specific questions

Radu Matei – for MCVP Organizational Development of AIESEC Romania

“Impossible is just another realized objective!”

Specific Questions

1. Analyze the organizational structure and outline the implementation plan for the next year and

the evolution plan for the next 3 years. What do you think the organizational structure will bring as

a huge change? (name at least 3 major changes).

I believe the organizational structure has many functions, but its main one is to simplify how we

work so we can increase numbers, aswell as performance. Given correct implementation it fixes issues

related to: ownership and engagement, decisional processes, separation of powers and responsibilities,

planning process and recruitment process.

So far every LC has implemented at least 80% of this structure, but the results will only start to show after

a few more quarters. The important thing here is to make sure we respect its principles and the rest

can be adapted however differently by each LC, depending on its reality.

Implementation in 2012 – this will be the year of storming for ways to adapt to the structure and

forming the processes and activities that will define our organization for the next years. I believe the final

stage for this is to obtain recognition from the Ministry of Work for our “Young Specialists” Program by

firstly being recognized by our local market.

Young Specialist = term used to explain to the external market the function. It takes years

of practice on an area in order to become a true specialist. It’s easier to obtain accreditation and

recommendation this way.

Q1

• structure and its principles are part of the transition

• all forms of departments are excluded and education processes are implemented

• have a pipeline ready for the spring recruitment members including on engagement

• evaluation on the progress so far and give it to BOA and Alumni for feedback

Q2

• the evaluation and feedback results are presented in NC, based on which we work on fixing what went wrong and capitalising on what went well + the network shares good case practices

• we define national processes

• EBs plan according to results

• start innitiative to gain a "young specialist" accreditation from the external market

Q3

• apply and regulate planning set in Q2

• work with ongoing recruitment

• finalize accreditation for "Young Specialist" from the external market

• R&R based on the structure aswell

Q4

• autumn recruitment

• evaluating the progress so far

• R&R

• procedures for "Young Specialists" recognition from Ministry of Work



The huge changes I see the structure bringing are:

- Members – more engaged with the organization and will have a higher ownership on activities and

processes. They will generate new initiatives and find solutions on their own. A direct result of this will be

more time for EBs to use strategic thinking and work with the external market.

- Bigger impact – by having an increased capacity, we will be able to support a larger number of members

without worrying about loss in quality of AIESEC experience.

- More attractive to stakeholders – this structure model significantly increases the number of benefits they

have, by relating the two realities to each other.

2. Outline your country management and development strategy. Based on what criteria will you cluster LCs

and what will you offer to each cluster in terms of organizational development?

1. Research – I want to make sure, that from now on AIESEC Romania takes action being fully informed

about the reality of its market. I will launch a national marketing research campaign which will be

implemented once every year. Ideally it should happen in November, so we can use December and January

to develop products and plan based on the results of the research and in February start selling the products,

taking into consideration that in this month companies usually finish restructuring their budget for the year.

I will work on implementing this campaign regardless the result of MCC.

2. Planning – I see planning done quarterly regarding activities and initiatives and a year-long planning of

objectives, by using a safe model (what can be delivered in reality).

3. Tracking and evaluating – tracking of MOSes proposed and agreed upon by the entire network done

monthly in SONA and evaluating the country by using an improved Clustering System.

4. Measures of correcting, improving or performing – after each evaluation period we will be able to see

what kind of support the MC can provide LCs and what further action to take as a country given the

situations.

5. Simplify and improve the efficiency of processes - by applying business solutions like “Pareto 80-20

rule” and “Pareto efficiency” we can save a lot of time and resources we lose by improperly managing

them.

6. Expansion – support the expansion in Bacau and Baia Mare

2013-> norming stage - increased LC capacity limit

- higher ownership and engagement of members towards their development and @ ELDP

- "Young Specialists" recognized by the local market

2014 -> performing stage - @ RO has doubled its capacity

- working effectively with new pools (medicine, construction...)

- the structure is being implemented in other countries

- recognition from the Work and Education Ministry of Romania

2015 -> redefining stage

- adapting to AIESEC 2020

- Working with Guvernment support

- More relevant impact in society

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_efficiency



7. Financial sustainability and stakeholder focus - Investment in members and projects has never been

more important. We are a project based organization, whose finality is developing young people and our

main resource is the members.

It’s a paradox, because for us to make revenue, we first have to invest some.

Finding how we can be more relevant for our stakeholders and creating more impactful projects is the

way to attract that revenue.

Clustering criteria

Clustering based on LC’s market reality:

Has the role to see what issues do LCs face and determine in what directions of improvement we invest.

