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As with the previous two Africa Gathering’s I have attended, there was a common theme running through. Don’t spoon feed Africa, don’t patronize Africa, leave your ego behind so you can partner with communities to find ways to co-create solutions to their objectives. Julia has written a rather good summery of the event. You should read it here

Technology was the focus, but the emphasis was definitely on the people aspect of technology, and the recognition that technology is just one element within a much larger picture.

Africa is asserting itself. It is about time and it is right. It is becoming a pervasive message.  So pervasive that it is having the effect of creating some uncertainty among a group of people who are dedicated to the sustainable development in Africa and who not only have valuable skills, thoughts and approaches to Africa, but also an amazing amount of genuine good will towards the continent.

I had a few conversations where Non African people, who clearly had an interest in working in development, for the right reasons, (attending Africa gathering in itself puts them in the right context) where questioning their goals and wondering if they should indeed bother as Africa clearly wanted to go it alone.

Yet how else are we to get people to listen? How else are we to get the message across? People love controversy and they love to label. We all do it; it is the way we are structured. Shifting the debate from “Africa is poor, I have a photo to prove it, the West is not, therefore we need to show Africa how to not be poor,” to “Hey, don’t discount me, I have a valuable contribution to make” has to be a good thing.

The crucial element here is either getting drowned out or lost within the momentum of the message. Partnerships. It is about partnerships. This brings with it notions of respect, trust, understanding and equality. Effective partnerships are built upon a multidirectional knowledge transfer and mutual participation. A partnerships objectives are shared objectives.

Thank you to all the speakers from this year’s event. I truly learned much. It is wonderful to be caught up in the collective conscious, movement and vision of an empowered Africa.

With Africa Gathering London this weekend, I wanted to share with you some thoughts on development in Southern Africa from Charlene Hewat CEO of Environment Africa. Environment Africa is a 100% African owned and operated NGO operating in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi. I am truly humbled by the work they have done over the last 20 years.

IT IS NO LONGER BUSINESS AS USUAL -  It is about doing business with heart. By Charlene Hewat, CEO, Environment Africa

Our world, our planet is changing and the time has come for Zimbabwe thinkers and policy makers to think of new innovative, environmentally and sustainable ways of doing business, business is no longer based on ‘business as usual’.

When  public systems breakdown,  governments often look to the private sector to save the day.  In many developing countries such as India, a range of services that were in the public domain – housing, water, energy, transportation and communication have been or are being privatized.  This may lead to greater efficiency, but even the most die-hard neo-classical economist understands that it can also spell environmental and social disasters.

Public-private partnerships are a good way to divide responsibilities among different sectors of society. But they are fraught with danger, since they can become another way for the private sector to internalize benefits and externalize costs.

If we are to reorient the economy’s path to sustainability, what we really need is a totally new sector, perhaps termed the Community Sector,  which would combine public sector objectives with private sector strategies.   We need to create businesses that have a heart.  Environment Africa (EAfrica), a truly African non-for-profit, private voluntary organisation (PVO) has developed a concept called (PPCP) meaning Public, Private, and Community Partnerships.  EAfrica believes that this is future for businesses in Africa and that this approach, PPCP, would contribute not only toward sustainable development but also to poverty alleviation.

PPCP is not about an NGO, private sector, public sector coalition or a once off partnership, it is about corporate social responsibility and sustainable development in practice.  EAfrica, through it’s not-for-profit company, is seeking to become a social, environmental investor in companies and take out a shareholding which it will hold in trust for communities and social and environmental development projects.  The not-for-profit company, is looking at an alternative to the typical donor route of one off grants and handouts and aims, through the PPCP approach to uplift the livelihoods of communities in a sustainable business like manner.   The PPCP concept has now been included in the Medium Term Plan for Zimbabwe as well as the Zambezi Transfronter National Parks document.  EAfrica is also in the process of establishing a PPCP Forum and if you are interested in assisting in any way, please do not hesitate to contact EAfrica’s CEO, Charlene Hewat:  charlie@eafrica.utande.co.zw

What is Corporate Social Responsibility then?

