The RIU Tanzania coordinator ponders about her role as her son asks "mom what exactly do you do?"
14 July 2010
Every time I go to shower, I ponder about what we do in RIU.
My sons saw me talk to farmers after one of the farmer exchange visits to hatcheries. The youngest asked me "mom are you a politician? People were clapping and laughing when you talked"…. and later his brother asked "mom what exactly do you do?" I wished I was a teacher as the answer would have been very simple.
Every time I go to shower, I ponder about what we do in RIU.
My sons saw me talk to farmers after one of the farmer exchange visits to hatcheries. The youngest asked me "mom are you a politician? People were clapping and laughing when you talked"…. and later his brother asked "mom what exactly do you do?" I wished I was a teacher as the answer would have been very simple.
As a matter of fact a lot of running around happens here at RIU but we can't describe what we do in a very precise way. I am glad that nobody expects us to do so. However, it is good to do so. The thing is, we are playing everywhere in the football match. We are defenders, mid-fielders, strikers, the referee, commentators, spectators, camera men, you name it! But at least today I got some words that I think will help to shed light on what we do at RIU Tanzania.
You may wish to know that:
But finally this is how I can express what we do:
To me, innovation brokering is like working in a kitchen for hours preparing a delicious meal knowing that everyone's ultimate interest is on a good meal. The chopping, peeling and pounding done by the chef although very important will usually go unnoticed even by the chef himself. Almost intuitively, societies have for generations respected and protected these roles even when embracing new technologies and lifestyles. Kitchen tools, utensils and recipes have changed but the cook's role has never been doubted. During all these years, it has been clear that you cannot omit the role played by a cook and expect a good meal. Likewise, it is high time the word is clear that we cannot omit the brokerage role and expect innovation to take place. Whether, intended or unintended, formal or informal, behind any innovation there's a significant amount of brokerage done. What is needed is a good understanding of this role with the intention of making it more visible and effective. From what I have experienced, I will not doubt its usefulness in development processes although I may fail to describe it to the last detail.
As we broker innovation within the poultry sector in Tanzania we act as a catalyst in the innovation process without being a producer of knowledge or its user. However, many are the times we had to innovate ideas (it's like digesting available knowledge and produce a strategy/practice or an adapted knowledge), so that our clients could also innovate, and in most cases they innovated around the ideas we innovated, without which what they ultimately achieved wouldn't have taken place. To be honest, most of the initial impetus was drawn from us, the brokers. And at some point it was all too obvious that we had to manipulate certain actors to participate in order to make the entire system work. If we did not, most of the actors would not have left their comfort zones and the status quo would not have changed.
This makes the brokerage role even more profound and important in a context dominated by poor, less enterprising and highly risk-averse individuals like in Tanzania.
It is like you pass by and see a crowd waiting to cross a river and notice that none of them is actually crossing. Then you suggest different options, hold the crowd together, build their confidence, make everyone work towards a solution, resolve conflicts, encourage the weaker ones and at times be ready to test the waters yourself - to prove to the crowd that it is safe to cross. Then you remain behind admiring the crowd crossing and looking forward to help yet another group! It is likely that the role you played is forgotten when everyone reaches his/her destination but it will forever remain a fact that, you played an important role.
You may wish to know that:
- sometimes we have personal talks with a particular actor and I feel like we are preaching or counseling
- when we meet with a group of farmers we end up inspiring, encouraging and giving tough love to break the dependence syndrome and push them out of their low self esteem attitude…I end up feeling like a preacher
- when we negotiate with a chick producer I feel like a banker…
- when we meet a dead end... I act like ship captains-making tough decisions which are full of risks knowing that my life is also at stake!
- when all is going well we feel like spectators
- when we desperately want the government to do something, we lobby and feel like activists
- when the program is externally attacked, we behave like a gang of revolutionaries
- at times we feel just like errand boys! (hahaha!)
- and so we go on…
But finally this is how I can express what we do:
To me, innovation brokering is like working in a kitchen for hours preparing a delicious meal knowing that everyone's ultimate interest is on a good meal. The chopping, peeling and pounding done by the chef although very important will usually go unnoticed even by the chef himself. Almost intuitively, societies have for generations respected and protected these roles even when embracing new technologies and lifestyles. Kitchen tools, utensils and recipes have changed but the cook's role has never been doubted. During all these years, it has been clear that you cannot omit the role played by a cook and expect a good meal. Likewise, it is high time the word is clear that we cannot omit the brokerage role and expect innovation to take place. Whether, intended or unintended, formal or informal, behind any innovation there's a significant amount of brokerage done. What is needed is a good understanding of this role with the intention of making it more visible and effective. From what I have experienced, I will not doubt its usefulness in development processes although I may fail to describe it to the last detail.
As we broker innovation within the poultry sector in Tanzania we act as a catalyst in the innovation process without being a producer of knowledge or its user. However, many are the times we had to innovate ideas (it's like digesting available knowledge and produce a strategy/practice or an adapted knowledge), so that our clients could also innovate, and in most cases they innovated around the ideas we innovated, without which what they ultimately achieved wouldn't have taken place. To be honest, most of the initial impetus was drawn from us, the brokers. And at some point it was all too obvious that we had to manipulate certain actors to participate in order to make the entire system work. If we did not, most of the actors would not have left their comfort zones and the status quo would not have changed.
This makes the brokerage role even more profound and important in a context dominated by poor, less enterprising and highly risk-averse individuals like in Tanzania.
It is like you pass by and see a crowd waiting to cross a river and notice that none of them is actually crossing. Then you suggest different options, hold the crowd together, build their confidence, make everyone work towards a solution, resolve conflicts, encourage the weaker ones and at times be ready to test the waters yourself - to prove to the crowd that it is safe to cross. Then you remain behind admiring the crowd crossing and looking forward to help yet another group! It is likely that the role you played is forgotten when everyone reaches his/her destination but it will forever remain a fact that, you played an important role.
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