Planning And Managing Leadership Transitions Among CSOs

Planning and Managing Leadership Transitions among CSOs in West AfricaAs there is very little research done on this subject inthe civil society sector in Africa (especially West Africa),the objectives of this study are to; (i) increase thedocumentation of leadership experiences/reflections andrenewal processes within CSOs in West Africa; (ii) sharebest practices in leadership transition within the civilsociety sector and (iii) promote the creation of leadershipspaces for the next generation of civil society leadersin West Africa. To achieve these objectives, this paperexplores the factors that hinder succession planning, theconsequences of not properly planning for successionwithin and across different strata in the organisationand the relevance and process of developing successionplans by CSOs.Case studies from the West Africa Civil Society Institute(WACSI), the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding(WANEP), the Open Society Initiative for West Africa(OSIWA), and the National Institute for Public Opinion(NIPO), have been included to demonstrate the feasibilityof succession planning within organisations in WestAfrica. These case studies have been used to demonstratethe relevance of succession plans for CSOs and how theycan design and implement one within their respectiveorganisations. Data was collected through survey, casestudy analysis and examination of internal organisationaldocuments and publicly available data. Four key resultsemerged from this study:Effective leadership transition, whether plannedor unplanned, required strategic preparation.Relatively poor board performance is attributedto the quality of the succession planning process.Leadership development was a valued practicethat contributed to a smooth implementation of asuccession planning strategy.The organisation’s board is critical to the processof developing a strategic plan for succession but also forenforcing it when needed.Hence, the lessons learnt from the case studies can informCSOs in West Africa to design robust strategies with strongand feasible approaches to recruit, retain, and prepareleaders to ensure organisational sustainability. It is vitalthat CSOs are not only as high performing as possible,but also that they are prepared to remain relevant overthe long term. In the next section, we will explore somefactors that impede the succession planning processwithin CSOs.9

Planning and Managing Leadership Transitions among CSOs in West AfricaKEY STEPS IN SUCCESSION PLANNING10

Planning and Managing Leadership Transitions among CSOs in West Africasucceed them. However, making time for successionplanning creates an opportunity to assess and strengthenthe organisation’s overall capacity and sustainability.b.Phobia for changeSuccession planning can be an uncomfortable exercise.For example, asking the Executive Director to create asuccession plan can be perceived as a request by theboard for the Executive Director to begin preparing forthe end of their tenure. Usually, when the director isthe founder, s/he may be afraid that the organisationalcore values could be lost. Some civil society leaders arealso afraid to engage in the succession planning processbecause it may be a subtle way of accelerating their ownretirement by bringing up the topic. Ego can interferewith good judgment when the words “successionplan” are raised by those who are concerned about theorganisation’s sustainability; hence, succession planningcould be side-lined in organisational processes.c.1. Factors that Hinder theSuccession Planning Processwithin CSOsAs observed in the previous sections, several CSOs inWest Africa do not put succession planning at the coreof their operations. This can be attributed to some of thereasons discussed below.a.NegligenceCSOs’ lagging behind to forecast and plan for the uptakeof potentially vacant positions can be attributed tonegligence on the part of the organisations. Successionplanning is so often neglected until it is too late. Civilsociety leaders are often busy addressing the day-today operations of the organisation, and therefore, payless attention to prepare for their own exit or to investin developing the talent within the team that wouldFounder’s syndromeThe literature uses the term “founder’s syndrome”inconsistently (Schmidt, 2017), but it is generally appliedif one or more of the following symptoms are present.The first is a sense of grandiosity — that the organisationbelongs to the founder and exists to serve his or herego. The second is an inability to delegate — which canbe attributed to poor management skills on the part ofthe founder. The third is rigidity - which pertains to theinability to make a smooth transition from the founderto new leadership. Organisations that suffer from thismay experience upheaval and potentially negative ordisruptive change whenever the founder, ExecutiveDirector or influential leaders leave the organisation.And the fourth is an unwavering dedication to theoriginal vision for the organisation. Elizabeth Schmidtdetermines that challenges with internal governance arethe root causes of the founder’s syndrome. Rather thanfocusing on the founder and whether s/he should stayor go, Schmidt insists that the board of the organisationshould stay mission-centred rather than person-centred.She adds, “mission-centered governance will also makea difference if the transition from one leader to anotheris difficult If all parties recognise that they have themission in common, the emphasis switches from blamingindividuals to reaching a common goal.”11

