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MLD 102, 2014; C lass 7, September 24 2014 What does ‘getting things done’ mean anyway?

MLD 102, 2014; C lass 7, September 24 2014 What does ‘getting things done’ mean anyway?. Matt Andrews. We have a whole lot of classical administration, NPM and other tools in our toolbox. How do we Work out what to use, When and how?.

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MLD 102, 2014; C lass 7, September 24 2014 What does ‘getting things done’ mean anyway?

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  1. MLD 102, 2014; Class 7, September 24 2014What does ‘getting things done’ mean anyway? Matt Andrews

  2. We have a whole lot of classical administration, NPM and other tools in our toolbox How do we Work out what to use, When and how?

  3. Let’s start by asking what we are trying to get done • And what we mean when we speak of getting things done • A question that causes us to think of who ‘we’ are • And what ‘we’ care about in development organizations, governments, etc.

  4. So let’s go to Nomburo and Zombeta • Which one ‘got it done’? • Zombeta • Nomburo • Both • Neither • Why?

  5. People have asked this question; with mixed answers • Baker and Branch on organizational effectiveness: • Note they start where we are: • You need to find and fit the org. solution that works in your situation • There is “greater recognition of organizational and system complexity and organizational diversity while the overall trend in thinking about organizational and management functions and effectiveness has been away from the generic toward the more unique and tailored.” • They offer some ideas on doing find and fit • “The classic bureaucratic form may be the form of choice in a stable environment with low complexity… [But] rapid change and increased complexity required greater lateral mechanisms and a more organic form” • But this makes the study of ‘effectiveness’ really complex as well • We can say the same words we often use: “It depends”

  6. See the different approaches to effectiveness for different org types (still Baker and Branch, based on Quinn and Rohrbaugh’s Competing Values Theory):

  7. And the ‘Changing Logics’ idea the authors share, which shows that ‘what matters’ drives what we do

  8. And it spawns a long list of potential measures of ‘getting things done’; about people, systems, results interaction, and more (Rainey)

  9. My work focuses on 4 from Rainey, assuming all organizations pay some attention to all 4 • The goal approach • what you do matters • The participant satisfaction approach • the internal who matters • The internal process approach • how you do it matters • The systems resource (or resource dependence) approach • the external who matters But my work shows that the different focal points influence development peculiarly, and relate to each other in interesting ways

  10. The tensions in getting things done in development • Most orgs in development are resource dependent • So the external who matters a lot • And the external who sets agendas about the how • So ‘getting things done’ means complying with ‘how’ to keep ‘external who’ support • Isomorphism: ‘looking alike’ to get credibility • Even if it does not make you more functional • Like Zombeta (at least in the last twenty-two years) • You end up with lots of mimics without functionality • This is the capability trap that Lant will talk about next week • Breaking out of the trap is really tough • You have to take a risk and try new things, but… • Moving away from external credibility; any hiccup will be punished • Nomburo…. • An effervescent bubble

  11. Showing this tension in a picture External legitimacy (maintaining External support By complying with Procese agendas) Zombeta…assuming functionality will follow? But no improvement in functionality…so A mimic without results Nomburo…assuming legitimacy will follow? But no legitimacy: effervescent bubble Where we start Functionality (achieving goals with the right people and participation)

  12. What do we do to get out of this trap? • Next Wednesday Lant Pritchett will discuss the trap in more detail, explain isomorphism, and discuss examples of this situation • Then we discuss a strategy for escaping capability traps • How do we find and fit the appropriate solutions for our contexts, that yield both functionality (goal achievement) and legitimacy (external support) • Before then, exam on Monday…groups 1 and 2 please meet in Perkins room at 8:40 • Everyone else in here • 50 minutes of writing in 80 minutes • Over 80% of the test is in the questions provided on class site

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