Community Planning for Rural Education in South Africa Jackie Phahlamohlaka A, John Friend B,*

European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695 www.elsevier.com/locate/dsw

Community planning for rural education in South Africa Jackie Phahlamohlaka a, John Friend b,*

a Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa b Faculty of Business and Management, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK Received 1 January 2002; accepted 9 September 2002

Abstract

The authors describe their experience in using soft OR methods to facilitate a one-day workshop to support the planning processes of a community-based educational trust in South Africa. This workshop brought together the contributions of over 40people who were involved either in the overall management of the Trust or in the delivery of its courses. It had been agreed to make use in the workshop of the philosophy and methods of the Strategic Choice Approach. To facilitate participation by this relatively large number of participants, it was also agreed to adapt the workshop design by introducing complementary methods from the repertoire of the Nominal Group Technique. 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Developing countries; Education; Community development; Group decisions and negotiations; Strategic planning

1. Launching an educational initiative for a rural search at Dalhousie University in Canada. When community in South Africa he paid a visit to his home town of Siyabuswa part way through his course, he was challenged by his The Siyabuswa Educational Improvement and community to initiate a secondary education pro- Development Trust (SEIDET) was founded in ject in mathematics and science, as many schools 1992 in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, as a were not teaching these subjects. Uncertain how to non-governmental, community-based initiative to proceed, he established a steering committee to provide supplementary education for young peo- help with some ideas and consult within the ple in three rural towns with a legacy of substantial broader community. educational disadvantage. Back in Canada, he consulted widely within his The first author (LJP), who now lectures in in- university and with other South African students. formatics at the University of Pretoria, launched Returning to South Africa on completion of his the initiative after he won a scholarship in 1989 to course in 1991, he continued with the steering study for a MasterÕs degree in Operational Re- committee, called several community meetings to give feedback, and finally launched the SEIDET project in February 1992. * Corresponding author. Address: 17 Birks Wood Drive, Oughtibridge, Sheffield S35 0HY, UK. Prior to the introduction of South AfricaÕs E-mail addresses: [email protected] (J. Pha- new constitution in 1994, Siyabuswa had been part hlamohlaka), [email protected] (J. Friend). of the KwaNdebela homeland. Many of the

0377-2217/$ - see front matter 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0377-2217(03)00066-3 J. Phahlamohlaka, J. Friend / European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695 685 economically active members of the surrounding the management of a community based, voluntary community of around 250,000 then travelled daily non-profit organization could be both daunting by bus to Pretoria some 130kilometres away. The and exciting. It can be daunting because people educational situation in Siyabuswa was little dif- volunteer their services to the community for little ferent to that in other rural areas, with very low or no payment. Such people cannot be managed proportions of young black people matriculating; through the familiar principles and systems of a less than 2% holding college diplomas; and less commercial business. Through his experience than 0.2% holding university degrees. within SEIDET, LJP had learnt the importance of From the start, the focus of the SEIDET project continued motivation of people, persuasion and was on the mobilisation of voluntary tutors to leading by example. He had learnt too the im- provide supplementary tuition for young learners portance of seeking organisational cohesion in selected subjects such as English, science, com- through involving the various groups in key deci- merce and mathematics. Among the further ob- sion making processes, rather than attempting to jectives were the promotion of a high level of use fixed rules and regulations. community involvement in community learning; On the other hand, it can be a source of fulfil- the forging of working relationships with tertiary ment and satisfaction to know that you are playing institutions and the private sector in all educa- a visible, acknowledged and appreciated role in tional matters; the provision of sponsorship, career uplifting your own community, especially at the guidance and work placements for students; and most local level of civil society. The non-profit small-scale educational research. voluntary sector will continue to be vital to the The response from the entire community to the development of any society throughout the world. project at its inception was beyond expectations, Furthermore, this sector can provide a very chal- indicating that the need for it was widely per- lenging and also stimulating learning environment ceived. Since then, the project has grown from for both practitioners and academics. strength to strength. At the time of writing, the How do we manage when all the rules and project consists of the SEIDET Community Edu- principles that we have been taught in our man- cation Centre, with two satellites hosted by other agement schools need serious adjustment before institutions at KwaMhlanga (Technikon Pretoria, they can be applied? There are various approaches KwaMhlanga Campus) and Vaalbank (Hlalakahle and methods that can be explored. The Executive High School). Committee of SEIDET had become aware of the The main centre in Siyabuswa is a multi-pur- new generation of participatory problem struc- pose facility providing a variety of educational turing methods developed by management scien- services and developmental programmes to the tists through the writings of Rosenhead (1989), local community in association with several other Daellenbach (1994) and others. institutions, including the Mpumalanga Depart- ment of Education and the University of Pretoria. With these partners, new programmes have been 3. First contacts between the authors launched in the fields of science education in primary schools, teacher training and adult basic The opportunity to build on this awareness education. A computer laboratory was established arose when LJP was invited by the second author in 1998. (JKF) to visit his university campus in the city of Lincoln, England, in August 1997, through a mutual acquaintance who was active in the affairs 2. Managing a voluntary organisation of the Operational Research Society of South Af- rica. The occasion was a one-week discussion Through his involvement from the outset in the conference to launch a new Centre for Applied development and management of SEIDET as Development Studies at the Lincoln University chair of its Executive Committee, LJP learned that Campus. This conference brought together some 686 J. Phahlamohlaka, J. Friend / European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695

