retreat report 2011
TRANSCRIPT
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TableofContents
Introduction........................................................................................................................3
AgendaandSessions........................................................................................................4WelcomeandIntroduction.....................................................................................................4 ParticipantIntroduction..........................................................................................................4 ReflectionandLearnings.........................................................................................................5 Strategicplanning,visionandexpansion................. .................. .................. .................. ....5
PartnershipManagement........................................................................................................6 Training.........................................................................................................................................6 VideoandDissemination.........................................................................................................7 Systemssession...........................................................................................................................7 BrandingandCommunication...............................................................................................8 Organizationaldevelopment,HRandperformancemanagement............................8
Recreation,EnergizersandTeambuildingexercises...........................................9
Feedbackandsuggestions............................................................................................10
Table1:Ratingthedegreetowhichwemetourexpectations........................11
Table2:Ratingtheoverallcoordinationoftheretreat.....................................12
Annexure1:RetreatAgenda2011............................................................................13
Annexure2:Feedbackform........................................................................................15
Annexure3:Presentations..........................................................................................16
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Introduction
Retreat2011markedtheculminationofayearlongjourneyinwhichtheDigitalGreen(DG)familyincreasinglysucceededinachievingitsambitiousmandateto
transform lives of small and marginal farmers around the world. DG is nowpoised to embark on an exciting yet challenging course towards exponentialgrowth. We now plan to grow in numbers, achieve greater impact, improve
qualityanddiversifyintodifferentsectorsofdevelopment.
Not surprisingly, therefore, the focus of
retreat 2011 was SCALING-UP.Specifically,westrovetoanswerHowcan
DGscale-upwhilecontinuingtofinetuneits
model and operations to make it more
efficient and effective? This focus helpedus define retreat objectives, set ameaningful agenda and drive discussion
andoutcomes.Thisyear specialattention
was paid on setting goals, defining theagendaandplanningsessions throughan
iterativeandparticipatorymethodthathelpeduscollatekeyexpectationsfrom
staff.Wearehappytoreportthatbytheendoftheretreatwesurpassedourown expectations and formost part met all our pre-defined objectives listed
below.
1. EnsurefamiliaritywithDGsvisionandexpansiontrajectory2. DevelopanunderstandingofDGsevolutionandcurrentoperations3. Provide a forum to be heard, reflect, share achievements and express
concerns4. Systematicallyaddressorganizationalneeds5. Buildfriendshipsandteamspirit6. Havefun
Held in the historic city of Puri, Odisha
between 23-26 November 2011, the 22-
member DG family was hosted by theCrusaders, the Odisha and Jharkhand team.Besides DG staff, the presence of Ajit Pai,
financialconsultant,andTejeshShah,trustee
and board member, added value andmotivation.Through this reportwe hope to
summarizetheactivities,processes,learnings
and outcomes of the retreat. To have aglimpse of our retreat experience visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN_RFrDaCJE for videos andhttps://picasaweb.google.com/117315560244913299894/RetreatPhotos2011?
authkey=Gv1sRgCKjs377W6rn2Cw#forphotographs.
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AgendaandSessionsTheagendafortheretreatwasdevelopedfollowingaconsultativeprocesswith
inputsfromDGstaffandseniormanagement.Onthebasisoftheagenda,eachDGstaffvolunteeredtoleadatleastonesessionensuringactiveparticipationandinclusivity.
WelcomeandIntroductionVinay and Avinash set the basic
foundationforthenexttwodaysby
introducing the purpose and keyexpectationsfromtheretreat.Vinay
asked each person to pen downhis/her expectations onmetacards,
which were then reviewed at the
endofeachdaytojudgewhetherornot these expectations were met.
The expectations includedunderstanding DGs core activities
andexpansionplans,brainstorming
and strategic planning for thematicissuesandhavingfunandbuilding
teams. By the end of the last daymost suchcardshad been removedto indicate that the team
expectations had indeed been met.The new members who joined the
DG family were then formally
introduced andwelcomed. Avinash,after clarifying logistical issues,
invitedPraveentogooverhoweachsession can be conducted with an outcome and action oriented focus for
individualfollow-up.Praveenpresentedanaction-planningformatandurgedall
participantstoenumerateSMARTgoalsandthematicactionplansattheendofeachday.
ParticipantIntroductionSatyam and Sudha introduced the participants through an interactive game
whereineachpersonhadtoidentifypersonaldescriptionsofacolleague.This
wasalotoffunandeveryonegottoknowsomeunknownsaboutothers.