The International Standards Body ISO, are developing a Social Responsibility guideline called ISO26000.  This is a guide for all types of organisations to follow.  The Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) is the ISO representatives here in Zimbabwe and has an ISO26000 working group, which organisations have been participating in.  Environment Africa has played a key role in the development of this standard not only in Zimbabwe but Internationally, under the banner of SAZ and as an NGO representative from a developing country.   EAfrica is also working closely with the Business Council For Sustainable Development Zimbabwe (BCSDZ), on CSR.  The ISO26000 Standard Guidance document is due to be released this year.

Social responsibility has continued to become a topical issue for all sectors, the private, the public and the government sectors as it is considered one of the key drivers to sustainable development. Social responsibility despite the name is not inclined to social development alone; it spans the operations of organizations internally all the way to the community or consumer level. Being socially responsible is considered a sustainable way of doing business and most often it boils down to trust. How can the various sectors trust each other? Can business trust communities? and can communities trust business to address their concerns in a manner that is beneficial for both. When looking at the corporate sector, it is important to examine the extent to which they are integrating social and environmental concerns throughout their business.

Some of the social concerns currently being experienced in Zimbabwe, as is the case in developing countries, include poverty, HIV/ AIDS; gender inequality; limited access to health, sanitation and education facilities and food security.  Its is evident that the developing countries have serious social concerns in comparison to the developed world and the question in the developing countries is how to include these concerns within the business frame work and still make a profit at the end of the day.

Internationally Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is being mainstreamed by many corporates and is now considered the key component to long-term survival. There are several companies now in Zimbabwe who have adopted CSR and have partnered with Environment Africa to implement some of the 7 core areas of SR.  Some of the activities include:

• Development and implementation of a CSR Policy
• Looking at a companies carbon footprint and offsetting carbon emissions
• Partnerships on CSR projects and programmes

CSR is more than just business, it is a part of your business and remember, it is not philanthropy or cheque book PR, it is about commitment, involvement and action. Get involved today and help rebuild our beautiful country Zimbabwe.

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If an American or European organisation were to invent the automobile today, they would not get it approved by the army of regulators, health and safety officers, industry regulators, environmental targets and all the other hurdles thrown in their way.

If it were a Chinese organisation on the other hand, things would be different. The relationship between innovation and resource utilisation is more market growth driven verses regulation driven. Some could say the US or Europe of old.

If an American or European organisation developed a more efficient and socially responsible method of organising or producing a product or service, it is likely the establishment would do everything it could to stop it in order to ensure their existence is not threatened, quite possibly under the guise of national interests.

Africa is a different world, particularly Africa north of South Africa. The West’s ‘top down’ approach to Africa has not worked. A major part of this is that Africa’s relationship and attitude to resources is different to the West’s. Africa may be ‘blessed’ with resources but it is clear we need to distinguish between resources in or of the land, and the availability of resources to the population.

The West, when looking to Africa as an investment opportunity is still making the mistake that it has made for decades. I have been reading with interest the growth of Africa as a destination for investment funds. How very English. “If Africa wants to attract investment funding into their capital markets they need to organise and regulate their markets better.” Which basically means that they want the markets to be organised the same way theirs are. Of course I am not saying that organised markets are not desirable or regulation and accountability is not needed. Nor am I suggesting that an organised financial market will not create wealth. I am pointing out that there is still a belief by the West that for Africa to develop it needs to become civilised, where civilised equates to, “like us”. Trading invisible money on capital markets may generate wealth but for who? Of course I understand the thinking and the theory. I also understand the other side too and look to the large hole we are in because of this.

If Africa were to become like the West overnight, the continent would come to a grinding halt. Over regulation is not only the privilege of the over resourced and established, it is also the death of innovation and progress.

The spirit and aptitude towards innovation within Africa is enormous. Africa has no choice but to innovate towards purpose, according to its culture and within its available resources and structures. Innovations are useful, they fulfil a purpose and they happen because they are driven by the need to improve peoples’ lives according to who they are and what they have.

Responsible innovation and growth within Africa will not come from fighting its structures, culture and ethics but through understanding them and working within them. Let the people of Africa innovate. Creating a solution to a problem that also makes money is not greed or exploitation, it is smart, it is sustainable and it ensure innovation and responsible progress will thrive.