Gives standards based on LCs true potential taking into consideration its market (by number of companies,

students, profiles...). This way you no longer have one standard for all LCs, but customized ones, for a

better evaluation.

The market defines LCs as small, medium and big and the clustering system defines the low (under the

standards), medium (meets the standards) and top performers (over the standards), taking into consideration

their market.

Measure health of processes, goal realization (ability to plan) + sustainability. If we want to grow as a

country, we need to make sure that our processes are useful and bring results that we plan according to our

realities + we realize our objectives and that our actions can be sustained long-term.

What I offer as OD to each cluster (performer): All will receive a proper downscaling of national and international strategies

Make sure everyone has the same perspective (include VPs also on the LCP/MC Google Group)

Establish a common desired way of work

All will receive training as LCP(EB) on organizational management and leadership

To low performers:

- Coaching strategy integrated in the LC Visits (unique coach from the MC Team)

- Customized solutions/strategies specific to actual issues

- Contacts and directions from where to get preparation on basic needs

To medium performers:

- Coaching strategy only on request

- Customized solutions/strategies specific to actual issues

- Contacts and directions from where to get preparation on intermediate needs

To top performers:

- Coaching strategy only on request

- Customized solutions/strategies to increase performance and growth

- Contacts and directions from where to get preparation on advanced needs

- Make sure advanced trainings are available for them in national conferences

- Rewards and Recognition

3. Outline you LC support strategy. Define resources that will be used and desired outcomes of

your LC support strategy.

The role and final outcome of this strategy is to help LCs grow and achieve a bigger impact by learning how

to use all the resources available, especially the external market.

1. Educating EBs on: strategic thinking, change management, market research and evaluation, situational

leadership, business models, how to access and work with the external market. All these should be

delivered in Q1 and Q2 together with functional.



Resources: professional trainers, time during national conferences (SprinCo & NC), time during Presidents

Meeting.

Desired outcomes: EBs capable of more strategic thinking and of applying professional leadership tools, LCs

generating solutions on their own and finding help in the external market.

2. LC visits :

- Quarterly LC Visits from MC

- Role = Update the MC on the LC reality, downscaling international/national directions and help on implementing them,

preparation and education on national processes, coaching (if needed) .

- Introducing Coaching and Mentoring for LCs from the MC (customized depending on performance and needs by the

clustering model)

- Unique coach/mentor for each LC (MC member)

- Tracking and evaluating will be mandatory from one LC to the next

- Implemented if agreed upon by the LCs

Resources: MC members time, finance for transport fees.

Desired outcome: MC more connected to each LCs reality and vice-versa, visible signs of improvement and

performance.

3. Growth Networks The strategy I propose for helping LCs collaborate with each other and also diminish the threat of an LC

being non-responsive to others ones’ requests is to create Regional Growth Networks with one Regional

Center (an LC) as a responsible for each of them. Any LC could apply and a regional center’s responsibilities

would be to see the needs of each LC in his region and create a strategy together with the other LCs to cover

those needs, depending on what resources they all have available internally or on the market. A good case

practice = Timisoara-Arad-Craiova-Oradea.

Resources: an extra tracking focus, travel fees (if necessary), LCs time.

Desired outcome: improved collaboration between LCs, regional projects/initiatives, LCs relying more on each

other, faster solutions for problem-solving.

4. Relevant national conference cycle and sessions - Ensure all LCs are involved in deciding the cycle and how it’s thought

- The first priority when designing a conference sessions plan should be the needs of the country extracted

from the clustering system and the needs of our top performers (the needs of the low and middle performers

can be met by other LCs or the local market – advanced trainings benefit them too)

Resources: time to plan and evaluate national inputs

Desired outcome: conferences which respect the general reality of LCs, always delivering top tier sessions.

4. Define a national and local planning cycle that is adapted to the new structure. Define points of planning

and evaluation on both national and local levels taking into consideration the international cycles. Specify

cycles for planning activities, planning objectives and long term planning.

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

International:

February -Week3-4 = IPM

March – Week 2-3 = Euro Xpro

August – Week 3-4 = IC



October – Week 2-3 = EuroCo

National :

January – Week 3 = MC Days (planning LC visits for taking inputs for MC Plan)

February–Week 1=Coaches Meeting(planning LC Visit #3 for current EB with inputs from LCs)

February – Week 4 ->April –Week 1 = Gathering and evaluating inputs from LCs for MC Plan

April – Week 4 -> May - Week 1 = MC Planning Week with LCPs (Vision, MoSes, ND)

May – Week 2 = National Congress

May – Week 4 = Coaches Meeting (Planning LC Visit #1)