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ReflectionandLearnings
The reflections and learningssession led byShivaji gave the DG
teamanopportunitytotakeastepback and reflect on theirexperiencesinthelastyearsothat
they could use these learnings astheyplannedahead.Aspreparation
forthissessioneachmemberofthe
DG family was asked to write ashort note on their experiences
withDGinthelastyearinadvance.
This repository of reflections wascirculatedintheteam.Consequentlyeachmemberhadachancetoviewthelast
yearwithDGthroughmultiplelensesandperspectives.Besidesreflectingontheexperiences, positive or negative, the team then identified facilitating and
hinderingforcestheymayhaveexperiencedinthepastyear.Eachmemberthen
devisedwaystostrengthenfacilitatingforcesandminimizethehinderingforces.Thecommonalitiesbetweentheforcesandstrategiesidentifiedmadeusrealize
thatwedidhaveasignificantdegreeofclarityandconsensusonourstrengths
andweaknessesandhadthecapacityto findsolutionstoensureorganizationalandprofessionaldevelopment. Thepresentationsduring theactivity indicated
thattheDGstaffwasalreadytakingchargeoftheirfuturecourseofactionbasedontheirlearningsofthepreviousyears.
Strategicplanning,visionandexpansion
TheprimaryobjectivesoftheStrategicPlanning,VisionandExpansionsession
ledbyRikinwastopresentanoverviewofDGitsevolution,mission,visionandexpansionplanswhilealsoinitiatingaforumtostrategicallyplanforourfuture
actions.Thesessionbeganwithareviewofourgoalsandresults,prioritiesand
strategies,keyevents,people,partnersandcommunities,andlearningsoverthelastfiveyears.Thiswasfollowedbymappingthetrendsofexistingextension
systems, farmer needs, technology factors, and uncertainties. A strengths,
weaknesses,opportunities,andthreats
(SWOT)analysisprovidedan overview of the
internal and external
factors that shape ourability to realize our
objectives. Our visionwas then discussedalong
with the behaviors,
supports, challenges, and steps thatwill be needed to achieve it. Finally, thestructure of our game plan to raise incomes and improve food security for
500,000farmersacross10,000villagesoverthenext3.5yearswasintroduced.
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the issues and recommendations suggested, the core team responsible for
trainingsagreedtoimprovetrainingsthroughaniterativeprocessoflearningandfeedback.
VideoandDissemination
Akhilesh presented a recap of the
activities conducted on the first day, his
first ever presentation. He was a bitnervousbutheconfidentlydidthejob.Dr.
NadagoudaandChandraShekharthenled
the session on video and disseminationquality assurance. This session was
designed to develop a common
understandingofwhatconstitutedqualityvideoproductionanddissemination.This
objective was achieved through aninformativequizwhereinDGparticipantswereaskedtoidentifyflawsinvideo
clipsthatrepresentedfaultydisseminationandvideoproductionpractices.This
quizhelpedclarifyqualityassuranceparametersandidentifyafewbasicissueswith camera angles, shots and facilitation practices. It was felt that the
developmentoftrainingvideosoverthelastyearfor abetterunderstandingofwhat a quality dissemination and video production processwas a step in the
rightdirection.Manyinthegroupfeltthattherewasaneedfortrainingsheldby
expertsinordertohelpoperationsstafftoupgradetheirskillsandknowledgeinvideofacilitationandproduction.
Systemssession
ThissessionletbytheSystemsteamRahul,NandiniandSreenivaswasaonce
ina yearopportunity for the entire fieldteamand the Systems team tomeet
together. The Systems session was designed to help DGmembers familiarize
themselves with Connect OnlineConnect Offline (COCO) and
analytics. The session had foursections - COCO High-levelOverview, COCO Feedback, COCO
Workshop and Analytics Quiz. Aspreparation for the session, the
Systemteamreceivedfeedbackfrom
the field and they were able torespondtosomeofthisfeedbackat
the session itself. The team alsodevelopedaFAQpageforCOCOtohelptheDGteamgetbetteracquaintedwith
how COCO worked. The session began with a high-level schematic of COCO
explainingthemannerinwhichCOCOworkstohelplaypersonsunderstandandworkwith COCOwith greater ease.Thiswas followed bya discussion on the
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feedbackreceivedbytheteamfromthefieldstaff.TheSystemsteamclassified
thisfeedbackintovariousbucketsresolved,notabug,short-term,long-termanddescribedhowthesewouldbeaddressed.Theyalsodiscussedsomeongoing
andforthcomingworkbasedonthefeedbackreceivedpriortotheretreat.ThesessionenabledtheSystemsteamtoaddressandclearsomerecurringdoubts
andquestionsonCOCO.Thefieldstaffwasabletogetsomehands-onexperiencewith some of the trickier aspects of COCO. The third section was a practicalworkshoponCOCOforwhichtheparticipantshadbeendividedintofivegroups.
