Action-based advanced management programme assists NGOs to find solutions to the problems facing them
NOT ONLY have they gained new knowledge and skills, but in the process they have helped a number of NGOs improve their game – that’s the group of students who recently completed their sevenmonth Managers’ Accelerated Progression Programme (MAP+) at Henley Business School Africa.
As part of the training programme, eight teams of MAP+ students worked with selected NGOs where they identified challenges and possible solutions based on action- learning- best- practices (ALBP).
The NGOs participating in the programme were Special Olympics South Africa (SOSA); South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG); iThemba Social Counselling, a social counselling organisation in Centurion; Germiston Family and Child Welfare; Lambano Sanctuary; Tears; Rare Diseases SA; and Healthchek International.
“MAP+ is a carefully designed, practical programme which helps managers to raise their game by structuring their thinking and learning new business disciplines,” says Jon Foster-Pedley, dean of Henley Business School Africa.
“The project, which requires students to do good for people in real time, teaches action learning methods. Apart from the social contribution the project brings, it allows students to practise and develop new knowledge and skills.”
The MAP+ modules cover foundations of management and learning; psychological literacy for managers; mastering value and finance; real-world economics for managers; effective lean operations and logistics; marketing magic – digital and real and deal making.
MAP+ lecturer Dr Julian Day says that in business there is not necessarily a right or wrong answer.
“Contrary to what we are taught in school there can be numerous solutions to a business challenge,” he says. “Action-learning-best-prac- tices prioritises challenges and encourages NGOs to develop their own solutions. Our students don’t provide solutions.
“They only encourage and guide the NGOs themselves to facilitate their own solutions. This could range from improving the NGOs time management to changing inter- nal structures.”
Day says the aim of the MAP+ programme is not designed specifically to facilitate communication, but to encourage intelligent conversation that leads to value adding.
“We drive home that the students are not to be the solution providers. They are tasked with facilitating the NGOs to come up with their own best answers to the challenges,” he adds.
“NGOs need to think of their organisations more as a business rather than a charity. A better run and successful NGO has a better chance of raising funds.”
Executive directors of NGOs are often social workers that have been in the sector for a number of years and are put in charge without the experience or expertise of strategically managing and running an organisation.
It is valuable for NGOs to see themselves from a fresh perspective; each member of the MAP team brings a wealth of experience and expertise that they are able to share.
Heidi Coetzee of iThemba says the programme revived their internal communications and assisted in expanding existing programmes and to implement newer programmes earlier.
“We truly value the NGOs we are involved with and always seek to provide them with true value. It is not often that an organisation such as Henley is willing or able to get involved with an NGO for more than ‘67 minutes’ and it’s unusual for a team of corporate managers to get involved with an NGO for seven months,” says Foster-Pedley.