Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Pitfalls To Be Avoided in Non-Profit Sector Management

This list of advice for those working in or leading non-profits does not obviously apply to all non-profits but there are some real items that deserve consideration. This list was shared with me by a Malawian colleague during my year in Malawi in 2008-2009. It was developed by a South African consultant. No insult is meant to non-profit work, which I believe in wholeheartedly, it is just important to remember that there can be pitfalls and mistakes in this sector just as there can be in the public and private sectors as well.



TWENTY THREE (23) INEXCUSABLE SINS FOR NGO MANAGMENT!

By Frank Julie

1.   NO CLEAR SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY:
No comprehensive sustainability strategy is in place to ensure the organization is able to reproduce itself and achieve its vision. Remember, the final test for any organization is for it to continue without you. And to continue without you it requires access to resources. Remember, sustainability does not only mean having enough funding. It is much more than that. It starts with the intangibles like vision, mission, strategies and values. And then it is important to have a plan to recruit new donors, maintaining existing ones and get them to give more, limit core expenses by developing cost containment strategies, maximize the contribution by staff, volunteers and the board and strengthen partnerships with NGO’s in your sector. Remember, you cannot sustain your organization by default. You must do it by design!

2.   NO SUCCESION PLANNING
No succession planning is in place. We never think of succession until it is too late. No person is fallible and we cannot control what will happen to anyone at any time. This is why a succession plan is vital. And if you don’t have the skills inside the organization, then go and look outside. But have a plan in place. You can either force staff members to take up a position or you can prepare them for it.

3.   NO RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY IN PLACE
No risk management strategy is in place to protect the organization against the potential loss of property, accidents, funding gaps, staff retention, etc. We usually wait for the crisis to first hit us before we think of putting a risk management strategy in place. Well, will you commit resources to an organization where nobody is aware of the risks involved in operating the organization? Surely not? Then why do you expect donors to do it?

4.   THE BOARD IS REGARDED AS A NECESSARY EVIL
There is no proper investment in board members. No inductions take place. There is no proper recruitment strategy. Many organizations don’t even have a board development budget! The board is seen as rubber stamp. It is what donors require. As soon as board members start to ask difficult questions then they become a liability. Then they are set up against the staff and critical information is kept away from them.


5.   STAFF IS BUSY BEING BUSY
In most organizations everybody is so busy being busy! There is either too little time or no time for proper planning and quality reflection to extract valuable lessons and learnings from the field. Staff members work for 8 hours a day or more on structured work and leave no time for responsive work. Then they must take work home. The result is continuous burn out and stress! Staff members come to work with no work plan, no clear objectives related to the strategic focus of the organization and no clear outcomes to be achieved. The result is duplication of work, confusion, chaos and tension reflected in personality conflicts. Then people get in each other’s way!  Instead of proper communication the noise levels start to increase!

6.   NO CLEAR OBJECTIVES
Some organizations either have no proper objectives or when they have it is too many. And sometimes the objectives are confused with aims. Remember, an aim is a general statement of intent or an ideal. It is something you wish for. An objective is a specific and measurable activity that you engage in to achieve this ideal. It is the rung on the ladder. The aim always comes first. Unless the objective is clear then your specific course of action will also be unclear. Because the way you act is the way you think! Or to put it differently, the way you attack a problem is the way you conceptualize it. This is why one can find staff members come after 6 months or more to report work left undone! They are paralyzed in their thinking and therefore paralyzed in their actions.  

7.   CONDONE POOR STAFF PERFORMANCE
Most leaders are not able to get rid of poor performing staff. Now this is a very serious challenge within many NGO’s. There is a good reason for this. NGO’s are value based organizations where we work to help people change lives and so we are very reluctant to let people go when they don’t perform. We feel sorry for people. Past attachments also influence these decisions. In fact, we will tolerate poor performing staff and sometimes it will go on and on. But letting the person go is not an always an option. We may even redeploy the person, change the job description which is a code word for trying to ignore the problem. This is dangerous. Condoning the incompetence of one person condemns the whole organization to mediocrity. It becomes a cancer that will eat away at the whole organization. Any person who is incompetent and cannot deliver according to predetermined expectations should be immediately removed for the sake of the organization and the person her/himself.