20practitioners, consultants, teachers and re- from the viewpoint of SEIDETÕs management, to searchers from 12 countries. They all shared ex- carry out an integrated review of all the TrustÕs perience or interest in the wider application to initiatives and plans. participatory decision-making in the developing world of the Strategic Choice Approach (SCA) to 5. Preparing for the workshop planning under uncertainty (Friend and Hickling, 1997)––one of the more versatile and widely used Two weeks before JKFÕs visit in August 1998, a of the so-called soft OR methods. circular was sent to the various divisions of SEI- The University of Pretoria generously agreed to DET, informing them of his background and of give LJP leave of absence and to underwrite his the benefits that the project was likely to gain from travel to the UK. At the conference, he found inviting him to facilitate a workshop. Everyone himself joining a subgroup of six participants from was given copies of the results of the 1995 SEIDET different African countries who took the oppor- planning session. All managers were requested to tunity to work together for a full day, with help discuss these documents with their entire staff, and from a facilitator, to develop plans for future to submit their views to the Executive Committee. collaboration. As a result, they agreed on a strat- The documents were also given to JKF beforehand egy to develop wider capacities within Africa for to give him some background about the project. the use of these approaches, with support from The circular reminded members that planning Lincoln and other sources both in Europe and in should be seen as a continuous process; and that it Africa. would be helpful to regard the planned workshop One opportunity to pursue this aim further arose from that perspective. The following were the the following year when JKF paid an exploratory exact concluding words of the circular: visit to Zambia and South Africa on behalf of his Centre at Lincoln. The aim was to develop a ...at the end of the day? proposal for a collaborative capacity building project for submission to a European funding a summary of the proceedings will be compiled as agency. SEIDET took the opportunity to invite well as a raw programme of action to be submitted JKF, on the final day of his visit, to work along- to SEIDET Executive Committee for synthesis and side LJP in facilitating a planning workshop as a final production of the SEIDET plan. Issues contribution to the TrustÕs own evolving planning emerging from the proceedings which can be im- process. plemented immediately will be implemented without having to wait for the synthesized plan.

