Navigating the complexities of the modern world and creating a shift in the status quo is a challenge in itself, let alone doing it without a guide to keep one’s strategies and implementations on track. To help our partners build sustainable yet impactful change through the Performance Governance System (PGS) framework, the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) conducted its highly-anticipated Governance Boot Camp – Basic Class from March 20 to 24.
The 27th run of ISA’s Boot Camp program brought together 87 delegates from 17 different organizations nationwide. The week-long event was a huge success, giving the delegates a deeper understanding of the PGS framework and an opportunity to connect, share ideas, and build relationships with like-minded governance advocates.
The first day of the Boot Camp kicked off with ISA Trustee, GEN EMMANUEL BAUTISTA (RET) imparting a very insightful module on building our Dream Philippines. In his discussion, he took a deep dive into the social, economic, and political barriers that call for a new, more purposeful, and strategic consciousness and leadership capacity. He also shared the journey of the Armed Forces of the Philippines along the PGS pathway and encouraged the audience to have the same firm commitment to transformation and better governance.
“It’s not only our duty to do this. We need to have a firm commitment to transform […] We owe it to those who came before us. We will transform because we owe it to ourselves. We will transform because we owe it to the Filipino people. We have a responsibility to the Filipino people,” he said.
On the second day, ISA’s Executive Director and PGS Practice Leader, Mr. Christian Zaens, enlightened the participants with his extensive knowledge of strategy and the fundamentals of the PGS. Unlike the previous Boot Camps, Mr. Zaens shared that the concepts and their application during this run appear to be simpler because the PGS is an evolving product of co-creation to make strategies tailored for each organization’s mandate, unique realities, and delivery model for better outcomes.
“Kung may stratehiya kang sinusulong, nag-iiba ang delivery model mo and more importantly, systematic change brings about demonstrably superior impact on your constituents,” he shared.
The next day, Mr. Zaens zeroed in on the critical Disciplined Execution, where he shared with the participants the value of working together as the “brain” and “hand” of their respective organizations. He emphasized that as members of the organization, they are not choiceless doers: rather they are vital individuals working together toward the execution of their strategy.
“‘Yung pag articulate ng change agenda at pag-operationalize ng change agenda is best done by the implementing units […] kasi you are recognizing that they are in the best position to tell you what to deliver, when to deliver, how to deliver. We recognize the value of the person at all levels of the organization. They’re all capable of being both brain and hand,” Mr. Zaens said.
During the “Beyond Cascading” module on the fourth day of Boot Camp, Dr. Rene Francisco of Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center (PJGMRMC) discussed the importance of breakthroughs and early wins as bellwethers of an organization’s success. Given that PJGMRMC’s PGS journey began just a year prior to the pandemic, he shared that organizations must encounter major shifts to attain their goals and progress through the PGS cycle. He also highlighted that the resilience and adaptability of their strategies are important in achieving their targets and combating challenges such as pessimism, indifference, and resistance to change.
“[In PJGMRMC] we would always say that you should make your deliverables pandemic ready. You should always anticipate that there will be problems that you’ll encounter along the way,” Dr. Francisco shared.
Capping off the training program was a series of lectures from the PGS Movers, Dr. Cherrie Mae Pocsidio-Laroco, Quality and Strategy Management Office Head of Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC); Atty. Teodoro Pascua, Deputy Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines; and Dr. Rodante Roldan, Office for Strategy Management (OSM) Head, who shared their experiences with essential elements of adopting the PGS, such as the OSM, PGS Core Team, and the Multi-Sector Governance Council, respectively.
Dr. Melissa Munar-Abado, lauded as the Ultimate Governance Warrior, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to her colleagues and ISA for giving her the chance to partake in the event.
“I would like to thank God for this one-week opportunity, we had to rest but as well learn. To my team, ITRMC for our Medical Center Chief, for Dr. Cherrie Mae Laroco for sending us. For ISA, thank you for enlightening us on how to improve our strategies, and for my team, PlantISA, this is it!” she shared.