August – Week 2 = National conference dates Planning

September – Week 2 = MC-LCP replanning day

November – Week 1 = Succession Planning

December – Week 2 = Financial Audit

Local : January – Week 3 = EB Days (planning directives for Q2 using information from market research done in

Q4)

February - Week4 -> April - Week 1 = LC Visit #3 (planning the next term)

July - Week 1 ->August - Week 1 = Replanning for an entire year (not necessarily LPM)

November - Week 2 = Succession planning

Every Quarter:

National :

- Clustering Evaluation

- SONA Auditing

Local:

- Evaluating the Quarter

- Planning activities focus for next Quarter (replaces the need for LPM)

- Plan initiatives (replaces the need for LPM)

Every Month

National :

- Evaluating the previous month

- Planning focus on activities and objectives for next month

Local:

- Evaluating the previous month (MBO)

- Planning next month’s objectives

5. Outline your strategy of driving AIESEC in Romania into becoming a social enterprise. Taking

this into consideration, specify new products that we should create and what external benefits do

we base them on.

Description: A social enterprise’s main reason of existence is to create balance between positive impact and

generating profit through its activity, where as a business enterprise has the main reason to create profit and an

NGO to create social impact.

In AIESEC the concept was introduced at Euroco 2011, but it only remained as a promoted concept and it

is unsure if it will ever be more than that, however it comes with some very big advantages.

In Romania, a clear legal definition hasn’t yet been placed and a law hasn’t passed until now. There were

3 proposals made in Romania in 2011 for creating a social enterprise law: the first by our Senate (was rejected), the

second by the Ministry of Work based on feedback from NGOs (pending) and a third by a group of NGOS similar to

the second one (pending). So the legal future of a social enterprise in Romania is unsure, but there are

organizations which work using its principles.

Connection to AIESEC Romania:



I fully support driving our network into becoming a S.E., not by structure or legislation status, but by principles

(mentality). We, as an organization, work basically on the same principles as a social enterprise, so the change is

just in how we focus our efforts.

WHY:

- Volunteering year is over and a significant decrease of available funds will be registered in 2012

- The European Union has declared social enterprises as “the only viable economic model for the future” and

starting from 2010 has launched a series of funds to support this activity long-term.

- In 2012 The European Union will launch substantial funds for Romania aswell on these 3 lines: social

enterprise start-ups, promoting the concept and sustaining a social enterprise – all these 3 lines describe

- Projects made by AIESEC Romania, which means we can obtain funds to sustain most of our projects

(including investments in our members calculated in the budget of projects).

- If we don’t act now, we will lose the start and by the time we wake up, every other organization would

have over saturated the market.

HOW: - Accessing free classes/conferences on social enterprises

- Learning from professionals in this area: Petru Pacuraru – President of Leaders (social enterprise) ,

Managing Director of HPDI and alumni of AIESEC Bucharest ; Iulian Ifrim – Founder of Sacosa de

Panza (s.e.), works at Viitor Plus and alumni of AIESEC Iasi and winner of Best Social Enterprise Award

at ELA 2011.

WHAT: - Use current projects and develop new ones which fit the profile and are according to our direction and our

stakeholders’ needs.

- Direct our focus towards profit aswell (50% profit and 50% social impact).

Possible new products – Most of products are based on education, so what we should do is package the ones we

already have in order to be viable (educational projects, Internships, ELD Program). I wouldn’t recommend we

develop new products on other social causes like disabilities and minorities (they can be covered by GCDP); we

should focus on what we do best. Educational projects have the main external benefit of positioning us among our

stakeholders.

6. In your perspective, define at least 1 standard in terms of processes for each MOS. Please specify method of

tracking and minimum value.

MoS Standard Tracking method Minimum Value

MBs MBs retained from previous

recruitment

Monthly, by percentage 50%

TMP How many recommended

their experience


TLP Had at least 3 MBs in the

team


ICX C Raised on new pools Per quarter, in numbers

number

2

OGX C Realized based on AIESEC

Experience

Monthly, in percentage 50%

ICX NC How many Trainees had

their expenses covered by

partnerships or grants


OGX NC Raised from an initiative Per year, in numbers 20

Youth Engaged AIESEC physical events

realized

Monthly, in numbers 1

Organizations Engaged Percentage of them who

wrote endorsements


Alumni Made Growth from previous year Per year, in percentage 15%

Incomes Generated by initiatives Per month, in percentage 70%

Expenses Conference fees for

members

Per year, in percentage 30%

http://www.leaders.ro/

http://www.hpdi.ro/

http://www.sacosadepanza.ro/?page_id=72

http://www.sacosadepanza.ro/?page_id=72

http://www.viitorplus.ro/

specific questions

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