Planning and Managing Leadership Transitions among CSOs in West AfricaWhen not properly addressed, each of the abovesymptoms—grandiosity, poor management, poorsuccession planning, and rigidity—can be harmful to anorganisation. But, in Moving Beyond Founder’s Syndrometo Nonprofit Success, Thomas McLaughlin & AddieBacklund (2008) offered productive pieces of advice onhow an organisation can successfully develop an effectiveboard and staff while leveraging the founder’s strengthsand accomplishments and showing respect to the visionof the organisation. They indicated that a mission-centredgovernance will make a difference if the transition fromone leader to another is difficult. A mission-centredapproach will also lead to a better conclusion whencontroversy arises over the direction of the organisationand the mission itself. However, silencing the foundercan often be counterproductive as it was the case withSteve Jobs when fired from Apple. That is the reason whyElizabeth Schmidt expressed the “need to keep founderswith a true and workable vision in place until they havetaught the entire organisation to think like they do.”with the little financial resources they raise are not able toallocate sufficient funds to cater for their organisationaldevelopment needs. Hence, issues pertaining tosuccession across the entire organisational structure arenot attended to appropriately.d.Prioritising existing limited financialresourcesAs CSOs and particularly non-governmental organisations(NGOs) are value driven organisations, some do notprioritise building internal policies, procedures, andstructures to support an optimum level of continuity oftheir vision, mission, and values.As the civil society sectoralways faces financialchallenges, it is often difficult to invest in long-termplanning activities. Also, most donors want their moneyto go directly to specific programmes that impactthe beneficiaries, so they allocate little or no financialresources for organisational development. Consequently,CSOs faced with numerous priorities to be attended toTherefore, any transition, especially at the ExecutiveDirector or board levels, can put the organisation at risk.To mitigate this risk, the Association for Research on Civilsociety organisations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA)and the Association for Research on Civil Society in Africa(AROCSA) took a proactive approach by developing theNGO Leadership Transition Fellowship Program (LTFP) inAfrica, which seeks to help civil society leaders to developa succession plan within the organisation, reflect on apersonal transition plan and preserve their knowledgeand experience for future generations to access and buildon for the growth of the organisation.e.Low emphasis on building systemicprocesses by CSOs12

Planning and Managing Leadership Transitions among CSOs in West Africa The team dynamics will also be adversely affectedbecause colleagues would need to adjust swiftlyto the change and to meet the reporting deadline.This could overwhelm the overall operations on theorganisation. In the event that the report is not submitted, orthe quality is not outstanding, the donor can loseconfidence in the ability of the organisation tocontinue to serve them at the level expected and thiscould affect the financial status of the organisation The organisation could be faced with power strugglesin a situation where several colleagues desire theposition, but no specific colleague was groomed totake up the responsibilities.Thus, CSOs without a succession plan run a tremendousrisk of not having the knowledge and/or infrastructurein place to advance the organisation’s mandate in thelong term. CSOs need to be proactive1 in anticipatingsuccession planning opportunities and challenges andpreparing to face them.2. Consequences of not Havinga Succession PlanThis will require that CSOs identify upcoming talent andgive them enough exposure to garner the knowledge andexperience needed to step in and assume the full rangeof responsibilities of a senior position when needed. Thiswill arm them with the know-how to assume the positionof responsibility at the right time, which is critical insustaining the smooth functioning of the organisation.Imagine a high performing CSO, with an outstandingand high performing team led by a dynamic and hardworking Executive Director. Suddenly, the ExecutiveDirector or one of the top managers quits without anyprior notice (change in interest, sickness, incapacity,death). The leader or manager may be working aloneand overseeing several projects. One of the crucial andimportant projects has an approaching deadline and thereport needs to be presented to the donors and there isno one on the team who can take up this responsibility.From this short anecdote, the following consequencesmay arise: The organisation can be adversely affected by theabsence of this team member.1. An old Chinese proverb says: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second-besttime is today”. Lack of planning could be very problematic for the person leaving as well as theperson expected to fill those shoes.13