4. The annual planning process of SEIDET A team of four people contributed to the planning and facilitation of the workshop. In this On the basis of an annual cycle, SEIDET has team the joint authors of this paper were joined by developed a process in which the various com- two women from the University of Pretoria, mittees and divisions produce their own plans, then Klarissa Engelbrecht from the Department of In- submit these to the Executive Committee for con- formatics and Refilwe Kgamedi, a graduate stu- solidation into a single organisational plan. Not dent in the Faculty of Education. The workshop long before the workshop described here, SEIDET was scheduled for a Saturday as this is the day had just undergone a major evaluation by the when almost all of SEIDETÕs supplementary South African Human Sciences Research Council teaching activities take place––most of the volun- (HSRC) (Conradie and Phahlamohlaka, 1998). As tary tutors being employed locally as school a result of that evaluation, a number of new pro- teachers during the week. jects and programmes had been launched, including A workshop planning session was held at the a new computer laboratory and a staff develop- University of Pretoria earlier in the week. The pur- ment programme. This made it an opportune time, pose was to agree on a broad structure for the day; J. Phahlamohlaka, J. Friend / European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695 687 an allocation of roles among the facilitators; and a can then be introduced to explore of the extent to strategy for combining the use of the Strategic which options from linked decision areas can be Choice Approach with other workshop facilitation brought together to generate a range of feasible methods. strategies or ‘‘decision schemes’’ within the selected focus. Work in the comparing mode involves exploring 6. The Strategic Choice Approach the differences between options and strategies in terms of a range of criteria that are of concern to The Strategic Choice Approach (SCA) has the participants––whether or not these are readily evolved over more than 30years as a participatory quantifiable. In this process, the approach gives approach to real-time planning under conditions particular attention to the recognition of signifi- of uncertainty combined with ever-changing pres- cant areas of uncertainty––whether these call for a sures for commitments to action (Friend and relatively technical or a more political response. Hickling, 1997). It is one of the set of interactive Work in the choosing mode involves moving to- methods of problem structuring originating in the wards agreement on a balanced strategy of action United Kingdom that are presented, with exam- through time, often known as a ‘‘progress pack- ples of applications, in successive editions of the age’’. In this, early actions may be agreed in some book Rational Analysis for a Problematic World key areas of choice, while commitment in others is (Rosenhead, 1989; Rosenhead and Mingers, 2001). deferred until agreed steps to address critical areas Computer support is available through a software of uncertainty have been followed through. Such package known as STRAD––short for Strategic steps may involve various forms of investigations, Adviser. 1 This is found to be more helpful when policy consultations or negotiations with other working with smaller as opposed to larger groups. parties, depending on the nature of the areas of SCA brings together a range of mainly graphi- uncertainty to be addressed. cal problem-structuring tools that are sufficiently transparent to help a working group of decision- makers––who need not be working in a shared 7. Adapting the methodology to the context corporate framework––to work progressively towards a set of agreed action commitments. The In the one-day SEIDET workshop, it was methodology involves sustaining a dynamic bal- agreed to follow the logic of progression through ance between four complementary ‘‘modes’’ of these four modes throughout, revisiting earlier decision-making activity known as shaping; de- modes wherever this seemed useful. Yet it would signing; comparing;andchoosing. be essential to work at such a pace as to leave time Briefly, work in the shaping mode involves in the afternoon for work in the crucial comparing building up a picture of the linkages among the and choosing modes, so as to produce useful important areas of choice ahead as seen by the outcomes for the SEIDET planning process. participants. The outcome is an agreed ‘‘decision The importance of involving all the main deci- graph’’ in which the pattern of links among the sion-makers of SEIDET in the workshop––over 40 various ‘‘decision areas’’ is displayed, and a focus in all, including the voluntary tutors working from is selected for closer work within the designing and three different centres plus the eight members of comparing modes. The work of the designing mode the Executive Committee––presented a challenge then involves agreeing the range of options to be in the use of the SCA. For it was recognised that it considered within each of the decision areas within would be difficult for the facilitators to work in- this problem focus. Basic combinatorial methods teractively with the full group right through the day. The solution agreed was to use different meth- 1 For more information on STRAD, see the website ods of problem structuring in the initial stages for www.btinternet.com/~stradspan/. working with the eight members of the Executive 688 J. Phahlamohlaka, J. Friend / European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695

