Volume 6, Issue 1
September 2012 www.discoveringdeafworlds.org
The Magic of Organizational Development: Working with Siglo 21 in Costa Rica By W. Scot Atkins, such acts of facilitation Ed.D. tend to work. After conducting A colleague asked interviews with differme what organizationent stakeholders, Daal development was vid and I showed the like in working with group the interview DDW. I replied that it data. They were very was “like magic.” I am engaged and thoughtsure that this made my ful as they discussed colleague think of Dathe data. David and I vid, Davin and me pullwere mere facilitators, ing rabbits out of hats, asking questions such The DDW and Siglo 21 teams. sawing each other in as, “What do you think half, and making each about this?”, “What do other disappear. No, you want to do with the nothing of that sort happened. However, DDW’s or- information?” and “Where do you want to go with this?” ganizational development process in both Costa Rica Just like magic, the answers came from them. and the Philippines revealed itself in a magical way. In no way did we offer advice unless they asked This is what happens when a group of highly motivated for ideas on how they could achieve certain things. people gets together, there is a pressing problem, and For example, during the interviews, we discovered 22 there is a facilitation process that provides direction to goals that the group wanted to achieve. David and I foster changes within their countries. The process is discussed how to proceed with the next step because both overwhelming and magnificent. To illustrate this we both knew that 22 goals were probably unmanageprocess, I will share our initial work in Costa Rica with able. We decided to ask the Siglo 21 members what Siglo 21 last summer. they should do next, instead of telling them that they I joined DDW as a volunteer because DDW want- needed to streamline their goals. ed someone who had knowledge and background in At the next meeting, we showed them the 22 goals, organizational development. Our first trip was to San and everyone went silent for a few minutes, overJose, Costa Rica, to meet with a newly formed group of whelmed by the sheer number of goals. Finally, one of seven very highly motivated individuals. Several times the members stood up and explained his concern that during the week, David shared that he was nervous there were too many goals and they needed to conabout how the week would unfold and whether or not dense the list. After much discussion, everyone soon we would be effective in helping Equipo Siglo 21 (which agreed. We decided that we would spend the next day translates to Team 21st Century) to achieve its goals. I prioritizing and coming up with action plans. This gave told David we needed to “trust the process” because if the group time to “sleep on their ideas” and come back the right people were in the room, they would make it with a fresh outlook. happen. Even so, I was apprehensive because I was We assembled the next day and immediately delved also unsure what the outcomes would be, even though into a discussion of the goals posted around the room. September 2012 1