Planning and Managing Leadership Transitions among CSOs in West Africa3.The Urgency of Starting NowMany CSOs do not place priority on establishing andconsciously documenting seamless processes andprocedures, most specifically regarding successionplanning. It could be challenging to focus on anticipatinga transition2 when the leader has been serving in thesame position for 15-20 years and fully expects to remainin charge for at least another five to ten years. This couldeven be more challenging when there is no documentedand planned process for succession.generation leaders can be identified and nurtured througha smooth succession process. A proper identificationof new leaders who will be committed to carrying outthe organisation’s existing mission, while bringing freshinsights, is one key to ensuring the continued success ofany CSO.Once CSOs recognise the value of succession planning,they can apply some steps to ensure a seamlesssuccession planning process over time.Despite such possible reluctance, CSOs must beginto develop new leaders now so that there will be nodisruption in the organisation when influential leaderseventually announce their departure.While it is unlikely to have designated successors for everyposition, developing and implementing an organisationwide succession plan can further strengthen theorganisation by ensuring that the organisation has theright staff over the long-term to deliver defined servicesto the community. With enough prior notice, the next2 Executive Transitions Initiative (ETI): Strategic Leadership Development Toolkit, Leading Transitions, LLC, http://www.leadingtransitions.com/pdfs/ETIToolkit 4.pdf14

Planning and Managing Leadership Transitions among CSOs in West Africaa few organisations have plans in place to help manageleadership transition processes3. For example, WACSI hasa staffing plan in its current 5-year strategy and almost allUnits have a programme head and a programme officer.Having such a structure in place will help the organisationto narrow the search for a successor, making the processeasier and faster.b.Form a succession planning committeeto manage the processSetting up a committee is an advantage because this is amulti-faceted approach, and one that will involve severalpeople from the organisation. Once the successionplanning committee defines roles and establishestimelines, it will be easier for everyone to understandtheir specific responsibility in the process. The committeemay be comprised of the executive director, the boardchair, one or two board members and perhaps one ortwo senior staff to create a good mix of perspectives.The combination of committee members will differ basedon the organisation, its unique situation, its resourcesand its culture. The committee would have to identifythe types of professionals needed and define the keyrequirements for the expected candidates that need tobe brought onboard.4. How to Execute SuccessionPlanningAs discussed earlier, succession planning is a deliberateprocess. Organisations need to be strategic about theprocess, dedicate resources and be tactful in everysuccession planning endeavour. Below are some feasibleguidelines to design and implement a succession plan.a.Have a strategic planPeter Drucker observed that strategy is any commitment ofpresent resources to future expectations (Drucker, 2011).Every CSO leader must recognise that organisationalchange is guaranteed to happen, and that staff andleadership (including board members) changes will alsohappen.This may seem too obvious, but it is critical to have ablueprint for the future in order to determine what the nextleader should look like. In Ghana, evidence indicates thatFor example, at OSIWA, the recruitment process of a newboard member starts with the identification of potentialcandidates by all staff. OSIWA’s staff fill a form withrelevant information on the suggested candidates. This issubmitted to the board to invite the identified candidatesto a board meeting to give them the opportunity tounderstand their area of interest and to share theirthoughts on OSIWA’s work. The board then decides toconsider the integration of the (selected) candidate andshares the information on him/her with the Open SocietyFoundations’ global board before a final decision is made.c.Recruitnewpersonnelwhodemonstrate the ability to be the ‘nextgeneration’ leaderRelying on the organisation’s strategic plan can helpthe committee create a good match between the futureleaders of the organisation and its mission. Perhaps3 Solomon Amoah, An Analysis of Leadership Transitions and Governance Within Civil SocietyOrganisations in Ghana, West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), Research Report, 2018, p. 515