Work with Africa, invest, listen, learn and, quite possibly, the world will be a better place.

Author: Alasdair Munn

I have been thinking about the latest trends for using social media.

Through participating in twitter chats like #smchat and #innochat I have been spotting some trends. Another huge area of learning for me has been looking at how people in situations where resources are limited, are approaching social media tools, technology and context. Several things have become obvious.

• The new generation are simply using technology to discover new ways to re-purpose old behaviours. Everyone gets lost in the tools. They think they are inventing something new, yet, if we take an objective approach, and study human behaviour, we can see there is little that is actually new, just different approaches.
• The disconnect between business and social media evangelists rests in the inability for the two to speak the same language. Fixing number 1 above will assist in bridging this gap.
• Social media is a social science, not IT. Taking a behavioural approach and understanding how people work within communities, within cultures, at work, at play and within themselves has to be a starting point. The other is understanding objectives, purpose and resources.
• Technology and software are no longer the barriers. Even in the most remote and technology unfriendly locations, current technology solutions and open source software can be adapted to meet the local resources and needs. The greater stumbling blocks are context, content, purpose and revenue models.
• Keeping your eye on the bottom line and seeking a profit generating model is not greed, it is an essential and valid way of ensuring a project is sustainable and can reach its objectives. This does not loose sight of the fact that there needs to be authenticity, transparency and truth.

This year I continue to study people. I will trust my entrepreneurial experience and I will be driven by purpose, objectives, context, available resources and sustainability.

What drives you in 2010?

It is fun going to conferences and events that focus on subjects that are important to you. Once such event for me has been Africa Gathering. It not only focuses on the continent of my birth, but also how technology and social media can help with creating sustainable development. Two of my favourite subjects.

People most often view Africa as the recipient of aid, the poor cousin who needs technical assistance. Events like Africa Gathering are important as they show the world Africa is full of capable people who can, and do create systems, technology and processes that not only work for Africa, but have global significance and application.

The most visible of these projects right now is Ushahidi and their vital efforts in crowdsourcing data coming out of the Haiti earthquake and translating it into useful, available and actionable information.

Ushahidi was initially developed by Kenyans to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post election disturbances in 2008.  Since then the platform has been rebuilt primarily by people within Africa, but in true open source philosophy with contributions from people in Europe and the US.

Take a look at their website and read further, it makes interesting reading.

Here is the link to their Haiti specific site.

As a Zimbabwean, it delights me to be able to point to the hard work, dedication, and resourcefulness of some very smart African people, who have developed a platform that has global application and the ability to ultimately save lives.

From an organizational perspective, this raises a few important questions and points

• Who said social media tools do not have real purpose and application?
• How can organizations learn from this?
• Why aren’t more people thinking about how they can organize information from the collective and turn it into useable and valuable data?
• Why must the revenue model of social media concentrate on making money directly from the tools verse figuring out how the tools and their application can empower your organization to reach objectives or gain revenue?

Let’s all learn a little from the people of Africa

Author: Alasdair Munn

A common complaint from those advocating for the adoption of social media within their workspace is the difficulty they encounter in getting management or executive approval and/or the slow pace of adoption.

All too often our approach to social media advocacy tends to focus too much on social media. In our quest to prove ourselves and have our ideas accepted we run the risk of presenting what amounts to an alien set of tools and concepts to decision makers. These decision makers may often have a very different set of associations and expectations of social media than we do.

A more effective way of getting our message across would be to take a holistic workflow approach rather than a social media approach. Presenting a case for improved productivity, collaboration, communication, cohesion and less wasted resources will gain greater attention, commitment, buy in and resources. It is important to realise that organisational use of social media is not just about customer social interactions. Sure that is part of it, however to support that and realise organisational efficiencies we need to look at the entire organisation from the inside out.

A workflow analysis may incorporate some of the following:

• Analyzing existing workflows,
• Looking at overall organizational objectives,
• Understanding departmental objectives,
• Mapping interdepartmental interactions,
• Analyzing corporate culture,
• Taking into account stakeholder learning styles and preferences,
• Quantifying available resources and so on.

