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#TyasSocialProject #4

I started through 3 months assessments

The next step after chosen is to work. But at that time I offered an arrangement that I have never done before in any form of work I have experience all this time.

I offered an arrangement without pay. Voluntarily work without pay. As I begin to learn to understand the work and the challenges I did not know if this could be the next career path for me. I questioned myself. This is not working like any other previous working situation I have done in the past. It is a unique working environment.

And so I offer to use the first 3 months probation to really get to know each other. To understand each sides and so I say, let’s asses each other. I learn about the you, the Foundation. And you guys can learn about me. Are we fit together. We might not be a good match. And so I decided not to get paid. So I dive in, heart first.

Was it a mistake or not, feel free to be the judge of it. Entering a professional work without pay. Entering a job, starting to work full and giving your heart and soul into something that put your professional integrity on the line.

I decided pro bono as I put my heart first in this situation. My heart say I wanted to help. And this is a foundation that really needs help. I was so drawn to the cause, the only thing that matter for me was, nobody was willing to do it but me. So I feel I had to do it. Nobody was available. I hoped at that time, through my experience may give learning and inspirations for those who wants to craft their career with Pita Kuning. If I had to be the 1^st to jump, so be it.

Because I felt I didn’t know anything about the industry. I started by looking at the situation and the big picture of what is happening with Pita Kuning and the industry. I didn’t understand. Why, how.. In any situation or problem, however we look at it, I always start with a based on a simple question why ? Nothing is never without a cause. As evenly can and cannot is always because of one rationale and a cause.

Even though I was already chosen, honestly my process in working for this Foundation made a tremendous impact towards me professionally and as a person.

My experience with  cancer as closest to me was what had happened a year ago with one of my member of my team when I was at PSF.  She came in to the office by December, had intensive check up by February, on April it was confirmed CA, June she was not able to work anymore and then October was when she passed away. So fast.

My mother in law also passed away because of cancer. She was the mother of my husband that has passed also to cancer. She was verdict a year but made through til 4 years living. However it is, to me, childhood cancer is something very new to me.

Besides the facts, I realised that to tidy up an organisation that is already established in 8 years was not an easy task. By definitely with my background experience of course.

And so we set a timeline. October to December, 2015. And then I dive.

As I started to swim, I knew that the 1^st thing we have to deal with was the process transition from old to the new. Change management. But before that, I needed to learn about this organisation as much as possible, as fast as I could.

At that time, I understood very much that planning is still a blur if you don’t understand childhood cancer and how culturally works in the world of social foundation. Especially cancer foundation, how on earth you can make a solution when you do not know what is the actual problem. If there are problems to solve.

Yes, I do have some experience in social institution with Putera Sampoerna Foundation but PSF is, nevertheless, is a corporation. It has all the professional elements on hand, resources and also a complete support of infrastructure. Not to mention around 800 staff on board. PSF although was an organisation with social purpose but it run based on corporate business settings. Very professionally.  My experience with PSF was to establish digital social media for business but that is another story I would like to take you soon.

Anyway. At that moment, this was me and me alone. Of course it was scary entering an unknown territory. But like Seth Godin said, if it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.

So I started doing the research. I came to the hospital (RSKD read Rumah Sakit Kanker Dharmais). I visited RS Kanker Dharmais as much as I could. Get aquatinted. Try to make friends. This is a process where I need as much to open my eyes, my heart and be very open minded. Man ! Did I need to be open (LOL).

Inside the organisation I met with everyone on board. Those at that time was the operational team. And so I ask to meet with them. One by one I interview them so that I get to know them better. To assess, to learn more, to understand, that was the goal.

• Do they want to move forward
• What was their contributions
• Do they have any worries or ideas
• Do they understand Pita Kuning problems
• Do they want to make this better.

After 3 months I begin to understand more about the members and how they are proceeding each programs or activities.

I understood their concerns. How they wanted to do more but not knowing what to do how and when. Or how to help and where to start.  I begin to understand the problems they are facing in their daily activities whether at the hospitals or related directly or not with the organisation.