Planning and Managing Leadership Transitions among CSOs in West Africasomeone who is already familiar with the organisationand its goals may come forward as a candidate. However,a formal search is better to get access to a broader groupof potential candidates. But, if the organisation hasavailable resources (personnel and time) it can dedicateto the process, the search can include less experiencedprofessionals who can be mentored and trained over ayear or more as they are groomed for the role.For this reason, we recommend that CSOs developa mentor-friendly culture that encourages people tobecome mentors, offer some guidelines for mentorship,and entrench the practice of mentorship within theirorganisation’s modus operandi.For example, WACSI grooms its staff, interns andvolunteers so that they are well prepared to assumekey positions when vacancies arise. This equips internsand volunteers to take up more senior roles in otherorganisations.This has also proven to be successful at WANEP, wherethe current Executive Director, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezestarted his journey in the organisation in 2004 as the firstProgramme Officer of WANEP Nigeria. Before becomingthe Executive Director in January 2015, he served as theProgramme Director at the WANEP Regional Office for5 years (Jan 2010 – Dec 2014) and as National NetworkCoordinator (NNC) for WANEP-Nigeria for 5 years and 9months (May 2004 – Jan 2010).However, if the succession is going to take place morequickly, the search will most likely be limited to talentedcandidates who can “hit the ground running” as needed.To be effective in this search for a successor, the jobdescription must be realistic. The description shouldnot only include the range of tasks that are involvedin carrying out the role, but should also include a listof personal values, skills, knowledge, and experiencerequired by the organisation.the new leader must be prepared to serve as an advocatefor the organisation. Equally challenging to develop arethe meaningful relationships in the community that leadto donations, media exposure, brand development andmore.d.Select the best candidateSome CSO leaders are often less prepared for changesin leadership than those from the business sector. Thiscould be attributed to the fact that while leaders from thebusiness sector are recruited and tasked to deliver welldefined results, possibly over a defined period of time,executive directors or chief executive officers of CSOs areoften heading organisations they founded to respond tosocial challenges they are passionate about.Hence, such CSO leaders tend to command the loyaltyof staff and board who may not be capable of expellingthem from their initiative (CSO) if the need arises. Tolbert& Hall argue that leaders in the third sector must makemore significant contributions to the organisations thanthose in the corporate sector (Tolbert & Hall, 2015).This may be happening because many civil society leadersare dedicated, committed and passionate about theirjob, some of whom occupy the position for a significantperiod. The succession process is therefore complicatedbecause of the broad job description held by mostexecutive directors who often wear many hats, leadingthe organisation on a shoestring budget, ing,scheduling volunteers, and dealing with constituents.Therefore, the committee that reads the resumes andconducts the in-person interviews should be discussingthe organisation’s goals and finding out from each ofthe candidates how they would help the organisationachieve their objectives. There needs to be a strong linkbetween the new leader and the organisation’s missionto ensure a good ‘fit’ going forward.It is worth noting that areas of human/staff developmentthat could be more difficult to develop in a new leaderare emotional (Webb et al., 2017), such as the passionto support the organisation’s mission, especially because16

Planning and Managing Leadership Transitions among C

Planning and Managing Leadership Transitions among CSOs in West Africa 3 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Katherine Adarkwa is the head of Administration at WACSI. She joined WACSI in July 2006. She has several years of experience in Administration and Human Resources. Prior to her appointment to WA