Committee and the voluntary tutors. The members not be able to contribute in his SEIDET executive of the Executive Committee––some of whom rep- role. resented external stakeholders in the project–– After the introductions and the explanation of would sit in a group at the front, facing JKF who the room setup, LJP provided some shared start- would act as facilitator in shaping their views on ing points for the shaping of issues by presenting the issues using the shaping and designing tools of the objectives of SEIDET; the steps already un- the SCA. Meanwhile, each of the three tutor dertaken towards achieving these; and some ex- groups would sit in a circle around its own table, tracts from the recent evaluation report. with LJP and Klarissa as facilitators, sharing their JKF then continued by explaining the proposed views silently using the Nominal Group Technique structure of the workshop, based on the four (NGT) developed by Delbecq and his associates modes of the SCA. Through this process, it was (Delbecq et al., 1975). intended to move towards agreement on a package of actions and exploratory steps towards subsequent decisions over the course of the day. 8. Use of the nominal grouptechnique Broadly, the intended course of the day could be charted in three phases: NGT is not so much a single technique as a combination of methods for collating views where • An initial phase when parallel work on the shap- the number of participants is large. Typically, ing of the issues was going on with the mem- members of subgroups are first asked to write bers of the Executive Committee at the front down their ideas on key issues silently and inde- of the room, and with the three groups of tu- pendently, before passing them around the table tors around tables further back, using Nominal for other members of the group to read. In a fur- Group methods. ther round, individuals can be asked to revise their • A middle phase when the views emerging from ideas taking the views expressed by others into these parallel processes were merged, after which account. This can lead on to further rounds in the facilitators would work with the full group which the results are shared between the sub- to agree a focus within which to develop and groups. compare alternative strategies for SEIDET. In the context of the SEIDET workshop, it was • An end phase in which the emphasis shifted to agreed that ideas would be generated silently agreement on a set of outcomes from the work- through two initial rounds in the three tutor sub- shop, expressed in the form of a ‘‘progress pack- groups. These would then be merged later in the age’’. morning with views on decision areas generated by the members of the Executive Committee using interactive strategic choice methods. These com- 10. The progress of the workshop plementary inputs would then provide a starting point for the choice of a focus for interactive work In any strategic choice workshop where time is in the full group in the designing, comparing and at a premium, the facilitators face difficult choices choosing modes of the strategic choice approach. of process management that cannot fully be an- ticipated in advance. For they must exercise sensitivity in tuning in to and guiding the dynamics of 9. The day of the workshop––setting the scene the group; in judging when and how to introduce particular problem-solving tools from within their LJP opened the workshop in his role as the repertoire; and in sustaining progress towards chairperson of the SEIDET Executive Committee, agreed outcomes by the end of the day. Experience introducing JKF and the other members of the confirms that flexibility is of the essence in re- facilitation team and explaining that he himself sponding to the concerns that emerge from the would also be playing a facilitation role, so would participants at each stage. J. Phahlamohlaka, J. Friend / European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695 689

This workshop was no exception. During the first phase, which occupied most of the morning, JKF worked as planned with the members of the Executive Committee in a brainstorming session. Several of the issues raised related to broad matters of policy such as the management of time and internal communications, while others related to more specific concerns like training for trainers and library facilities. While JKF recorded these issues on flipcharts, the tutor groups were working silently, writing their individual views on significant issues on semi-adhesive PostIt slips then sharing and modifying these through two rounds using the principles of the NGT (Fig. 1). The results of this exercise were brought to the front by LJP and his colleague Klarissa and clustered on the wall, as shown in Fig. 2. This provided a pool of further views on the issues to add to those generated by the Executive Committee members.

Fig. 3. Establishing a focus through a decision graph.

From that point on, JKF and LJP worked with the full group in developing, on a blank flipchart, an agreed ‘‘map’’––in the format of a decision graph––indicating the links between pairs of decision areas and the views of all participants about their relative importance. Again, PostIt notes were used, enabling the issues to be clustered and re- Fig. 1. One of the three tutor groups at the workshop. shuffled. The final outcome is shown in Fig. 3. As is often the case in a strategic choice workshop, Fig. 3 is by no means a classic example of the use of the decision graph format. 2 In this case, labelled PostIt slips representing decision areas were moved in and out of a central ‘‘focus circle’’ as the discussion proceeded, while some of them were removed and placed elsewhere. The numbers