Getting to understand the picture of boundaries and the will of being a volunteer at Pita Kuning. Stories came from all sides and from everywhere. Not pouring out though. Not like I wanted. I had to dig in information and be creative in searching what I need as supporting info.

Other that from the community of within the organisation what becomes important as well was the perception or when received any data or concrete evidence that could share stories of Pita Kuning conditions.

Whats going inside the operational process ; like the program or servicing activities and what has happen each year, legal status, financial status, work processes, milestone and what have the organisation has achieved.

Then externally, I started to study more on what is out there in related with Pita Kuning in whatever the type of organisation are the same or not.

I started seeing from the eyes of an outsider, naturally. And started to learn, questioned, seeking more information on how people understood about this foundation.

• Who knows about this foundation, Yayasan Pita Kuning Anak Indonesia ?
• What do people know ?
• What are the perception of this foundation ?
• From Pita Kuning side as part of the ecosystem in prevention or countermeasures of cancer in Indonesia. How does other foundation do their contribution, what about the hospitals, volunteers, parents of the child with cancer and donors see in Pita Kuning ?
• What are the challenges and boundaries Pita Kuning is facing with their other foundation friends ?

“Because from my point of view, in organisation that is driven by social cause, humanity, be it by an individual or an organisation, we should come together and help each other.” 

• And lastly, what is also most importantly is how the needs and the supports are really being treated. How does fitting the benefits meaning towards the main purpose of all, the children with cancer and their parents?

Information and hopeful wishes for this foundation was received without filter. It was not any problem for me as the most significant value. And as I would put in compartments in my head that later on would be useful as the planning begins to start. Or, as one need at the right moment of time.

My difficulties, of course was getting those information. Heheheheh. There are times that I would really made my eyes wide open, sigh in silent, stroke my chest or forehead, or even, just walk away as calm as possible (as deep inside my heart no one knew ^_^) and decide to worry about it later. Difficult is just another word to it.

 

Emenda Brahmana,  a dear friend that I convinced to help us and then later became one of our skilled volunteer, an advisory for Pita Kuning in anything HR , see me as someone who tends to take charge and worry about it later. Hurt, wrong or bad s never a problem. Hehehehehe , she was right. Emenda is one of my best friends that came in and support us from the start of this new era.

 

 

Within 2 months from October 2015 to December 2015 I should have understood the problems and conditions of this foundation during that time. In December I have promised to submit my assessment towards this foundation and my recommendations for this foundation.

And so in the end, what have i gathered ?

On 14th December 2015 we sat down together again with Pandji Pragiwaksono,  Steny Agustaf and also Lanang Aribowo.

What did i bring ? A preliminary planning.

What is a preliminary plan. It is a sequence of learnings based on some assessments that fits within the objective of this project. To show a definition picture with insights and findings, that was gathered, and needed to be discussed, explore together, expanded together with each stakeholders committee before it is executed.

In the beginning of the planning, for whatever reasons or needs, I always make sure we have a define framework of what we can envision together. It is needed to guide us, to make us stay on track and to show what’s next together with the leaders or the owners of this Foundation, in this case, they are the Councils of Pita Kuning.

This time I divided the planning into 2 parts

1. Assessment and recommendation
2. Change Management Plan that consist of the process of re-organisation and service plan

One of the most important understanding I need the management to agree was the importance of why be always be need to be flexible. To have the ability to  look back again to the end goal we are aiming. We have to be ready to change and adjust. As the objective is to seek the best formulation with the condition and advantage this Foundation has. It was the most important highlight that was agreed in the beginning. To be reassess and evaluated in a regular basis and have an intermediate plan. A plan in between a plan.

1. Assessment and recommendation part.

The part of assessment is not to judge one’s state of an organisation but the goal os to give an understanding of where we are right now as an organisation. It is crucial especially for those who are inside this Foundation.

