The retreat...

and the

varying

views

The South Pacific Commission (SPC) organised a retreat in February to enable management and senior staff to discuss and devise solu tions to problems faced by programmes in terms of resources.

The organisation’s first such activity took place in 1995 just prior to the new management team assuming office and reaction from some staff who participated in both exercises illustrates that the first retreat was more “necessary” in terms of problems which needed addressing. One staffer said: “I’m a fan of such exercises but they should not be gripe sessions with nothing being done to solve problems.

“I enjoyed the group sessions in the afternoons but I was disappointed with Bob’s [Dun, SPC director-general] reac tion to communication. This continues to prove he is not really a ‘communication person’. The retreat took on a downward slant with very little communication going upward. With all due respect to his deputies, I feel Bob is all-powerful in the organisation’s executive.” The retreat took on workshop-style discussion ses sions in the afternoons centred around themes such as “Swimming in change”, “Concept of Service/Pride in Service” and

“Executive management/decision-mak

ing”.

In addition, duty objectives of the director-general and his deputies were dis cussed, as was the organisation’s Corporate Plan. “I had no problem in dis cussing the Corporate Plan,” the same staffer said. “However, it could have been done using a better technique rather than just expecting staff to read through the document.”

Another staff member said he thought the exercise generally useful although he felt the problem of a lack of human and financial resources being faced by the organisation was still a problem. “The new management have succeeded in improving SPC’s image but work being done is still subject to an acid test. And it is not fair to assume that the organisation has only begun to function, as it has always functioned through the hard work

and dedication of its staff.” Director-gen eral Dun said: “I thought it was great. I certainly learned a great deal of value about the organisation and its reaction to change - and I hope participants learned something about each other, me and my deputies. The retreat was always going to be a difficult meeting given the large number of people involved, their diversity of backgrounds, the length and depth of the formal agenda and the novelty of hav ing the executive on the chopping block.

“It showed signs of degenerating into a whinge session at one stage but recovered from that dreadful fate. I liked one staff member’s comment that working with the SPC was an enriching experience given its outreach from insularity to the remarkable variety and challenge of the Pacific. I share that view, having found it a privi lege and a source of pride to serve in the

Spc.”

Another opinion was one of disap pointment at the start of the exercise with a staffer saying the retreat appeared to focus heavily on management and execu tive issues and objectives and neglected to discuss areas which could be improved to facilitate delivery of the commission’s services. “Only senior staff attended, making it top heavy,” he said. “Actual problems and solutions were not

addressed properly.”

Another staff memeber said: “As far as retreats go, this one I consider useful pending the way its outcomes will be

implemented.

“The present style of the director-gen eral was considered autocratic in some instances and if this is working well for administrative decisions, it can lead to discontent when it comes to staff working conditions. Even in cases where consulta tion is impossible or unwarranted, infor mation should keep flowing. The more autocratic the decision, the more openness and information is necessary to retain motivation and morale,” he said.

“Repeated statements by management about their achievements in turning

around the organisation give the impres

sion it is their achievement alone and that the SPC was in an unspeakable mess before they arrived.

“It must be stressed that most, if not all, programmes performed well under the former management teams - and some times, in spite of them. Credit should be given where due.

“In addition, the principle of openness and transparency should trickle down to all levels of staff and not be stifled by some managers who find them uncom fortable to work with,” he said. An attendee from the commission’s Fiji oper ation in Suva felt the exercise beneficial in terms of its ability to enable physical con tact between Suva personnel and the Noumea executive. “We do not usually have direct input into decisions made in Noumea and the retreat enabled Suva staff to voice their opinions,” he said.

“Management made it clear from the start that the exercise was not to be one in com plaining, thus the title ‘Vision 97’.

Executive objectives needed to be dis cussed in terms of their link to the [SPC]

Corporate Plan.”

Dun shares these views, saying: “The retreat was a mechanism for finalising the objectives of the executive. This one dif fered in comparison to the first exercise in that objectives were more hard nosed with management style being of particular interest. Broadly, people have reacted pos itively to our style [of leadership] but because of our transparent management style many expect all [executive] deci sions to be made through consultation.

However, decision-making is not like this and oftentimes does not permit this type

of process.”

Many staff voiced objection to the SPC’s closure during the Christmas peri od, particularly management’s decision to deduct five days of annual leave from each member. And a large number of staff,

through the organisation’s Staff Advisory

Committee, continuously objected to the decision, saying it indicated an autocratic rather than democratic style of manage ment. But Dun refutes this, saying: “The Christmas closure will become a perma nent feature of the commission’s calendar.

When I arrived, I didn’t consult staff about changing the selection procedure for posts and I received no objection to this. It would have been easy to conclude from the exercise that the executive was

not enjoying a good working relationship

with staff. However, I feel this is not so as interaction has been on-going, open and direct to the point where staff can feel free to get stuck into the executive.

“Executive decisions are publicised for everyone and people are responding to change. Staff have their say through vari ous mechanisms and many quite enjoy that,” he said.

On a lighter note, one Noumea staff member who didn’t attend the retreat said: “Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the exercise. The two days were the most pro ductive I’ve had in months with very few phone calls and even fewer interruptions from people coming to my desk asking for

things done immediately.” ■

The Spc

Debbie

Singh