2 For some further illustrations of this point, it is instructive to compare the photographs in Chapter 7 of Rational Planning for a Problematic World Revisited (Rosenhead and Mingers, 2001)––taken from a series of SCA workshops for the Neth- erlands government on policy for the storage and distribution of petrochemical feedstocks––with the relatively tidy set of Fig. 2. Clustering issues generated in the subgroups. figures presented in introducing the SCA tool kit in Chapter 6. 690 J. Phahlamohlaka, J. Friend / European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695 on the flipchart refer to the results of a quick ex- between listening to and recording these points, ercise in which all participants were asked to vote and sustaining the momentum of progress through on the most important decision areas by a show of the designing, comparing and choosing modes hands. of the process. In hindsight, it might have been This process generated some lively debate, in helpful to have planned more use of subgroups at which the facilitators had to balance their concern this stage. However, that would have involved to listen carefully against their concern to keep the anticipating the dynamics of the workshop before process moving forward. For example, one par- meeting the participants; and even then it would ticipant had raised the possibility of sponsoring a have been difficult to schedule within the format of private school through SEIDET, to provide facil- a one-day session. ities locally for students who would otherwise have been educated privately outside the area. This inevitably raised policy issues for the Trust which, 11. Bringing the workshopto a conclusion had we stopped to debate them more fully, might have occupied much workshop time. So the issue Time was pressing so, to sustain a sense of was simply recorded as a decision area, while a progress, JKF suggested now short-cutting the related area of uncertainty about guiding values, work of the designing and comparing modes, and relating to the balancing of potentially conflicting jumping ahead to start work in the choosing mode. interests, was noted for later consideration. This This is an expedient that he had often previously enabled the group to move on to debate other is- adopted as a facilitator, especially in a large group sues. where time is at a premium. He therefore proposed As a focus for the middle phase of the work- now drawing up a first trial plan for progress, in shop, it was agreed to select just two closely linked which the areas of uncertainty involved in choos- decision areas, both expressed in quite broad pol- ing a strategy for the next planning year could be icy terms. One concerned the choice of main em- listed, and ways of addressing these could be ad- phasis in SEIDETÕs strategic plan for the coming dressed. year, while the other concerned the choice of a For this purpose, he drew up a grid divided longer-term strategic direction for the Trust. In vertically into two main sections, one to record each of these decision areas, a set of two to four commitments now and the other to record com- contrasting options was identified, and a set of mitments later. Using the standard format for a eight criteria of comparison was agreed––most of progress package, 3 each section could then be them drawn directly from the agreed statement further subdivided into a first column relating to of SEIDETÕs objectives. decision areas and a second column relating to the This enabled a start to be made in comparing management of significant areas of uncertainty. two contrasting emphases for the plan for the The task was now to consider how much of the coming year. One of these involved strengthening content of each column could be agreed before the the existing range of activities, while the other in- end of the day. volved a shift towards an emphasis on new activ- After JKF had drawn up on a flip chart a first ities such as business or agricultural courses. For set of suggestions for progress within this frame- this purpose, a simple form of pair comparison work, the workshop took a surprising turn. A grid was drawn up on a flipchart, enabling an as- member of one of the tutor groups 4 spoke up sessment on each criterion to be recorded in terms from the back of the room and said that he could of not only an expected position but also a per- see a way of using this same type of grid to indicate ceived range of uncertainty. At this stage, several participants were coming 3 Referred to as a commitment package in earlier writings on up with perceptive points relating to the directions strategic choice. in which the discussion was moving. The dilemma 4 Mr. S.M. Masanabo, a physical science tutor from Kwa- now for JKF as facilitator was