8.   NO PROPER POLICIES IN PLACE OR NO IMPLEMENTATION
There are no proper policies in place. And where policies exist they are not implemented or implemented properly according to a procedure. In the absence of policies it is a free for all. Leaders do as they want. Where policies exist they are manipulated to suit small elite within the organization. Every decision taken becomes ad-hoc or just to suit the moment. There is no consistency. It is in this climate that nepotism or favouratism will rear its ugly head!

9.   NO PROPER FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
There is no proper financial management from the strategic plan and its strategic objectives to the annual financial plan, quarterly financial plan, monthly budget plan to the daily cash flow analysis. Forget about being transparent about these plans if they exist. Usually a small clique will control all information related to finances. We swear to transparency but well, when it comes to finances it goes a bit too far!

10.               REACTIVE APPROACH TO FUNDING GAPS
There is a reactive approach to funding gaps. There is no proactive response. Funding gaps is a reality for all NGO’s. We cannot control donor agendas and processes. We will always be vulnerable to funding gaps. But we can control our response to it. Start a reserve or sustainability fund. And don’t wait for the next funding crisis. Start today if you haven’t acted already. Remember, if you cannot pay salaries then you must blame yourself, not the funder!

11.               TOLERATING IRRELEVANT PROJECTS
There is no organised abandonment of projects that don’t work and don’t produce results. There is no creative destruction. Some staff members become sentimentally attached to pet projects. Sometimes we are afraid to state the obvious – that a project is not working and not producing results. We are afraid of offending others so we keep on pumping funding into projects that only disappoint. We invest scarce resources into the past! And this is not all. We will even start new projects that will consume more and more limited resources on top of the ones that don’t work.   Sometimes these projects are funded driven and not even driven by need. The worst case scenario is that these new projects are not even funded at all drawing resources away from other projects threatening the performance of the projects that work and produce results.

12.                FEAR FOR EXTERNAL EVALUATIONS
How many organizations are open to external evaluations? How many are prepared to put themselves on trial? We always find excuses to open ourselves up for scrutiny. We only want to hear what we want to hear. In the process we perpetuate internal deformities by not only allowing external evaluations. There is always not enough funding to do this, forget about requesting others to give us an opinion about our development practices. We fear the critical voice always becoming defensive and not open to critique. Remember, development is about being open and not closed!

13.                OVERUSE OF CONSULTANTS
The new trend amongst the well funded NGO’s is to call in a consultant for every little problem. Sometimes this degenerates into only jobs for pals and it fails to develop internal capacity in the organization and the hence the ability to deal with its own challenges in future. Sometimes it is just sheer laziness amongst some leaders. Remember, the solution to any problem lies inside the organization and not with consultants. The role of the consultant is to bring this awareness to the client and to create an environment conducive for solutions to emerge collectively and not imposed arbitrarily by so-called experts.

14.                NO OR LITTLE SHARING OF INFORMATION
There is no regular sharing of financial information and knowing how much the other person is earning is sacrilege! This is a typical corporate practice. Why should you be ashamed of what you earn if you know you deserve it? Why should it be a secret what you work for? You can only be ashamed if you know you don’t deserve what you are earning; if you know you are underperforming. Sometimes staff will not even know who their donors are and how much they are funding. Once again a small clique will monopolize this information, creating the space for corruption and mismanagement of funds.

15.                NO COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
You cannot create continuous interest in your organization without a clearly formulated communication and marketing strategy. I must still find a NGO who can convince me that they have one and more importantly, that it is implemented. Trapped in survival mode, many NGO’s forget to raise visibility about their work in the form of newsletters (print and electronic), websites, blogspots, articles in newspapers, brochures, pamphlets, letters, faxes, block e-mails, etc. So trapped in survival mode, they forget their work is about changing human lives and that they need to celebrate their successes. And don’t hide your challenges! Let others know about it! And tell them what you are doing about it.

16.                STAFF DEVELOPMENT REGARDED AS A LUXURY
Staff development is considered a luxury instead of a necessity. And where there is staff development it is usually not focused and planned.  Some staff members are sent to workshops just to fill up places. And the aim is only for the staff member to perform better in her/his work, i.e. it is only task focus and not also person focused. Remember, you employ a whole human being not just half a human being!