EachgroupsolvedseveralproblemsontroubleshootinganddataentryinCOCO
onPCssetupbytheSystemteam.ThegroupsalsosolvedaquickwrittenquizonCOCO.Thesessionconcludedwithsomepracticalgroupexercisesthathadthe
participantsretrievingvariousdifferenttypesofstatisticsusingAnalytics.Theyalso had anopportunity toworkwith the Analyticsdashboard to get region-
specific and time-specific statistics. The session was well received with the
participantsratingitwell-planned,informative,effectiveandenjoyable.
BrandingandCommunication
GiventhatDGisonthevergeofexpansion,itwasdeemedessentialtoreflectand
arrive at a unified message that each member of the DG family couldcommunicateinternallyaswellasexternally.Thevisionforthissessionledby
Vinaywas tomakeeachperson abrandambassador.Wefirststartedwithan
exercisecalledtheelevatorpitchinwhichgroupswererequiredtodevelopapitchonDigitalGreenwhoweare,whatwedo,whywedoit,whatourvalues
are,whatourvisioniswhichcouldbedeliveredtoanypersoninlessthana
minute,theamountoftimeittakestoclimb15floorsinanelevator.Attheendoftheexercisewewereabletocollateourideastocollectivelyarriveatacommon
understandingofhowbesttodefineourwork.Afterthisexercise,Vinaysharedthe need to develop standard templates for power points, documents,
letterheads,emailsignatures,IDcardsandothercommunicationmaterials.
Organizationaldevelopment,HRandperformancemanagement
Ondaythree,afterarecapbyGulrez,theorganizationaldevelopment,HRand
performancemanagementsessionconcentratedprimarilyonstrengtheningour
organizationbysettingproperhumanresourceandfinancialsystemswhilealsomotivating the DG team tomaximize professional performance and personal
well-being. To begin with, Vinay proposed a new organizational structurecreated in light of the impending scaling-up. After receiving feedback on the
structure,discussionensuedonlevelsofstaffingandcompensation.Ajitfollowed
this discussion with a presentation on financial reporting and accountingpractices.Amongotherthingshestresseduponintroductionoftimesheetsfor
each project, project-wise expense sheets and reconciliation of equipment on
site.
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ThefollowingdayVinay
initiated discussion onHR and administration
issues. Some points ofdiscussion included
health insurance, traveland daily allowance,relocation costs, leave
travel allowance and
provident fund. AfterHR, Vinayalso shared a
performancemanagementframework
and received some
feedbackon the currentstatus of performance management in different regions as well as invited
suggestionsforimprovementinitseffectiveness.
Recreation,EnergizersandTeambuildingexercises
Inthisretreatwetriedourbesttopayasmuchemphasisoncomingtogetheras
ateamtohavefunaswedidonfindingsolutionstohelpusscaleoperations.We,
therefore, organized not only energizers and team building exercises duringsessionstoliventhemoodbutalsoorganizedpost-sessionexcursionsandteam
activities.
Rashmi organized an energizer calledbombingthecityonthefirstdaythatleft
thegroupquiteliterallyblownoverwith
laughter. At theendof the firstday theOdisha and Jharkhand team organized a
cultural event wherein a troupe ofexceptionaldancersperformedGotipua,a
folkdanceofPuriinwhichboysbelow14
yearsdressup aswomentopraise Lord
Jagannath and Lord Krishna. Theacrobaticposesstruckbytheseboyswere
enthralling. After this performance itwas time for the DGteam todisplay itstalents.TheAndhraPradeshandKarnatakateamperformedacomicskitcalled
AdhunikRamayana (present-day Ramayana). The Odisha and Jharkhand teamenactedaplayonDigitalGreen,itspurposeandimpact.TheDelhiteamdanced
onamedleyofdiscosongsandtotopitall,theMadhyaPradeshteamcombined
allthatwasdonebeforewithaskit,videoscreeninganddanceallrolledintoone.Thenightendedonahighnotewiththearrangementsforfoodanddrinksbythe
pool.
