Deusi or Bhailo ditty! For so quick will be the repartee—that too, in Deusi or Bhailo verses—that he/she is usually left flabbergasted! Furthermore, these cheeky carol singers are always protected by the age-old Deusi and Bhailo tradition. As per Deusi and Bhailo tradition, it is inauspicious for the householders to send the Deusi and Bhailo carol singers off empty-handed. In other words, without receiving their blessings since any failure on the part of the householders to prepare and forward the necessary ingredients (which, of course, include a few rupee notes!) could prompt them to leave for another house.

Another perceptible change that has crept in the Deusi and Bhailo groups’ singular activity—singing carols—is the musical prop that such groups are not that shy to resort to nowadays. Formerly, they used to sing their carols to the rhythmic beatings of the hand-drums. And occasionally, to the jingles of the hand-held tambourines. Yet, their carols were no less sweet as they are today. But now, Deusi and Bhailo groups flaunting guitars, combos and even mikes powered by vehicle batteries are very common. Not only this, some Deusi and Bhailo groups, after singing their carols, would not hesitate to put on the cassette players (of course, again powered by vehicle batteries!) and dance to Nepali or Hindi songs blaring out from the hand-held amplifiers. That too, turned towards the houses, much to the annoyance of some older folks. While into their assorted dances, quite surprisingly, they make it a point to take a break in their dancing to repeat the Deusi and Bhailo carols invariably ending with the verses "Jhilimili jhilla; Sai rupee milla".

Most probably to remind the householders that, for their additional dance items and services, they too have to pay the owners of the mikes, cassette-players, vehicle batteries and amplifiers. If this trend is to continue for long, then one fine Tihar, instead of our natural metaphysical poets’ Deusi and Bhailo verses, we may have to endure the raunchy songs of Nepali or Hindi films.