17.                IMAGE NOT CONGRUENT WITH TRUE IDENTITY
The image (what you stand for in public) and true identity (what you actually do in practice) of the organization are not the same. What we write in our proposals, brochures, reports, not the same as what actually happens in reality. They preach accountability but provide each other with secret loans, salary increases, distorting reports, etc to secure the next funding tranche. And then they get the auditors to hide this. Some preach gender equality only to make life difficult for females in the organization. Remember, the proper balance between image and true identity leads to organizational integrity!

18.                PROBLEM FOCUSED APPROACH
Many NGO’s have a problem focused approach in their work. They do not celebrate successes enough. They like to flog themselves unnecessarily. When donors commit funding to projects, nobody celebrates. It is seen as just another donor! So what? The same thing happens when we hear success of stories of beneficiary, .g. a person who is healed, reintegrated into a family and community, someone starting a successful business or accessing sustainable employment, or a policy change effected after pressure by the organizations, etc. Instead we are looking for the next problem.

19.                NO LEARNING ORGANISATION
We pay lip service to a learning organization. It is more rhetoric than substance. Instead of seeing the learning organization as a means to an end it is approached more as an end in itself like some renowned American academics do. Learning is viewed as a neutral construct and not a process influenced by power relations. The learning organization is not viewed in the context of a world of globalization, etc. and as a tool to end social and economic relations based on inequality and injustice.

20.                TOO MANY MEETINGS
Now here is a common illness. Too many meetings leading to analysis paralysis, i.e. we analyze so much that we become paralyzed. More time is spent inside instead of outside the organization where the need and opportunities are.  Remember, sometimes you may not only have too many meetings but you may sit with the wrong people attending meetings. The first question to ask when organizing a meeting is not who should attend but who should NOT attend! Remember, you cannot work and meet at the same time!

21.                NO SOCIAL ACCOUNTING
Financial accounting may be fine. But this is not enough. You need to account socially as well. This is about accountability to the vision and mission of the organization. That means keeping all relevant stakeholders informed about both your challenges and successes. It is your duty to do this. Failure to do this will slowly but surely cause your organization to become irrelevant and degenerate into job creation for a few individuals. Whilst funding last of course!

22.                NO TRACKING OF BENEFICIARIES
There is no tracking of beneficiaries to check the impact of their work. If you want to establish the impact of your work then they are the best people to tell you what worked and what did not work. But we forget about them due to crisis management and losing focus on the real reason why we exist. For e.g. it is rare to find education centres who track children when they reach primary or high school or youth development centers who track youth accessing employment, etc. We simply don’t care. It is too much of a cost! It takes too much time! And we are always busy being busy…

23.                SECRECY AND NEPOTISM IN THE SECTOR
There is no sharing or little sharing of information and other resources within the sector itself. Most of the time we are governed by a scarcity mentality, i.e. that there is always not enough for everyone! We fall into the mindless corporate trap of competing with each other instead of cooperating. And even where forums or networks exist to promote sharing of resources, these will descend into private clubs to keep others out and not bring new ones in.

Please note: This list is far from exhausted. So feel free to add other sins. We can only learn what to do and do it right if we know what not to do and what is simply just wrong and unacceptable!

“Remember, the task of a true leader is to create more leaders not followers!” (John Maxwell)

“A manager is paid to be uncomfortable. If you are comfortable then it is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.” (Peter Drucker)

Written by: Frank Julie, independent development consultant and author of “The Art of Leadership and Management on the Ground” (A practical guide for leaders and managers to develop sustainable organizations for permanent social change)

To read more about the book, view its detailed contents and comments from community leaders and academics around the world, please go to HYPERLINK "http://www.frankjulieblogspot.com" www.frankjulieblogspot.com

To order the book and get a free list of donors in South Africa, please e-mail Zandile Stols (PA) at HYPERLINK "mailto:frankjulie@telkomsa.net" frankjulie@telkomsa.net  



Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Equality Versus Equity


Moving Forward on Corporal Punishment

This blog explores the current status of corporal punishment in the Ghanaian school system with the ultimate aim to expose reasons for reform, and to provide effective alternatives to corporal punishment. The aim is that Ghanaian stakeholders will come to understand the human rights basis for eliminating corporal punishment in schools, and in addition the pragmatic reasons for its abolishment as well. The basis is a human rights based focus, using the paradigm that children, and all other students deserve to have their rights defended and protected. The right to life, liberty and the security of person is not a matter of culture or norms but rather is a universal right, that applies to all, male and female, adult and child, to all citizens of our globe.
Corporal Punishment in Ghana Today
  Currently if a teacher wishes to administer corporal punishment, regulations specify that is must be done under the strict supervision on the head teacher.
  Despite this though in reality corporal punishment is frequently administered outside of the official guidelines.
  Examples leading to corporal punishment include
  incorrect answering of questions in class,
  being late for school or
  showing even slightly unruly behaviour.
  2/3 of student dropouts cite corporal punishment as the most disliked aspect of their schooling,
Story 1
  John was only 7 years old and he cited the long distances he had to walk to school as the factor which ultimately drove him to drop out. The distance he had to walk to school meant that he often arrived at school late, which led to punishment (caning), and made him miss school for fear of further punishment, so affecting his academic progress
Story 2
·         Mensah, a young boy, dropped out of school on account of the punishment he had received. “The teacher confiscated my flip-flops and caned me for wearing them to school … but I do not have any other shoes and cannot walk to school barefoot.”
Legal Status
  At present corporal punishment remains legal in Ghanaian schools and the Education Act allows for “caning up to six strokes by a head teacher or person authorised by the head.
  Ministerial directives advise against the use of corporal punishment in schools but this has not been confirmed in legislation.
Historical Context
  Corporal punishment has an ancient history reaching back in the historical record at least to ancient Greece and the times of the Old Testament
  What other things that may have been historically practiced are no longer tolerated (examples could include slavery, Africans and women without the right to vote etc.
  History does not mean there can’t be change and at times it means there must be change.

Human Rights
  Many of our previously practiced behaviours that we now condemn  have changed over the centuries, often based on the concept of human rights.
  Universal human rights provide a connecting vision of humankind that can be a catalyst for change.
  Education plays a key role in instigating this change by planting the seed of core human rights and global citizenship.
Convention on Rights of the Child
  Article 37 of the Child’s Rights Convention (CRC) of which Ghana is a signatory to, requires that “no child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”;
  Article 19 requires states to protect children “from all forms of physical or mental violence”.
  The Committee on the Rights of the Child – the monitoring body for the CRC has addressed corporal punishment.
  They repeatedly emphasise that this includes the prohibition and elimination of corporal punishment.
  The Committee has also emphasised that it is referring to all corporal punishment, “however light”.
Religious Rights
  In Ghana it is frequent that faith based arguments are raised supporting the need for corporal punishment, often based on the Bible or Shariah law.
  International human rights law does protect religious freedom, but such freedom cannot infringe on the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
Nothing New
  Human rights are not new, but rather are principles and ideas that have been found in cultures and religions around the world for several millennia .
  Not many would argue that individuals do not have the right to be protected from violence, exploitation and abuse and in that spirit we should consider children.
  Think about this when reading the following quote “Children are not mini human beings with mini rights. As long as adults continue to regard children as mini human beings, violence against them will persist.”
Negative Results of Corporal Punishment
  Corporal Punishment, even if one is not swayed by the rights of children, has now been shown to be detrimental to its own goals and to the health of children who suffer under it.
  Repeated studies have found disturbing links between the application of corporal punishment and an increase, after the punishment in aggression, delinquency and even spousal assault later in life.
  The linkages have become clear after years of research, physical punishment elicits aggression.
  An increase in aggression is not the only risk though, there is a broad range of negative outcomes as a result of corporal punishment.
Violence Begets Violence


  No study has found that physical punishment enhances the developmental health of children.
  CP has been shown to lead to increased absenteeism, self-esteem issues, anxiety, and increased violence.
  Other studies show that CP can lead to mood disorders, mental disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse/dependence, and personality disorders.
Hidden Message in Corporal Punishment
  Children pick up on the unspoken message that corporal punishment communicates,  a message that “encourages a view of children as less worthy of protection and respect for their bodily integrity based on outdated notions of their inferior personhood.
  The other message is that hitting is an acceptable means of dealing with conflict.
Some are Campaigning against Corporal Punishment in Africa