Ontheseconddaywemademostofthebeachrightatthefootstepsoftheresort.WewereluckythatourretreatcoincidedwiththePuribeachfestival.Besides
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sand sculptures we were able to enjoy an Odissi dance performance on the
beach. Some people in the group chose to also visit the Jagannath temple, arenownedtemplebuiltinthe12thcenturydedicatedtoLordJagannath.
Onthethirdday,westartedearlyto
visittheChilikalake,abrackishwaterlagoon,spreadoverthePuri,Khurda
and Ganjam districts of Odisha. We
tookaboatridetoasmallislandcloseto where the lagoon flows into the
Bay of Bengal. Spotting dolphins,
eating fresh seafood and buyingpearlswere definitehighlights. After
the close of the sessions we left forthe Konark Sun temple, a world
heritagesight,whichisalsooneofthe
sevenwondersofIndia.Thetempleisdesignedintheformofachariotdrawnbysevenhorsesand isheavilydecoratedwithstonecarvings.Weare thankful to
theOdishaandJharkhandteamfororganizingtheseexcursionswhichwefoundextremelyculturallyenriching.
Feedbackandsuggestions
In order to capture participant feedback, the retreat organizers developed afeedback form (attached). Based on this, the retreat received an extremely
positivefeedback.Amajorityoftheparticipantsfeltthattheretreathadindeed
met itsobjectives.PleaserefertoTable1which indicates thedegreetowhicheachofthepre-definedretreatobjectivesweremet.Theratingsindicatedinthe
tablerangefrom1to5wherein1=Bad,3=OKand5=Good.Thetableisbased
onasamplesizeof20.
IfelthonoredtobeapartoftheretreatandIamhappytoseethe
energyandtheenthusiasmasDigitalGreenscalesupandreachestomanymorepeopleTejeshShah
The commitment andmotivationof theDGfamilymembershas
really motivated me personally to deliver my best in the new
responsibilitythatI'mcurrentlyinPraveenSriramshetty
Awesome!RikinGandhi
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Table1:Ratingthedegreetowhichwemetour
expectations
Thesixexpectationsaredefinedasfollows:1.EnsurefamiliaritywithDGsvisionandexpansiontrajectory
2.DevelopanunderstandingofDGsevolutionandcurrentoperations
3.Provideaforumtobeheard,reflect,shareachievementsandexpressconcern4.Systematicallyaddressorganizationalneeds
5.Buildfriendshipsandteamspirit,and6.Havefun.
Asindicatedeachoftheseexpectationsreceivedaratingofmorethan3.5.Table2 indicates the feedbackon the coordinationof theretreat.JustasTable1the
ratingsindicatedinthetablerangefrom1to5wherein1=Bad,3=OKand5=Good.Thetableisalsobasedonasamplesizeof20.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
1 2 3 4 5 6
R
atings
Expectations
ExpectationsRating
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Table2:Ratingtheoverallcoordinationoftheretreat
Asindicatedthelogisticsandon-sitecoordinationgotthehighestrank(barring
internetconnectivity),followedbyagendasettingandsessionplanning.
Inorder toassess the levelofsuccess ofeach session,participantswere also
asked to rank each session on five characteristics enjoyable, effective,well-
planned, informative and overall success. The vision and strategic planningsessionledbyRikinalongwiththeSystemsandCOCOsessionledbySystemsteam received the highest scores in almost all categories effective, well-
planned, informative and best overall session.QualityAssurance Video and
Dissemination session led by Nadagouda and Chandrashekhar received the'enjoyable'prize,OrganizationaldevelopmentsessionledbyVinayreceivedthe
'informative'prize,reflectionsessionledbyShivajireceivedthe'planning'prizeand participant introduction led by Satyam and Sudha received the 'effective'
prize.
Wealsoreceivedsomequalitative feedbacktohelp futureorganizers improvethequalityofretreatsinthefuture.Somepeoplesuggestedthattheagendawastootightandthatwemayinthefutureconsiderextendingtheretreatbyaday.
Somealsosuggestedthatweekendsshouldnotbeutilizedforthepurposeofthe
retreat. Some felt that greater emphasis needed to be paid to getting betterclarityondetailsoftheDGprojectsinthepipeline.Someothersfeltthatsessions
neededtobemoreoutcomesorientedwithbetter-defineddeadlines.Otherthanthat some suggested that presentations in the future needed to be vetted by
experiencedpeopleto improvequality.Finally,wereceivedthesuggestion for
distributionofmoregifts.
