retreat report 2011

8/3/2019 Retreat Report 2011

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TableofContents

Introduction........................................................................................................................3

AgendaandSessions........................................................................................................4WelcomeandIntroduction.....................................................................................................4 ParticipantIntroduction..........................................................................................................4 ReflectionandLearnings.........................................................................................................5 Strategicplanning,visionandexpansion................. .................. .................. .................. ....5

PartnershipManagement........................................................................................................6 Training.........................................................................................................................................6 VideoandDissemination.........................................................................................................7 Systemssession...........................................................................................................................7 BrandingandCommunication...............................................................................................8 Organizationaldevelopment,HRandperformancemanagement............................8

Recreation,EnergizersandTeambuildingexercises...........................................9

Feedbackandsuggestions............................................................................................10

Table1:Ratingthedegreetowhichwemetourexpectations........................11

Table2:Ratingtheoverallcoordinationoftheretreat.....................................12

Annexure1:RetreatAgenda2011............................................................................13

Annexure2:Feedbackform........................................................................................15

Annexure3:Presentations..........................................................................................16


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Introduction

Retreat2011markedtheculminationofayearlongjourneyinwhichtheDigitalGreen(DG)familyincreasinglysucceededinachievingitsambitiousmandateto

transform lives of small and marginal farmers around the world. DG is nowpoised to embark on an exciting yet challenging course towards exponentialgrowth. We now plan to grow in numbers, achieve greater impact, improve

qualityanddiversifyintodifferentsectorsofdevelopment.

Not surprisingly, therefore, the focus of

retreat 2011 was SCALING-UP.Specifically,westrovetoanswerHowcan

DGscale-upwhilecontinuingtofinetuneits

model and operations to make it more

efficient and effective? This focus helpedus define retreat objectives, set ameaningful agenda and drive discussion

andoutcomes.Thisyear specialattention

was paid on setting goals, defining theagendaandplanningsessions throughan

iterativeandparticipatorymethodthathelpeduscollatekeyexpectationsfrom

staff.Wearehappytoreportthatbytheendoftheretreatwesurpassedourown expectations and formost part met all our pre-defined objectives listed

below.

1. EnsurefamiliaritywithDGsvisionandexpansiontrajectory2. DevelopanunderstandingofDGsevolutionandcurrentoperations3. Provide a forum to be heard, reflect, share achievements and express

concerns4. Systematicallyaddressorganizationalneeds5. Buildfriendshipsandteamspirit6. Havefun

Held in the historic city of Puri, Odisha

between 23-26 November 2011, the 22-

member DG family was hosted by theCrusaders, the Odisha and Jharkhand team.Besides DG staff, the presence of Ajit Pai,

financialconsultant,andTejeshShah,trustee

and board member, added value andmotivation.Through this reportwe hope to

summarizetheactivities,processes,learnings

and outcomes of the retreat. To have aglimpse of our retreat experience visit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN_RFrDaCJE for videos andhttps://picasaweb.google.com/117315560244913299894/RetreatPhotos2011?

authkey=Gv1sRgCKjs377W6rn2Cw#forphotographs.


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AgendaandSessionsTheagendafortheretreatwasdevelopedfollowingaconsultativeprocesswith

inputsfromDGstaffandseniormanagement.Onthebasisoftheagenda,eachDGstaffvolunteeredtoleadatleastonesessionensuringactiveparticipationandinclusivity.

WelcomeandIntroductionVinay and Avinash set the basic

foundationforthenexttwodaysby

introducing the purpose and keyexpectationsfromtheretreat.Vinay

asked each person to pen downhis/her expectations onmetacards,

which were then reviewed at the

endofeachdaytojudgewhetherornot these expectations were met.

The expectations includedunderstanding DGs core activities

andexpansionplans,brainstorming

and strategic planning for thematicissuesandhavingfunandbuilding

teams. By the end of the last daymost suchcardshad been removedto indicate that the team

expectations had indeed been met.The new members who joined the

DG family were then formally

introduced andwelcomed. Avinash,after clarifying logistical issues,

invitedPraveentogooverhoweachsession can be conducted with an outcome and action oriented focus for

individualfollow-up.Praveenpresentedanaction-planningformatandurgedall

participantstoenumerateSMARTgoalsandthematicactionplansattheendofeachday.