Discipline Problems and Solutions
  When considering alternatives to corporal punishment it is important to first understand some key ideas.
  Discipline problems must not be confused with discipline solutions.
  The problems with discipline that teachers account in their school must be separated from the way the school responds to those problems.
  “There is a tendency for teachers who are against prohibition to point to children’s behaviour as demonstrating the need for corporal punishment.  But children’s behaviour does not necessitate a violent response”
Discipline vs. Punishment
  Discipline is not the same as punishment. Real discipline is not based on force, but grows from understanding, mutual respect and tolerance.
  Corporal punishment tells children nothing about how they should behave. On the contrary, hitting children is a lesson in bad behaviour.
  It teaches children that adults find it acceptable to use violence to sort out problems or conflicts.
Respect versus Fear
  Respect should not be confused with fear. “Good” behaviour due to fear of being punished means that a child is avoiding punishment, not showing respect.
  Corporal punishment can appear to be effective when it results in immediate compliance, but its negative short and long term effects are well documented.
Alternatives to Corporal Punishment
  Provide direct instruction to students in social skills and problem-solving strategies.
  Use positive reinforcement to teach and maintain the use of appropriate problem-solving and social skills.
  Use social reinforcers such as teacher feedback, peer pressure, and other self-esteem enhancing activities to support and maintain the use of problem-solving and social skills.
  Apply logical consequences that will teach students personal responsibility for their actions; for example. losing the privilege of participating in special school activities.
  Consider the use of time out, which may allow students to learn to take control of their actions and ultimately, in conjunction with instruction in social skills, to cease their undesirable behavior.
  Employ problem-solving classroom meetings and/or school assemblies with honest discussion of problems to encourage student ownership of and responsibility for solutions.
  Establish contractual agreements that clearly outline consequences with students and their parents to enhance the development of self control behavior.
  Establish a variety of strategies for communicating with parents.
  Establish an in-school suspension program, supervised by a responsible adult, in which the student performs curricula-related activities.
  When necessary. and possible, refer students to a counselor, social worker and/or psychologist.
  Evaluate and arrange appropriate curriculum and adequate support for students who need academic acceleration, special education, alternative education or services for achieving English proficiency.
  Consider the use of suspensions and/or expulsions only after all other alternatives have been exhausted.
Corporal Punishment and Religion
  Often there are arguments that corporal punishment is supported or even mandated by certain religious texts. 
  It is important to understand that in this situation there may be a lack of awareness that there may be alternative interpretations which would promote non-violent disciplinary measures.
  Over the last two decades there has been a  “growing faith-based support for ending the use of corporal punishment
  An increasing number of “religious leaders promoting non-violence in childrearing.
   For example, at the 2006 World Assembly of Religions for Peace in Kyoto, Japan, more than 800 faith leaders endorsed “a religious commitment to combat violence against children”, including prohibiting all CP.
Relevant Christian Passages
  Parents, don’t be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord - Ephesians  6:4
  “What do you want me to do when I arrive? Do you want me to be hard on you or to be kind and gentle” - 1 Corinthians 4:21
  “Parents, don’t be hard on your children. If you are, they might give up” - Colossians 3:21
Relevant Muslim Passages
  The Prophet said: The Compassionate One has mercy on those who are merciful. If you show mercy to those who are on the earth, He Who is in the heaven will show mercy to you (Abu Dawud, 4941)
  “Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), the servant of the Prophet, had another recollection: I never saw anyone who was more compassionate towards children than Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) (Abdullah, parag. 8)
Conclusions
  The key thing to remember is that corporal punishment does not make children feel responsible for their own actions, the fear of getting caught causes them to avoid confrontation with teachers up to and including dropping out.
  In addition the students become focused on the punishment, rather than on the misbehaviour.
  Educators should care about the success of their students, so pitting the teachers against them as the enforcers of corporal punishment undermines this role.
Ghanaian Proverbs
  When times change, so must we.
  Force against force equals more force






Poverty Has a Creation Story: Let's Tell It

Interesting article from authors Martin Kirk and Joe Brewer which can be found at http://thinkafricapress.com/culture/poverty-has-creation-story-lets-tell-it


Poverty Has a Creation Story: Let's Tell It

It is rarely explained how poverty is perpetuated, leading many to see it as natural and inevitable. If poverty is truly to be tackled, the logic of the debate must be changed.