to strike a balance Mhlanga. J. Phahlamohlaka, J. Friend / European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695 691 straight away a path through which progress in ipants felt about the experience of the workshop. developing next yearÕs strategy could be charted. This discussion was followed by some concluding On hearing this suggestion, JKF invited this tutor remarks from a member of the executive commit- to come to the front and draw up an alternative tee who had wider policy responsibilities as a se- progress package, presenting his suggestions to the nior civil servant in the national governmentÕs full group––so in effect taking over for a while ministry of minerals and energy. the facilitator role. After only brief hesitation, the To provide a basis for further evaluation of the tutor agreed (Fig. 4). workshop by the participants, LJP agreed to dis- He then sketched out on the wall an alternative tribute over the coming week a short question- plan in which the three options that were being naire on which the participants would be invited considered for the coming yearÕs priorities––status to record their responses to a few key questions. quo, develop a business course, develop farming How far had the workshop helped or not helped courses––were not treated as mutually exclusive them in making progress towards important de- options to be compared, as JKF had assumed. cisions? Had it made any contribution towards Rather, he proposed that they could be viewed as internal co-ordination? Was it different from other commitments all of which SEIDET could––and types of workshop they experienced, and how far indeed in his view should––pursue in parallel. did the process need adaptation to the African Then relevant further explorations and actions context? could be entered in the ‘‘future’’ columns of the package in the light of this increased level of commitment. 12. Reflections of a guest facilitator This proposal appeared to JKF to be one that might well command wide approval from the Frustratingly, JKF was scheduled to leave participants. So, making a snap judgement, he South Africa immediately after the workshop. He asked the wider group whether they felt that this left with positive feelings about his first experience version of the progress package might be adopted as a guest facilitator in South Africa. For he felt by SEIDET as encapsulating the main outcomes that the workshop had taken place in a construc- of the workshop, representing a commitment to tive and relaxed atmosphere, with a high level of pursue the three priorities in parallel over the participation despite the difficulties he had expe- coming year. This was agreed, enabling the work rienced in keeping such a large group fully en- of the choosing mode to be brought to an early gaged, especially in the later stages. conclusion. Yet after looking through the photographs So the workshop ended on an upbeat note, at a taken by the student Refilwe of the set of flip stage in the mid-afternoon when there was still charts that had accumulated during the day, and time for some wider discussion of how the partic- of the participants at work, more doubts about the success of the day began to develop in JKFÕs mind. For he saw the flip charts as recording relatively few ‘‘visible products’’ in terms of agreements on specific early actions for SEIDET, or on directions for future explorations to reduce uncertainty. To judge how far there had been other less tangible benefits for SEIDET––or ‘‘invisible products’’ in the strategic choice vocabulary––he would have to await the views of the other participants, as expressed through their responses to the question- naire survey. Meanwhile, as an aid to further reflection and Fig. 4. A new facilitator takes over. evaluation on such questions, JKF drew up a 692 J. Phahlamohlaka, J. Friend / European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695 descriptive summary of what had been achieved in The summary of Fig. 5, together with the each of the four modes of the strategic choice photographic record of the workshop, helped JKF approach, accompanied by notes on other things in reflecting further on his own experience of the that might have been achieved with more time. day. In particular, had he been justified in the snap This summary is presented in Fig. 5, using an judgement he had made towards the end in passing evaluation format that he had first introduced in over the facilitation role to a member of one of the the course of a series of community health work- tutor groups? This had provided an unexpected shops that he had facilitated in London some years opportunity to bring out the planning and facili- previously (Friend, 1994). tation capacities already to be found among the