ParticipantIntroductionSatyam and Sudha introduced the participants through an interactive game

whereineachpersonhadtoidentifypersonaldescriptionsofacolleague.This

wasalotoffunandeveryonegottoknowsomeunknownsaboutothers.


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ReflectionandLearnings

The reflections and learningssession led byShivaji gave the DG

teamanopportunitytotakeastepback and reflect on theirexperiencesinthelastyearsothat

they could use these learnings astheyplannedahead.Aspreparation

forthissessioneachmemberofthe

DG family was asked to write ashort note on their experiences

withDGinthelastyearinadvance.

This repository of reflections wascirculatedintheteam.Consequentlyeachmemberhadachancetoviewthelast

yearwithDGthroughmultiplelensesandperspectives.Besidesreflectingontheexperiences, positive or negative, the team then identified facilitating and

hinderingforcestheymayhaveexperiencedinthepastyear.Eachmemberthen

devisedwaystostrengthenfacilitatingforcesandminimizethehinderingforces.Thecommonalitiesbetweentheforcesandstrategiesidentifiedmadeusrealize

thatwedidhaveasignificantdegreeofclarityandconsensusonourstrengths

andweaknessesandhadthecapacityto findsolutionstoensureorganizationalandprofessionaldevelopment. Thepresentationsduring theactivity indicated

thattheDGstaffwasalreadytakingchargeoftheirfuturecourseofactionbasedontheirlearningsofthepreviousyears.

Strategicplanning,visionandexpansion

TheprimaryobjectivesoftheStrategicPlanning,VisionandExpansionsession

ledbyRikinwastopresentanoverviewofDGitsevolution,mission,visionandexpansionplanswhilealsoinitiatingaforumtostrategicallyplanforourfuture

actions.Thesessionbeganwithareviewofourgoalsandresults,prioritiesand

strategies,keyevents,people,partnersandcommunities,andlearningsoverthelastfiveyears.Thiswasfollowedbymappingthetrendsofexistingextension

systems, farmer needs, technology factors, and uncertainties. A strengths,

weaknesses,opportunities,andthreats

(SWOT)analysisprovidedan overview of the

internal and external

factors that shape ourability to realize our

objectives. Our visionwas then discussedalong

with the behaviors,

supports, challenges, and steps thatwill be needed to achieve it. Finally, thestructure of our game plan to raise incomes and improve food security for

500,000farmersacross10,000villagesoverthenext3.5yearswasintroduced.


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the issues and recommendations suggested, the core team responsible for

trainingsagreedtoimprovetrainingsthroughaniterativeprocessoflearningandfeedback.

VideoandDissemination

Akhilesh presented a recap of the

activities conducted on the first day, his

first ever presentation. He was a bitnervousbutheconfidentlydidthejob.Dr.

NadagoudaandChandraShekharthenled

the session on video and disseminationquality assurance. This session was

designed to develop a common

understandingofwhatconstitutedqualityvideoproductionanddissemination.This

objective was achieved through aninformativequizwhereinDGparticipantswereaskedtoidentifyflawsinvideo

clipsthatrepresentedfaultydisseminationandvideoproductionpractices.This

quizhelpedclarifyqualityassuranceparametersandidentifyafewbasicissueswith camera angles, shots and facilitation practices. It was felt that the

developmentoftrainingvideosoverthelastyearfor abetterunderstandingofwhat a quality dissemination and video production processwas a step in the

rightdirection.Manyinthegroupfeltthattherewasaneedfortrainingsheldby

expertsinordertohelpoperationsstafftoupgradetheirskillsandknowledgeinvideofacilitationandproduction.