A Ugandan boy looks into the camera. Photograph by bel0ved.
What would you say if we told you that the biggest obstacle to eradicating poverty is the way we think about it? That the human mind and our common sense logic about how the world works is where the battle to end poverty must first be waged? How might that alter how we approach concerns about economic development, healthcare, education, women’s rights, trade relations, and national debt?
We all know what “common sense” is supposed to mean. And it’s a bit like ‘taste’, in that most of us think we have it. If there is anything that epitomises the concept of simple truth, common sense is it. In fact, Merriam-Webster describes it as "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts”.
It is such a feather-light, seemingly benign little phrase. And yet it is a driver of almost all human problems in the world. This is because what we call ‘common sense’ informs everything we do – it is the water our minds swim in. And, like fish in water, we barely recognise it’s there, let alone know how to account for it.
But contemporary research in cognitive science tells us that, rather than being a reliable and simple thing, common sense is a highly complex and largely invisible collection of subconscious mechanisms, intertwined assumptions, persistent bodily experiences and habitual perceptions layered up over our lives. It is shaped and influenced by the cultures we live in, and it can be faulty and misleading in all sorts of ways.
In fact, if there’s one thing we can be sure of, it’s that we can never assume clear or absolute – and certainly never ‘simple’ – common sense. Because we have human brains, we inevitably hold false information; are beholden to the perspective engendered by our own particular lives; and rely on stereotypes and archetypes to understand both ourselves and each other. This means, however well-educated or seemingly dispassionate we strive to be, we are always and forever prone to selective understanding and knee-jerk, irrational, and emotional judgments.

Swimming in common sense soup

So how does this apply to the practice of tackling inequality and poverty? Well, as with everything in life, there’s a lot of ‘common sense’ employed around ideas of inequality and poverty by NGOs, foundations, businesses, government agencies, and the broader public. It is the implied logic we subconsciously employ to filter and process information. For example, it informs whether we understand poor people more as victims or perpetrators of their situation.
This ‘common sense’ is inevitably mixed with ideas of race, class, gender, nationality and any number of other variables, and inevitably affected by factors such as personal experience, age, educational background, social and cultural environment, and even mood. What we usually call fact, data, or empirical evidence therefore exists as one type of seasoning – albeit a very important one – in a highly personalised soup of thought. So understanding the ‘common sense’ logic that exists in our minds – individually and collectively – around inequality and poverty is essential if we are to engender action that might tackle it successfully, not to mention sustainably.
Luckily for anti-poverty activists and groups, a lot is now known about the science of common sense. Linguists have studied it for decades, revealing the mental structures (called “frames”) that organise our social experiences into webs of inferential logic and associated knowledge. Psychologists have identified the emotional triggers that give rise to moral judgments, values and beliefs. Brain researchers have shown how perceptions arise as information processed in our heads. In other words, these frames – this ‘common sense’ – can be defined, studied, measured and affected in a rigorous and systematic manner to improve our effectiveness in real-world campaigns. What is needed now is for practitioners in the field to adopt this learning as a new standard, and put it into everyday practice.

