SECTION IV - ATTITUDE, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

 

Basic skills and knowledge are needed along with a positive mind-set or attitude in order to effectively implement the community development process. One way to think about attitude, knowledge and skills is to think about what you need to believe and feel (attitude), what you need to know (knowledge) and what you must be able to do (skills) to successfully undertake a community development initiative. Not every individual involved needs to possess all the skills or have all of the knowledge, but having a common and positive attitude really helps the process move along.

As part of the planning process, it is a good idea to assess the knowledge, skills and attitudes of community members, identify gaps and create a training plan to respond to the gaps. By doing so you will be able to build both individual and group capacity.

The primary attitudes, knowledge and skills that are needed to undertake the community development process are summarized below.

 

Attitude

Attitude is the preference of an individual or organization towards or away from things, events or people. It is the spirit and perspective from which an individual, group or organization approaches community development. Your attitude shapes all your decisions and actions. Attitude is very difficult to define with precision as it consists of qualities and beliefs that are non-tangible. We are used to talking about the attitude of individuals, but it is important to recognize that organizations also have attitude. Usually, however, when we talk about an organization’s attitude we use the term "organizational culture".

The following are key qualities and beliefs that experience tells us determine whether or not an individual, group or organization has the attitude needed to successfully lead or actively participate in a community development initiative:

It is very easy to look at the list above and say "Of course I have the attitudinal characteristics that are needed for community development"; however, consistently demonstrating these in the processes you design and the actions you take can be quite difficult. It is important for both individuals and organizations to take stock from time to time of how well their attitude is reflected in their actions.

 

Knowledge

Community development requires a broad base of knowledge on many subjects. Knowledge is the data and information and the models or theories you use to work with this information and data. Any community development team needs knowledge of:

Remember that, although no one individual has to have this complete knowledge base, you do need to know if your community development team has this knowledge collectively and how you can fill any gaps that exist. Remember that, as community development is a dynamic and evolutionary process, you must always be open to new information and understanding about your community and the community development process.

Knowledge by itself, however, is not enough to successfully initiate and maintain a community development effort. Applying this knowledge is of equal importance.

 

Skills

Skills move you from theory and knowledge to action. Skills involve the performance of mental or physical tasks. To be skilled you must be able to undertake a task competently; it is not about luck or a one-time effort. Skills are learned and repeatable.

There are many ways to describe the skills needed to undertake the community development process. The approach taken here is to cluster the needed skills into five primary areas:

The descriptions below provide a brief summary of the skills in each cluster. All these skills do not need to be well-developed at the beginning of the community development process but, as your efforts move from planning to implementing and sustaining action, all these skills will be required.

 

Communication, Facilitation and Team Building Skills

Community development requires the creation of strong relationships, trust and the identification of common ground. Strong communication, team-building and group facilitation skills are needed as a foundation for all community development activity. There is no absolute approach to applying these skills. A wide range of techniques is available that can and should be used. You must use your skills to create processes that are responsive and effective for your particular situation.

Team-building is inclusive and makes people feel comfortable. The more experience you have in working with groups, the better your skills will be in this area. Being able to "read" the group, or knowing what is going on without being told, is a skill that comes with experience and is essential to building a successful community development initiative.

The skills to organize and run effective meetings are also essential. These skills help to ensure that you use your time effectively and that team members are productive.

 

Poor Meeting Skills

One government worker attended so many meetings in a month that she became very good at figuring out how meetings should be run. One of the tasks she took on with several community groups was to train them in conducting good meetings. At one session, a participant said that if she hadn’t come along when she did to "fix" the group’s meeting skills he would have quit. He too attended many meetings and had no time for ones that were poorly managed.

 

Research, Planning and Evaluation Skills

Research and planning skills are needed throughout the community development process. These are the skills you will use to undertake an assessment of your community, develop a plan and implement it. They can also assist in managing and directing change. They help move the community from general intent to actual action. Research skills are needed to help gather and interpret information about your community. Planning occurs at many levels in the community development process, right from creating the vision to evaluating success. There are many different types of planning. For example, long-range planning, as in visioning, is sometimes called strategic planning. Turning goals into action and deciding what you are going to do is operational planning.

