ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES 

However, Something is Changing...

Liljana Alcheva-Jovanovska

The constant process of changes takes place from the beginning of existing of one organization and whole time during its existence. The process of changes starts under influence of the external, as well as internal factors, which motivate the organization's management to realize the problem and to suggest a change. The organizations constantly change in order to adjust to the needs of the target group, or the clients, the phenomenon of new competitive organization, the new personnel ideas, the other way of managing.

Strategy of changes

Each change suggests appropriate strategy and for its development it is necessary to make an analysis from aspect of the content and from aspect of the process of the change.
For the change's content the promoters of the change should be defined first. They could be difficulties in implementing the programs, problems in the communication, in the process of making decisions in the organization, various obstructions, various visions etc. After that, the change's target is defined to result in defining the way, the actions which will take part in the change, the area and the level of taking actions. Forecasting consequences of the change must not be forgotten, too.

The process of changing itself, can find the organization not prepared for what is to follow, but also to run into individuals or groups' interests inside the organization. Therefore, before starting with the intervention, the management should always take into account the organization's preparedness for changes, but also to make an analysis of interests and defining the potential resistance and support for something to change.

All these calculations and analyses are placed in an action plan for a change, with allocated tasks and roles in the team, which is going to carry out the changes.


How to undergo the process of changes

We have to admit that we, the people who live in this area, do not like to change at all. In our system of values admitting the problems and realizing the mistakes are a sign of weakness and lack of power. That system of values is present within the civic associations, too, which include people who do not like to change.

However, some associations, even in our country, although beginners, with no strategy for changes, show preparedness to adjust to the working conditions and to improve their efficiency by changing themselves.

The association whose example we are going to present, is a network of non-governmental organizations which works on improving the woman's position, development and peace. The network was formed in 1994 with 13 women's associations. The structure of this organization, which was accepted by almost all non-governmental organizations formed after the independence of the Republic of Macedonia, was inherited by the previous system, by the then social organizations: assembly, president, presidency, membership. In the beginning, this organization worked on social-humanitarian activities and the membership was massive, without precise defining the role of the members.

In the meantime the conditions in the surrounding and inside the organization have changed and it faced a lot of challenges and problems.

Promoters of changes

Nowadays the network consists of 60 independent women's associations from all over Macedonia. The increasing in the number of associations-members from 13 to 60, as well as the lack of equipment in the offices of 35 local associations, causes communication difficulties. The meetings of the presidency, as a result of its massiveness, took a long time and it was hard to make decisions.

The organization has oriented itself towards development activities for improving the woman's position, which resulted in a need for another profile of activists and clearer defining of their roles and tasks. The DONORS want the set objectives to be realized and the tasks and obligations to be achieved with quality and on time. This, on the other hand, has put on the "agenda" the question of rewarding the activists.

All these things, which were happening gradually and resulted one from another are actually the "promoters of the changes" and they place the management of the organization in a position to make changes. How, when, what?

To improve the communication, 6 regional centers have been set up and 4 thematic centers (sex equality, politics, health, violence). The organization has been divided by sectors and programs. Thus, at the moment, the following programs are being implemented: "Political strengthening of the women", "Women support", "Documentary center" and "Women center", which are realized through: education, humanitarian activities, socio-economic activities, protection from violence, database and library.

In order to realize the obligations in front of the DONORS, the solution was to name projects' coordinators from the activists and their appropriate training on the basis of refund for the work done. Each program has its own coordinator and for more efficient running of the programs a person has been engaged to coordinate all the programs and to be responsible for funds mobilization. For communicating with collective members and running the administration another person has been engaged, an office manager.

These, allegedly small changes have eased the work of the organization a lot, have increased its efficiency, but we still cannot talk about an overall, strategic approach towards the changes. However, these changes show results and the organization is aware that it constantly needs to learn and change. However, something is changing...