Starting from the external understanding about this Foundation. Reviewing and learning over again on this Foundation’s vision and mission as it has progressed for quite a long period of time. The management team has changed, people come people go, quite the reality check needed to happen. Again to looked over wether things are still suitable or not.

Making things into order from all aspects are the first main priorities.

The organisation structure, mapping out from what is ideal on social foundation with the services versus what is functions are actually running or not.

The services that has been done, how it does, are they as we expect them to be. Are there any rules and regulations like procedures and protocols? Are they any issues, what are the issues, how are these issues being taken care of ?

Financial status. What has happened during these years that can be describe as organisation milestone, or including fundraising.

On this opportunity, I highlighted my findings, the old, the news and the ones i recently found along the way.

From all the problems that this Foundation has, the most ultimate problem was that Pita Kuning from a community based did not level up themselves. How the operate is most likely like a community based group rather than a foundation organisation.

What does that means ? It means that Pita Kuning has been operating its services or programs with the procedures and managing guidelines just like it was as a community. Is that completely wrong ? Maybe partly yes. However we all agreed on the 8 points problems to be solved and needs to be fixed soon.

Again, there is no right or wrong. The main purpose was to trigger discussions and direct the conversation in seeking solutions or action plan. I felt it was necessary to emphasis on the findings and identify them as challenges and barriers towards the objective, the betterment of this Foundation. No matter how hard it takes for some one to understand, no matter how long it took, my job was to put that on the table.In regards to the product services planning, which was a continuance of the findings discussed the month before, I brought a market update. Just to show what is out there. This time, I suggested the discussions towards the problems through customer analysis, SWOT,  review identifications of stakeholders, and therefore the glimpse description of what the product services that could be consider, a base purpose, a promise given, a differentiation and the difficulties within a definition that could be further be studied.

What matter the most for me was how to I could describe the strategy map of Pita Kuning. How all stakeholders would activated in one organisation ecosystem.

It is crucial, when the ecosystem within an organisation cannot survive, how could PIta Kuning be a part of a larger ecosystem, which is the countermeasure part of childhood cancer in Indonesia. How could Pita Kuning give support for those children from underprivileged families. This means, the first goal to achieve is to produce the right benefit support.

Because through that, it will become a learning and a measurable base for Pita Kuning to understood where to go for the next stage. How to proceed, what  form of words or message that could create deeper meaning to a question and identify next activities needed for the next step.

We need also to agreed on what will happens within 5 years and agree on the stages in getting there.

Tracking on quality and quantity to reach that goal were also describe and agreed as well.

A competitive analysis on other organisations that were the same with us, childhood cancer in Indonesia.

After given a thorough description of what the condition of this organisation, I’d also gave a vision of what we want in the future. Where do you want to be.

But to reach there, to where do we want to be, needs, an intermediate plan.

• A temporary recommendation.
• A future recommendation.

Both recommendation shows what to expect and what to achieved. Also, what are the activities and how long.

Temporary recommendation.

I showed some ideas of what we need to do for internal organisation and also externally. Pita Kuning has established for 8 years, quite a long time. Of course the leaders would like to understand how long does it takes to be ready for the next step. So, it’s a negotiation. Every time.

Future recommendation. I gave 3 alternatives.

• Alternative 1. Re-establish YPKAI.
• Alternative 2. Closed.
• Alternative 3. Build a new YPKAI.

Each alternatives will need to be explained and show a clear description and in eventually need to be discussed for enough and sufficient amount of time.

My goal at that time was not to get a decision as fast as I could but to get a mutual agreement on a vision and acceptance of the fact there is. Also a clear vision where we want this foundation to be.

And at that point in time, they unanimously decided to go for alternative 3, New YPKAI. And yes, based on all the findings, recommendation and the direction, they all agreed to proceed with me as Chairman /  Ketua.

Watch this video that I found :

Next, the beginning of change.

Tyas is now Partner Consultant and Trainer on Digital and Social Media at Bangwin Consulting, Freelancer, Writer/Blogger, Podcaster. For project enquiries, tyas@bangwinconsulting.com