The benefit of this approach is the findings and recommendations will center on needs, taking into account all tools, be their online, offline, traditional, new and provide context while avoiding labels.

I am not advocating a silo approach. Understanding departmental individual needs and work styles/flow is valuable information and the first step to understanding how departments can meet their needs while working towards and integrated organizational effort. A set of common objectives does not equate to an identical application of tool sets.

This thinking is also applicable beyond the internal organization. It makes sense to incorporate all aspects of the organization be it sales channels, channel partners, supply chain management, sales, customer engagement and so on.

Social media does offer a wonderful range of tools and processes to allow us to work smarter, but it is not about social media, it is about satisfying our objectives using a combination of tools and processes, including new, old, online, offline and so on.

Photo by: Paul Likes ‘pics”

Author: Alasdair Munn

I am very pleased to see that Social Science, as a discipline, is receiving some attention, particularly with regard to social media. Of course, as a social scientist, I would be expected to be pleased, but this is an important point in the evolution of the way we conduct business.

When I was studying Industrial psychology and Industrial Sociology 20 odd years ago, it was assumed we were all heading for careers in Human Resources. The world was in manufacture mode. The concept of universal scale meant an organization-centered approach. Human Resources was about keeping the employees happy and motivated.

Starting off in journalism, media distribution and then publishing helped me formulate my belief that people and social science are central to any organization; be it internal, external, partnerships, supply chain, stakeholders etc. Finding an evolving medium like social media, which held these beliefs as central to its core was a natural progression.

Now, in 2010 we are seeing the positive global effects that embracing a people centered approach has had. As social media becomes better understood, and its underlying principles espoused, organizations have been challenged to look at how they operate. They are starting to discover what role their people can play within the organization, and how listening to their audiences and stakeholders, learning from and involving them, makes business sense.

Social media has brought a people focus to the forefront. It has provided tools that have changed the way we communicate, search for information and make decisions and it has allowed us a voice. Organizations have taken note of this and can see there is value in social media. Just what that value is, is not always clear to them. At times it is hard to see how social media can truly assist the entire organization. It has been criticized for being lightweight and for dismissing ‘the real world”. Similarly the corporate world has been accused of missing the point of social media and failing to see the depth of application it can have within an organization. The two still have instances where they rub up against each other.

For social media to be valuable to organizations, it has to make itself applicable to the entire organization, sometimes visible, sometimes not. Internal and external, by department and integrating departments. Social media as business tools. Equally organizations need to change the way they approach and view people and organize themselves accordingly. This does not mean abandoning their objectives and responsibilities to their shareholders. It does mean changing their approach to achieving their goals. Part of that change is incorporating a people centric approach. Good news for us Social Scientist, good news for social media and ultimately, good news for organizations.

Photo by Welshwitch36

If I woke up one morning thinking “I want to open a restaurant” and immediately got onto the phone and ordered 50 free range chickens for delivery that day, I would not blame you for thinking I was a little soft in the head.

Starting a restaurant takes planning. Building a business plan, putting structures in place, research, choosing locations, understanding your audiences needs, tastes. Never mind things like branding, resources and a knowledge base. A chef. Yes a chef. Good idea. Hmm, I think I will get someone who can cook a little bit. I know a guy who once cooked a pasta for his girlfriend, and they are still together.

Why are people tempted to treat social media strategy differently? The starting place for a social media strategy is not social networks. Plan, understand, prepare, learn, create structures, hire the right people and look to your audience.

There is no shame in new media practitioners applying old fashioned business and marketing sense. Just as there is no reason why traditionally minded people should not incorporate new media thinking and practices into their integrated marketing plans.

Photo by Mark Lorch

Author: Alasdair Munn

I loved my University years. I was lucky enough to find myself in a relatively carefree and safe environment in which I could explore the world without being exposed to its horrors. There was always an abundance of people wanting to engage in what we considered intellectual pursuits. We could stretch and exercise our brains. There were equal amounts of people who wanted to explore alternative forms of exercise and entertainment too.

My choice of subjects caused some concern. Not to me, I might add. They suited me to the ground. I did not have to learn as much as absorb. Now, almost 20 years later I am finding that my majors, Industrial Psychology and Industrial Sociology are responsible for forming my approach to how I work.