What we could have done with more time What we could have done with more time

We could have explored further the We could have introduced more of relative urgency and importance of the decision areas we had listed into the decision areas before choosing a the package, and also reviewed more focus for the day uncertainty areas

What we did What we did

Some 20 decision areas were listed by brainstorming with the We made some progress in executive committee, while the listing uncertainty areas before three tutor groups worked attempting to build a progress silently, adapting their views package. Now a participant on issues to those circulated came forward as facilitator, by others within each group. suggesting that the proposed The results of both exercises options for the 1999 strategy were merged on flipcharts. could instead all be seen as Some links were entered on a things could be done in graph, then a focus of two key parallel. decision areas was selected. SHAPING CHOOSING

DESIGNING COMPARING We listed six main criteria We discussed the main relating to the objectives of the options to be compared within Trust, as presented in the last each of the two selected annual report. We started decision areas. This led us to drawing up a balance sheet of think further about what the alternative strategies in the decision areas themselves light of these criteria, but we meant, and to introduce some made little progress. changes

What we did What we did

What we could have done with more time What we could have done with more time

We could have spent more time We could have engaged the group in discussing the options in other further debate of impacts in relation decision areas, and exploring to different criteria, perhaps using how far they were compatible. stickers to register personal judgements

Fig. 5. Overview of progress in the SEIDET workshop. J. Phahlamohlaka, J. Friend / European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695 693 tutors, and had also demonstrated some important potential for building further on this particular points about flexibility and shared ownership in combination of methods. He also had more con- workshop management. Yet might it also be seen fident views than JKF on the success of the middle as an escape route for JKF from the difficult task phase, in which the participants had functioned as of attempting to build a more substantial pro- a single group. Whereas JKF had found it hard to gramme of agreed actions before the end of the balance his concern to listen carefully with his day? concern to maintain progress, LJP recognised the On further reflection, to have made more sub- difficulty in making a selection from the barrage of stantial progress in the designing and comparing issues that emerged. modes would have demanded not only a longer The view that emerged in later discussion be- overall working period––probably extending over tween LJP and the executive committee members more than one day––but also more careful ad- was that they and the tutors had been exposed to vance planning of ways of assigning work to sub- an organised planning discussion in which they groups beyond the initial shaping phase. To have had learnt a lot; and that as much progress as planned this in advance of this first engagement possible had been achieved within the time avail- with SEIDET would have been far from easy. Yet able. In LJPÕs view, to have built and sustained a here were some valuable lessons to be drawn for climate of participation in the workshop had itself any future occasions involving a large group where been a valuable achievement. What had been most more than a single day might be available. appreciated had been the learning process. It would only however be possible to evaluate the full benefits of this in the later stages of the planning 13. Evaluations by the other participants process over the next two years. Thirty of the participants completed their When JKF came to share these reflections with questionnaires, giving the range of views recorded LJP by e-mail, he obtained some welcome reas- in Table 1. surance about the value of the day to the partici- The view of the majority that this kind of pants. Inevitably, LJPÕs experience was very workshop needed ‘‘very much’’ to be adapted to different, from his position as a leading figure in African needs was one it would clearly be impor- the management of SEIDET who had temporarily tant to explore further. From later informal dis- stepped aside from his executive role. While cussions, the view emerged that the adaptation broadly familiar with the Strategic Choice Ap- envisaged was more to the flexible use of language proach, he had not previously been involved in than to the structure of the process. facilitating a workshop using this particular form The participants were also asked for their of soft OR methodology. views on the main skills and personal resources LJPÕs view was that the innovation of using required of a good facilitator, marking on a SCA and Nominal Group methods in parallel in checklist the aspects they believed to be most the early stages had been successful as a means of important. The results of this exercise are repro- engaging the full group, and that there was a good duced in Table 2.

Table 1 Analysis of responses to questions about the workshop Not at Less than More than Very all middle middle much Did the workshop help SEIDET in making progress towards important discussion? 2 28 Did the workshop help in internal co-ordination? 8 22 Do you see this kind of workshop as very diﬀerent to others you have experienced? 5 15 10 Does this kind of workshop need to be adapted to African needs? 2 7 21 What do you think of the level of participation in the workshop? 5 1015 694 J. Phahlamohlaka, J. Friend / European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695

Table 2 being self-congratulatory––for he is well aware of Analysis of responses to questions on elements of facilitation the twin dangers of self-reporting––over-modesty skill and self-aggrandisement––as clearly articulated by Conﬁdence 30Knowledge of methods 30 Walsham (1995). Yet the evidence is that SEIDET Listening skills 27 Knowledge of the issues 7 is more invigorated than ever to continue tackling Questioning skills 15 Independence 15 Flexibility of process 15 Flexibility of language 27 some of the most diﬃcult education problems in Sensitivity 26 Impartiality 15 South Africa. The use of SCA and other participatory approaches is being continued.

