Known for celebrating Christmas the longest in the world, we Filipinos mark the month of September as the beginning of a bustling four-month celebration of the holiday season. Consistently working towards our mission of making governance a shared responsibility, the -Ber months similarly signify the start of a long and busy final quarter of the year for us in the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) and our partners in the public sector.
As we begin the most wonderful time of the year, here is a roundup of our events in September:
Skills Lab on Change Management
ISA conducted its online Skills Lab on Change Management entitled “Overcoming disruption through periods of change” last September 8. Facilitated by Ms. Elizha Corpus, a culture transformation expert, this Skills Lab course equipped 14 delegates from the health sector, local government units, and national government agencies on coping with organizational shifts and a renowned employee-centric framework.
Ms. Corpus began the discussion with an in-depth background on change management, where the delegates learned about two employee-centric frameworks: Kotter’s and Prosci’s change models.
“Change is the discipline that guides how we prepare, equip, and support individuals to successfully adopt the change to drive organizational success and outcomes,” she explained.
She also emphasized that while our current reality is “volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA), organizations must learn how to continue operating as change happens.
Ms. Corpus then discussed “The Hows of Change” and explained the considerations they should make when leading and implementing change in their respective organizations. She also highlighted using specific tools, such as the SWOT analysis and the Organization Perception Questionnaire, in targeting certain change aspects.
Moreover, the speaker advised utilizing coaching as a tool by asking open and empowering questions rather than using closed and disempowering ones to show intent in leading change within one’s organization.
Following the series of lectures, the delegates entered their workshop groups, where they were tasked to apply their learnings. Each group crafted a vision statement to encourage people to support the possible changes in their organization, identify certain changes to be made, and convince their leaders to make these adjustments happen. After each presentation, Ms. Corpus provided insightful feedback and advice to the participants.
To cap off the course, Ms. Corpus gave the participants a rundown and synthesis of the workshop. She also asked the participants a question to ponder: “What will you do tomorrow to begin leading the change you want to see?” The participants collectively suggested further understanding the organization and its culture and inspiring members within the team.
“What we’re trying to get into is culture change. I think that for the most part, all change management processes that we engage in organizations… are all related to culture change or culture transformation in one way or another,” Ms. Corpus said.
Skills Lab on Project Management
For the second time this year, ISA conducted a Skills Lab on Project Management entitled “Being in Charge of your Roadmap” last September 14. Led by ISA’s go-to management expert, Mr. Robbie Sia, 24 delegates from nine organizations learned about efficiently crafting and mobilizing plans to achieve organizational goals.
Mr. Sia began the lecture by giving the participants an overview of project management, which he defined as the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver something of value to the people.
The speaker introduced the Project Charter Template and focused on three key questions throughout the lecture to allow the participants to grasp the concepts better, starting with who project managers are.
“Project managers are responsible for project initiation, planning, and execution. Your job is to manage the project. You need a team, especially if you are doing a project out of your focus area,” he said.
The management expert’s next question on the different project methodologies led to the discussion of three methods: Waterfall, where sequential activities with results are achieved at the end; Agile, which uses iteration to deliver faster; and Lean, which eliminates waste to provide value using minimal resources.
Finally, on the question about the significance of project management in an organization, Mr. Sia stressed that it provides the team with a clear objective aligned with the organization’s strategies. When asked to spearhead a project, he continued, it is crucial to ask the 5Ws (Who, What, When, and Why) to know your roles and responsibilities and scope of work.
The participants were then tasked to create a project charter for their organization, which was presented before the other delegates. Mr. Sia also took the time to give the participants insightful feedback to improve their work and left off a few reminders for the delegates in their project management journey.
“Don’t forget to celebrate the end of the project. Don’t forget that the project was completed because of those people [the team].”
Online Revalida: Davao Regional Medical Center
The Davao Regional Medical Center took home the Silver Trailblazer Award for its successful rollout of the third stage of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia’s (ISA) flagship program, the Performance Governance System (PGS).
The government tertiary training hospital was conferred the PGS Compliant Status during an online public revalida, a virtual platform under the annual Public Governance Forum where institutions can showcase their progress and milestones in the PGS pathway.
DRMC Medical Center Chief, Dr. Bryan O. Dalid, proudly presented how the medical institution strives to become a multi-specialty and globally competitive medical center in Northeastern Mindanao in 2022.
The DRMC began its transformation journey in 2018 and was conferred the PGS Compliant status with a Gold Trailblazer Award the following year. After three years of consistent commitment towards the accomplishment of their 2022 Strategy Map, Dr. Dalid shared the three breakthroughs they have attained thus far, namely its advanced specialty centers, fully operational DRMC Ward Extension, and increased bed capacity.
“These transformations are seen and felt by everyone, as well as our external stakeholders, through these feedbacks,” Dr. Dalid said, followed up by an overview of comments and acknowledgments from their nurses, patients, and other stakeholders.
According to Dr. Dalid, effectively executing the strategy involved welcoming innovations during cascading, thorough monitoring and evaluation, process coaching, and, most notably, implementing a rewards and recognition system.
“For the rewards and recognition, PSMO (Planning and Strategy Management Office in Action) initiated the PGS Gawad Sigla Award, along with its criteria and guidelines, as the strategy execution awarding mechanism. This is in collaboration with the PRAISE Committee to institutionalize this award mechanism,” he added.
DRMC took pride in its 10-member multi-sectoral governance council, with members from the Department of Health, the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples – Davao del Norte, and the Bureau of Treasury, among others.
“The MSGC members are divided into three committees: the Committee on Advocacy, the Committee on Resource Planning and Generation, and the Committee on Governance. Each committee is working on projects that lead to the attainment of the DRMC vision,” Dr. Dalid explained.
The revalida’s multi-sector panel, led by the panel chair and ISA Trustee, Ms. Mary Jane Ortega, commended the teaching training hospital for progressing on its third stage of the PGS pathway, noting areas for improvement, particularly on strengthened community participation. Upon receiving their Silver Trailblazer award during his acceptance speech, Dr. Dalid thanked all the men and women behind DRMC, who all played a vital role in attaining their goals for the institution.
“On behalf of DRMC, this is a product of a collaborative and cooperative effort. Our PGS Core Team and MSGC partners who were so generous with their inputs and insights, and most especially to all DRMC personnel who helped us achieve our targets and breakthroughs that led to this award,” he said.