As evaluation is an important aspect of all community development efforts, knowing how to do it well is important. Evaluation determines what success should look like, what information is required to measure it, what process is needed to collect and analyze information, and how to present it in a useful way. Evaluation requires strong research, analytical and technical skills as well as the ability to synthesize information. Even if you are not responsible for the formal evaluation, having these skills will help to ask key questions about the progress being made and to participate in structuring the evaluation when it occurs.

 

Problem-Solving and Conflict Resolution Skills

When diverse groups or interests come together to decide on common goals and processes and to take action together, problem-solving skills are essential. Community members who perceive that they have been forced to concede, or who feel that they have not been listened to, generally do not support the community development effort over time. To be effective in problem-solving you must have the ability to:

All these tasks require skill if they are to be undertaken successfully. These skills are needed throughout the community development process. Conflict may occur as you build support and create the community plan. The potential for conflict and the need for problem-solving also occur as you implement your community development plan. Many implementation decisions impact on the use of resources and power relationships, resulting in the potential for disagreement and differing perspectives.

Conflict is to be expected. Problems and conflict should not be suppressed. It is important that individuals express their views and opinions. Skill, however, is required to build constructively on problems and differences so that common ground is created.

 

Management Skills

Management of a community development process involves a variety of different skills. In order to effectively start and maintain a community development process strategic, financial, human resource and operational planning skills are required. Good management comes with good leadership. This means understanding group facilitation, having the ability to work with diverse interests, collective decision-making, conflict resolution, anticipation of issues and opportunities, plus the skills needed for building support, energy and motivation. Financial, human resource and project management skills become critical as you move from planning to implementation in maintaining momentum.

 

Organizational Design and Development Skills

Eventually all community development initiatives need an organizational structure. This may require creating a new structure or making changes to an existing organization. In addition, as the community development plan is implemented and adapted, changes may also be required in how activities and resources are organized. Thus, organizational design and development skills are important to the long-term success of any community development process.

 

Building on Skills and Responding to Skill Gaps

Skills and how you use them will change throughout the community development process. It is important to be open to using your skills in new ways, developing new skills and recognizing the abilities of others. Community development activity often challenges us to think and do things differently. A strong set of the skills described above and an open mind help to make this happen.

To build upon your community development ability you must have a clear understanding of the skills, knowledge and attitudes that those leading your process bring to it. The best way to do this is to reflect upon the skills, attitudes and knowledge listed above and determine:

There are many ways to respond to knowledge, skills and attitude gaps. Examples of these are:

It is strongly recommended that, as part of the planning process, you formally assess the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are needed for success and develop a training plan to respond to these needs.

 

Training Plans

Two organizations took different approaches to training their boards of directors. One had a training plan that considered each individual’s needs and their skills that could be shared, while the other purchased a package of training from an outside specialist that was specifically designed for not-for-profit boards. The one with the training plan making use of inside skills ended up with twice as much training at half the cost, and their board felt more skilled and competent than did the other.

Training plans are comprehensive overviews of the knowledge, skills and attitudes desired to reach the goals and objectives of your community development plan. They can be designed to address both individual and organizational capacity development needs. Although capacity building is a high priority in most community development initiatives, the actual development of a training plan rarely is. There are several reasons for this. One is that so much work is done creating a vision and action plan that training is pushed to the side, or seen as a luxury and something that can be delayed. Another reason is that putting together good training plans also requires knowledge and skills.

Regardless of the difficulties, a training plan should be developed as soon as you can identify the capacity issues facing your community. If it is not possible for the group itself to produce a training plan, outside help should be sought to determine what roles need to be in place and what skills are necessary to perform these roles. As you develop your training plan:

Sometimes the cost of training or the location where it is offered makes it unaffordable or unrealistic, given financial or geographic restrictions. Do not give up on the training plan; instead, look for other ways to acquire the skills and expertise the group needs.

 

Lessons from Experience

The following tips will be useful as you develop the attitudes, knowledge and skills required to undertake the community development process:

 

Points to Ponder