Poor, passive, undifferentiated

To date, precious little work has been done to study common sense when it comes to inequality and poverty. We helped prepare the Finding Frames report (published in 2011) that looked at this question in the British context, and have commissioned some top-line research into global common sense for our global anti-poverty campaign /The Rules, but so much more needs to be done. Anti-poverty advocates need to understand how it varies across geographies and in different cultural contexts if we are to build a coordinated, planetary-scale response to the structural causes of inequality.
What is clear from preliminary studies is that attitudes to poverty in the UK, and very possibly across the Global North, are not encouraging. When we looked at all the available data and did some linguistic analysis, we found a set of very troubling underlying assumptions. The soup, you might say, was off.
The whole study can be seen here, but in summary most people conceive of global poverty as an issue synonymous with “aid”, which is seen as an act of charity. Charity, in turn, rests on the interaction between a powerful giver – be that an individual or a nation – and a grateful receiver. In this common sense, agency lies almost exclusively with the powerful givers; the grateful receivers are simply understood as poor, needy, and without control over their own destiny. Further, in global settings, “the poor” are understood as an undifferentiated group without intrinsic strength, often referred to through the shorthand of “Africa”, where nothing ever changes. It is in the photos of starving children in fund-raising advertisements; in pop concerts designed to raise a few million pounds or dollars; and in nonprofit charity shops where secondhand goods are bought and sold cheaply that this common sense of poverty is perpetuated.
This won’t surprise most people who live in the Global South (another label that tends to cluster people into a category of anonymity). When you are on the receiving end of negative, judgemental or paternalistic frames, you can feel it. What might be more surprising is some of what we found when we looked more at the global picture.

The need for a creation story

One of the major discoveries from our research was that anti-poverty groups, both in North and South, rarely if ever explain where poverty comes from. This is a critical omission in the common sense of poverty. It means there is a gaping hole in the logic that stands in the way of commensurate action to tackle it. In other words, because there is no commonly understood creation story, there is no clear, logically robust understanding of (a) what causes poverty, (b) who the principal actors are, and therefore (c) a solution that can be readily and widely accepted.
Every religion has a creation story. So does every tribe, nation and ideological camp. The creation story provides the original cause from which all else follows. For example, the Story of Original Sin from the Abrahamic religious tradition tells us where human fallibility came from – an apple plucked from the Tree of Knowledge by an unwitting woman in the Garden of Eden. It offers a historic context from which all evil sprang forth onto the world in a moment of human weakness. And it does so with such memorable visual concreteness that most of us can recite the entire tale thousands of years after it was first written down.
Poverty, as we talk about it today, has no creation story. It lacks a commonly understood cause. And so there is no logical solution for how to end it. In other words, there is no mental architecture that helps us intuit and envision it ever being eradicated. To succeed at changing this common sense, anti-poverty groups will need to introduce a creation story

Shifting the narrative of poverty

So where does poverty come from? An in-depth answer to this question is not within the scope of this piece, but we published this article recently to bring attention to what we believe are structural and systemic causes of inequality – a set of financial rules introduced by an elite minority to game the global economy. We have recently launched a new organisation, /The Rules, to embody and promote this common sense in the operational setting of campaigns and collective actions.
Empowered with this creation story, we can mobilise around concrete goals that readily make sense within the context of the economy as a cooperative game. Employing this commonplace frame to make sense of our collective experience, we are able to tell a story about the unfair policy structures that were set up intentionally by a recognisable cohort of people to extract wealth and pool it in their personal coffers. It was this common sense that fuelled the Occupy Movement in 2012, enabling it to spread from a tiny park in New York to the world stage in a few short weeks – the frame used was already widely shared in the minds of people everywhere. We are now deploying it as a narrative vehicle to deliver what we believe to be deep truths about the state of the world we are living in today.
By framing mass poverty as something that is created by human beings, what we do is fill a crucial hole in the logic for the common sense of poverty. And once this hole is filled, all sorts of new options become more concrete and apparent. Immediately, logical targets arise; it becomes apparent where to invest resources to create meaningful change, and how others can get involved. In short, we gain an agenda for change that is bigger and more radical than small transfers of money from rich to poor and one that, crucially, works with the power of common sense.
Deliberate and mindful framing is essential to effective communication. We are at base camp of a mountain of knowledge that should be considered critical to anyone interested in shifting narratives and common sense, including around poverty. At /The Rules we are working to put this knowledge to use in what will be a long uphill battle against entrenched powers that benefit from the status quo. But before we can succeed against them, we have to deeply and thoroughly understand ourselves.
If we are to transform the political and economic systems that create and perpetuate poverty, we will have to change the logic of the debate. Doing this will require that we incorporate the best science of human understanding into our strategies for communication and engagement. The knowledge exists today for us to begin down this long road to cultural change that we believe to be a prerequisite for success.