Our approach to organizational strengthening therefore combines the ‘outer’ design of structural and procedural changes with facilitating the ‘inner’ shifts in people’s values, aspirations and behaviours.

COCN believes that all organisational problems – technological, financial, social and political – have underlying human causes. At the same time, ill-designed and complex organisational structures, systems and processes can also constrain organisational performance. Our approach to organisational strengthening therefore combines the “outer” design of structural and procedural changes with facilitating the “inner” shifts in people’s values, aspirations and behaviours.

The structures, processes and systems that emerge from our approach should:

• Provide a unique solution tailored to the specific work relations, reporting lines, and communication paths which have proven to be effective in the client environment;
• Be sufficiently flexible and dynamic to effectively respond to situational changes while providing a sense of stability and continuity;
• Help people feel empowered to make and implement good decisions, and help them sustain personal resilience despite the rapid pace of change.

The key to the success of this approach is to emphasise employee participation in the entire process from analysing success stories, to designing future processes and structures, to implementing the required changes. The ways in which people communicate and work together are addressed concurrently with technical or procedural issues that need resolution.