{"id":1459,"date":"2012-07-11T21:25:23","date_gmt":"2012-07-11T21:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.renando.com\/blog\/?p=1459"},"modified":"2021-01-15T22:22:15","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T22:22:15","slug":"a-transforming-evening-with-tear-and-dave-andrews-commercial-lessons-from-a-community-radical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sidewaysthoughts.com\/blog\/2012\/07\/a-transforming-evening-with-tear-and-dave-andrews-commercial-lessons-from-a-community-radical\/","title":{"rendered":"A transforming evening with TEAR and Dave Andrews: Commercial lessons from a community radical"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had the honour to meet author and community sector leader\u00a0Dave Andrews<\/a>\u00a0Tuesday night when he visited a local\u00a0TEAR<\/a>\u00a0group meeting. My first\u00a0impressions\u00a0align with the description on his website of a “weirdy, beardy, proverbially wise-old, kind-old, be-slippered, fire-sided, snoozy, fearless, story-telling, grand-fatherly, rugged, tribal-leader.<\/em>” After our discussion and a bit of research, I will add that he is also revolutionary, dangerous, and incredibly\u00a0knowledgeable on many things related to making a real difference in this world.<\/p>\n

\"Dave<\/p>\n

TEAR Overview<\/h3>\n

A focus of the evening’s conversation\u00a0was on the work of TEAR (Transformation Empowerment Advocacy Relief), for which Dave’s role is Community Empowerment, Exposure and Training Officer. TEAR is unique in that it does not have its own programs but provides a framework to support projects through strategic partners. To the point, TEAR is “involved with development, relief and advocacy projects which focus on the poorest and most marginalised people and give priority to their rights, interests, needs and capacities.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

In 2011<\/a>, TEAR distributed program funds in excess of AUD$10 million for 166 projects with 92 partners in 22 countries. \u00a0TEAR focuses not just on giving funds, but on empowering locals, building sustainability, and creating local relationships and personal engagement. Dave described the efforts as one of a movement<\/em> as compared to working in an agency<\/em>, which aligned with Dave’s approach on other areas discussed in the evening.<\/p>\n

Application in any organisation<\/h3>\n

There are a few take-aways from the evening’s conversation and research into Dave’s work that can be applied in any organisational context, commercial or non-profit:<\/p>\n

1. “Doing the work” versus “creating a program”<\/h4>\n

Dave notes dangers of turning vocation into a profession<\/a>\u00a0such as inappropriate specialisation when a generalist would be more appropriate, overly protective behaviour towards information to protect status, and creating a need to support the\u00a0existence\u00a0of the program or entity. \u00a0Dave draws from his own life as an example, applying his overseas experience on a local level in\u00a0The Waiter’s Union<\/a>\u00a0community group he set up in West End.<\/p>\n

At what point does the profession or persona we are creating become more important than the vocation or outcomes that got us into the role in the first place?<\/em><\/p>\n

2. Appreciative inquiry to validate outcomes<\/h4>\n

Dave notes how TEAR has reduced the\u00a0administrative\u00a0burden\u00a0by consolidating project reporting to multiple agencies using an\u00a0appreciative inquiry approach<\/a>. The approach\u00a0focuses on what is going well rather than what is not by asking: 1) what is best practice, 2) what is going well, and 3) what can be done to get more of what is going well.<\/p>\n

How often do we try to fix what is broken as compared to or at the expense of investing in what is working?<\/em><\/p>\n

3. Open space technology to create conversations<\/h4>\n

Dave referred to open space technology\u00a0 (OST)\u00a0as a mechanism for fostering culture and innovation. OST focuses people on having conversations about what they care about and what they are prepared to commit to. It also allows\u00a0organisations\u00a0to find those with passion and the responsibility to act on that passion. New\u00a0initiatives\u00a0are developed as people think and talk until there is critical mass.<\/p>\n

Are there times when the agenda needs to be discovered versus having the agenda mandated?<\/em><\/p>\n

4. The least of these<\/h4>\n

We discussed at length the paradox of giving to international\u00a0efforts that resulted in\u00a0marginalised local suppliers. \u00a0While it is good that people do good, there is a rise in criticism of popular forms of overseas aid:<\/p>\n