14. Subsequent impacts on the planning processes of SEIDET 15. Longer term perspectives

In accordance with the initial plan, a follow-up As it prepares for its tenth anniversary cele- strategic planning session informed by the Strate- brations in September 2002, the champions of the gic Choice workshop was held on 23–24 April SEIDET project look back with pride. From a 1999. This workshop was facilitated by Johan small geographical area, the number of young Swart and Rika Swanepoel of Group Dynamics, a graduates in the sciences who have come through small consulting company based in Pretoria. The the project now include five medical practitioners workshop involved only members of the Executive with 18 more to complete in the next two to three Committee of SEIDET and was guided through a years. There are now 18 engineers; 29 commerce computer-based voting system. Members of the graduates, 15 bachelor of science graduates and Executive Committee drew on the issues raised in one master of science; 26 graduates in the nursing the SCA workshop. In this way the introduction of and para-medical professions; and 8 law gradu- SCA paved the way for the much more partici- ates. In all some 150graduates have now come patory approach towards the production of the through the project, with about 400 enrolled at SEIDET strategy plan that is now in place. various Universities and Technikons. The matri- The plan was endorsed by the SEIDET Board culation pass rates have improved from 38.3% to and has since been put into operation. The mis- 83.6%. sion, vision and the core guiding values of SEI- Rigorous research on the introduction of In- DET that were crystallised through this process formation and Communication Technologies had to a large extent surfaced during the SCA (ICT) in rural areas is now done by several staff workshop. Indeed benefits from the workshop members from the Department of Informatics in have since been accruing at SEIDET in many the University of Pretoria and elsewhere. These different ways. One of the most significant dem- research efforts are all linked to the SEIDET onstrations of this was a session held in July 1999 project, and are now making a substantial contri- between SEIDET management and the SEIDET bution to community development not only in the studentsÕ project (SEISPRO), one of its student led Western region of Mpumalanga province but in sub-projects. In this session, LJP used variants of the rest of the country and indeed the wider de- SCA to facilitate a very rewarding exercise in veloping world. Thirteen ICT related research ar- which pertinent issues pertaining to the relation- ticles have been completed and published in the ship between SEIDET and SEISPRO were re- proceedings of various international conferences, solved. journals and books. A book dedicated largely to From the perspective of a development process work at SEIDET is currently being written. in which he himself had been deeply involved and The benefits of the ICT research to SEIDET engaged, LJPÕs considered view is that a lot had and the community includes advanced training for been achieved through the workshop reported four members of the SEIDET Computer Com- here. He recognises that to say this does not ex- mittee. These four are acting as champions in onerate him from critics who might accuse him of spearheading the process of ICT diffusion and use J. Phahlamohlaka, J. Friend / European Journal of Operational Research 152 (2004) 684–695 695 within SEIDET and the rest of the community. contribute directly to both practical and academic For instance, all the 2400 SEIDET registered aims. learners since 1998 have been trained in basic On the practical side, participatory planning of computer literacy, along with 150Primary Schools the SCA type is now a norm at SEIDET. Although Science teachers from Moretele, Groblersdal and one cannot fully attribute this norm to the one KwaMhlanga Districts and approximately 60 workshop reported here, its impact on the con- members of the wider local community. tinuing momentum of SEIDET can be described From this developmental perspective, the first as remarkable. SCA workshop at SEIDET was not an academic exercise, but a serious attempt in engaging an already serious community in a participatory plan- References ning process for its future. In particular, the judgment by JKF in handing over the facilitating Conradie, D.P., Phahlamohlaka, J., 1998. An Evaluation of the Functioning of the Siyabuswa Educational Improvement role to one of the tutors can now be confirmed as and Development Trust (SEIDET). Human Sciences Re- having been appropriate. As then agreed by a full search Council (HSRC), Pretoria. group of active project workers, the established Daellenbach, H.G., 1994. Systems and Decision Making. programmes at SEIDET are being maintained, Wiley, Chichester. while a business course on ICT has been intro- Delbecq, A.L., Ven den Ven, A.H., Gustafson, A.H., 1975. Group Techniques for Program Planning. Scott Foresman, duced and agricultural science has been success- Glenview, IL. fully introduced at all SEIDET branches. Friend, J.K., 1994. Community involvement in health strategy On the academic side, there is much more. The in Tower Hamlets. In: Ritchie, C., Taket, A., Bryant, J. workshop served as a stepping stone for an action (Eds.), Community Works. Operational Research Society, research agenda by LJP and his associates in the Birmingham, pp. 137–145. Friend, J.K., Hickling, A., 1997. Planning under Pressure: Department of Informatics at the University of The Strategic Choice Approach, second ed. Butterworth- Pretoria. Prior to the workshop, it had been hard Heinemann, Oxford. for LJP to find a balanced way of reconciling his Rosenhead, J. (Ed.), 1989. Rational Analysis for a Problematic academic and community development roles. World. Wiley, Chichester. Now, a series of action research activities is con- Rosenhead, J., Mingers, J., 2001. Rational Analysis for a Problematic World Revisited. Wiley, Chichester. tinuing in which the SEIDET computer committee Walsham, G., 1995. Interpretive case studies in IS research: is involved and, through it, many others in the Nature and method. European Journal of Information project. From this, lessons are being learned that Systems 4, 74–81.