015. Not your usual NGO strategy process: Oxfam's recent experience with strategy formation and whether it is holding up during this massive disruption

Interview with Muthoni Muriu and Doris Basler of Oxfam about their ambitious, innovative, bottom-up Oxfam strategy process, which was approved at the onset of the global pandemic

Bios

Muthoni Muriu: 

Former Global Strategy Lead, Oxfam America & Oxfam International (please note that Muthoni left Oxfam as of June 30, 2020, after the strategy had been approved by Oxfam International's Board)Former Senior Director, Global Programs Mgt team, Oxfam America Former Regional Program Director, W-Africa, Oxfam AmericaEducated at the University of London - London School of Economics and Politics and School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)  Alum of the Transnational NGO Leadership Institute at Syracuse Univerity, which Tosca once used to lead 

Doris Basler: 

Director for Governance and Strategy, Oxfam International Former Dir of Organizational Development as well as former Director of Capacity Building, Transparency International Former roles at Amnesty International and the International Committee of the Red Cross Educated at the School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London

Quotes 

“During our strategy process, our Affiliate boards were encouraged to trust the 10.000 (staff), so that the strategy could be built bottom-up”  

“Through this bottom-up process, staff came up with about 250 ‘big, hairy and audacious’ scenarios!” 

In this episode, you will learn how Oxfam went about its new strategy formation, what it learned along the way, and to what extent it held up : 

How this Oxfam global strategy process was different from past ones at Oxfam, and why The principles on which it was designed, and how these, and the characteristics of the process resulted in greater staff buy-in, more outside-in perspectives, more thinking from-the-future- back and less space for politicking The various parts of the strategy process, what was innovative, what worked and what less so What’s the difference between a strategy framework, strategy horizon plans, strategy operationalization, and strategy visualization How this strategy framework and the resulting scenarios proved to be prescient of the pandemic’s impacts and of the need for Oxfam to move into digital rights

More information about Muthoni and Doris 

Muthoni Muriu LinkedIn profile  

Muthoni’s Twitter handle  

Doris Basler’s LinkedIn profile 

Doris’ email address: [email protected] 

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