Social media, for me, has to be seen and applied in the context of people and their relationships. Their relationships to themselves and the people around them. Communities, culture, expected norms, values, desires and hopes.

Jung and his concept of The Collective Unconscious particularly enthralled me. My very crude and somewhat dumbed down interpretation of it is we are all connected through a series of universal truths. These truths are manifested and made real through stories and imagery. The underlying message of the stories remains fairly constant. What changes is how those stories are told or manifested. They alter according to our culture, our norms, values, life lessons and physical environment. In the end, we have a collection of wonderful stories, each carrying the same central message, but individually making that message accessible to different audiences, cultures and belief systems.

I spent some time over the Christmas break trying to analyze my approach to social media strategy and integrated marketing. I found that even within specific niche markets I tend to approach it with a multicultural philosophy. By that I do not mean multi ethnic, or even regional. Rather, from the perspective that our life experiences, norms, values and expectations help determine how we see things and how we react to them. For my message to get through I need to take my objectives and understand how to translate those objectives into stories, experiences and truths that you can interpret, understand and react to.

Measuring how effective I am being and constantly bringing that back to my objectives allows the story to stay focused, evolve and create a return.

Who is your Jung? What helped shape who you are today?

Photo by Kleinz

Social media years are a little like dog years. The signs are out that Social Media has settled into its teenage years. As with teenagers in general there are several teenage stereotypes.

• The overconfident rebel leader
• The party seeker and connector
• The Geek
• The student
• The non-conformist

The Overconfident Rebel Leader
Full of self-belief, cocky self-assurance and a certainty that he has discovered the true path, he is confused, disappointed and sulky that the grown ups will not listen to him, or that they insist on applying their outdated rules or asking irrelevant questions. His followers love him, they can see his genius and they speak or assume his language. “If only those pesky grownups would listen, the world would be a better place”.

The Approval Seeker and Connector
She lives to be popular seeking as many props and symbols as she can to show her popularity. The more the merrier. Life is about being seen and talked about. She feels validated by the chaos and sheer weight of numbers. She’s invited to all the parties, and if not she makes sure she gets in. She knows somebody who knows somebody. She knows she is living a dangerous life and has to be on the ball: one indiscretion and she could be dropped from the “in crowd”. Being herself will not do. Keeping the charade up is hard work.

The Geek
Gone are the days when the Geek never got the girl. The ability to analyze, create and mold technology is now recognized as a valuable skill. The Geek loves to problem-solve and find solutions using technology. Shiny new toys are heaven. It is not unheard of for a Geek to be held in high regard and celebrated. “With my new toys I can perform spectacular tasks and tricks”. Keywords such as “techniques”, “processes” and “tactics” often feature.

The Student
The student loves to lap up all the techniques, tips and tactics that she can. She reads widely on the subject and loves to quote her latest source. The student becomes the “expert” through association and applying newly learned techniques to the letter. Not all students are the same though; some take best practices, add value and context and get the A+.

The Non-Conformist
Not to be confused with “the Rebel” the non-conformist sees the world differently. Often discounted for not excelling within the system, he has a set determination to prove himself. His strength comes from understanding the system, acknowledging the points of differentiation and seeing the gaps. The non-conformist works to objectives, setting out to satisfy or resolve those objectives using the tools and resources available to him. Success through proving himself is the reward. This comes through keeping an eye on the objectives, using the right tools and resources for those objectives and closing the gap between the established and the new.

Yes. This is rather tongue in cheek. No, it is not to be taken seriously. I guess one central message here is that we, as social media practitioners, marketers and online entrepreneurs need to take some responsibility for how social media is perceived and how we integrate it into the mainstream. A mature approach towards satisfying the critics’ concerns and demonstrating value will go a long way towards integrating social media into mainstream or traditional marketing and business initiatives.
I am sure there are more teenage stereotypes that fit the bill. Feel free to add your thoughts.
I for one am looking forward to Social Media growing up beyond the teenage years. Perhaps 2010 will bring more control, a more mature attitude towards social media and a more harmonious dialogue between the young and the old.

Photo by Leiabox