0
0.51
1.52
2.53
3.54
4.55
Agendasetting Sessionplanning Logisticsandon-site
coordination
Ratings
Coordinationcategories
CoordinationRating
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Annexure1:RetreatAgenda2011
digitalGREENTeamRetreat
Scaling-upDigitalGreen
November24-27,2011
HotelMayfair,Puri,Odisha
Start End Session Objective
Lead
persons
Thursday,November24,2011
9:30 10:00
Welcome and
Introduction
9:30 9:50
Overview and
purpose
Share retreat overview
andobjectives Vinay
9:50 10:00 Logisticsandrules
Share information on
logistics and other
importantinformation Avinash
10:00 10:30
Participant
introduction
Participant
introduction
Satyam
andSudha
10:30 11:30
Reflections and
Learnings
Reflection on last
year'sexperiences Shivaji
11:30 13:00
Vision and
StrategicPlanning
11:30 12:00
Vision and
expansionplan
Map theDGvision and
expansionplan Rikin
12:00 13:00
Theory of change
andengagement
Conceptualize basic
frameworks and
theories Rikin
13:00 14:00 Lunch
14:00 14:15 Energizer Energizer Rashmi
14:15 16:00
QualityAssurance-
Partnership
Management
Reflection. Feedback.
(Engagement models,
sustainability and exit
strategy)
Avinash
and
Abhishek
16:00 16:15 Break
16:15 18:00
QualityAssurance-
Training
Reflection on current
challenges and
strengthsintraining
Gulzar and
Shivaji
19:30 21:00
Cultural show,
campfire&fun
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Friday,November25,2011
9:30 9:45 Recap Recap Akhilesh
9:45 10:30
QualityAssurance-
Video ProductionandDissemination
Improve the qualityof
video production anddissemination
Dr.
Nadagoud
a and
ChandraShekhar
10:30 13:00
Systems,COCOand
Analytics
Update, tutorials and
feedback
Rahul,
Nandini
and
Srinivas
13:00 14:00 Lunch
14:00 14:45
Branding and
Communication
Brainstorm on the
'what' and 'how' of
communication
Vinay and
Shreya
14:45 15:30
Organizational
Development
14:45 15:15
Organization
structure (existing
and emerging in
viewofexpansion)
Share the emerging
organizational
structure Vinay
15:15 15:30 AdminandFinance
Articulate concerns,
share solutions and
executivedecisions
Vinay and
Ajit
15:30 15:45 Break
15:45 17:30
Vision andStrategic Planning
(ctd)
Thematicbrainstorming on
expansionstrategies Rikin
Saturday,November26,2011
Chilikalakevisit
12:00 13:00 Lunch
13:00 13:15 Recap Recap Gulrez
13:15 14:30
Vision and
Strategic Planning
(ctd)
Grouppresentationsof
thematic strategies for
expansion Rikin
14:30 15:15
Performance
Management and
HR
Introduceperformance
management.
Articulate concerns
andsharesolutions. Vinay
15:15 15:30
Feedback and
Closing
Statements
Feedback on retreat
andsessions.Summing
upsession
Shreya,
Avinash
andVinay
Konarkvisit
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Annexure2:FeedbackformName(optional):____________________________
DigitalGreenRetreat2011Wewouldreallyappreciateifyoucouldtaketimeofftofillthisformseriously¬in
consultationwithothers.Weinvitebothbrickbats&bouquets.Pleasegivearating(1-5)
1=Bad,3=Ok,5=Good
Thesearetheretreatobjectives.Pleasegivearatingastowhethertheywereachievedornot.
Objective Rating(1-5) Comments
Familiarity with DGs vision and expansion
trajectory
HolisticunderstandingofDGscurrentoperations Beheard,reflect,flagissues,expressconcerns
Constructively and systematically address
organizationalneeds
Buildfriendshipsandateamspirit
Havefun
Ifyouhadanyotherexpectations,pleasedefine.Werethesemetornotmet?
Wereyousatisfiedwiththecoordinationoftheprogram?
Coordination Rating(1-5) Comments
Agendasetting
Sessionplanning
Logisticsandon-sitecoordination
WereyousatisfiedwiththeSessions? Rating(1-5)undereachcolumn
Session Enjoyable Informative Effective Planning Overall
ParticipantIntroduction
Reflection
Scaling-up
Energizerday1
PartnershipMgt
Training
VideosandDissemination
Systems
Branding and
Communication
Organizational Dev. and
performancemanagement
Whatadvicewillyougivetoensureabetterretreatnexttime?
Pleasefeelfreetomakeanyadditionalcomments.
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