Systemssession

ThissessionletbytheSystemsteamRahul,NandiniandSreenivaswasaonce

ina yearopportunity for the entire fieldteamand the Systems team tomeet

together. The Systems session was designed to help DGmembers familiarize

themselves with Connect OnlineConnect Offline (COCO) and

analytics. The session had foursections - COCO High-levelOverview, COCO Feedback, COCO

Workshop and Analytics Quiz. Aspreparation for the session, the

Systemteamreceivedfeedbackfrom

the field and they were able torespondtosomeofthisfeedbackat

the session itself. The team alsodevelopedaFAQpageforCOCOtohelptheDGteamgetbetteracquaintedwith

how COCO worked. The session began with a high-level schematic of COCO

explainingthemannerinwhichCOCOworkstohelplaypersonsunderstandandworkwith COCOwith greater ease.Thiswas followed bya discussion on the


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feedbackreceivedbytheteamfromthefieldstaff.TheSystemsteamclassified

thisfeedbackintovariousbucketsresolved,notabug,short-term,long-termanddescribedhowthesewouldbeaddressed.Theyalsodiscussedsomeongoing

andforthcomingworkbasedonthefeedbackreceivedpriortotheretreat.ThesessionenabledtheSystemsteamtoaddressandclearsomerecurringdoubts

andquestionsonCOCO.Thefieldstaffwasabletogetsomehands-onexperiencewith some of the trickier aspects of COCO. The third section was a practicalworkshoponCOCOforwhichtheparticipantshadbeendividedintofivegroups.

EachgroupsolvedseveralproblemsontroubleshootinganddataentryinCOCO

onPCssetupbytheSystemteam.ThegroupsalsosolvedaquickwrittenquizonCOCO.Thesessionconcludedwithsomepracticalgroupexercisesthathadthe

participantsretrievingvariousdifferenttypesofstatisticsusingAnalytics.Theyalso had anopportunity toworkwith the Analyticsdashboard to get region-

specific and time-specific statistics. The session was well received with the

participantsratingitwell-planned,informative,effectiveandenjoyable.

BrandingandCommunication

GiventhatDGisonthevergeofexpansion,itwasdeemedessentialtoreflectand

arrive at a unified message that each member of the DG family couldcommunicateinternallyaswellasexternally.Thevisionforthissessionledby

Vinaywas tomakeeachperson abrandambassador.Wefirststartedwithan

exercisecalledtheelevatorpitchinwhichgroupswererequiredtodevelopapitchonDigitalGreenwhoweare,whatwedo,whywedoit,whatourvalues

are,whatourvisioniswhichcouldbedeliveredtoanypersoninlessthana

minute,theamountoftimeittakestoclimb15floorsinanelevator.Attheendoftheexercisewewereabletocollateourideastocollectivelyarriveatacommon

understandingofhowbesttodefineourwork.Afterthisexercise,Vinaysharedthe need to develop standard templates for power points, documents,

letterheads,emailsignatures,IDcardsandothercommunicationmaterials.

Organizationaldevelopment,HRandperformancemanagement

Ondaythree,afterarecapbyGulrez,theorganizationaldevelopment,HRand

performancemanagementsessionconcentratedprimarilyonstrengtheningour

organizationbysettingproperhumanresourceandfinancialsystemswhilealsomotivating the DG team tomaximize professional performance and personal

well-being. To begin with, Vinay proposed a new organizational structurecreated in light of the impending scaling-up. After receiving feedback on the

structure,discussionensuedonlevelsofstaffingandcompensation.Ajitfollowed

this discussion with a presentation on financial reporting and accountingpractices.Amongotherthingshestresseduponintroductionoftimesheetsfor

each project, project-wise expense sheets and reconciliation of equipment on

site.


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ThefollowingdayVinay

initiated discussion onHR and administration

issues. Some points ofdiscussion included

health insurance, traveland daily allowance,relocation costs, leave

travel allowance and

provident fund. AfterHR, Vinayalso shared a

performancemanagementframework

and received some

feedbackon the currentstatus of performance management in different regions as well as invited

suggestionsforimprovementinitseffectiveness.

Recreation,EnergizersandTeambuildingexercises

Inthisretreatwetriedourbesttopayasmuchemphasisoncomingtogetheras

ateamtohavefunaswedidonfindingsolutionstohelpusscaleoperations.We,

therefore, organized not only energizers and team building exercises duringsessionstoliventhemoodbutalsoorganizedpost-sessionexcursionsandteam

activities.

Rashmi organized an energizer calledbombingthecityonthefirstdaythatleft

thegroupquiteliterallyblownoverwith

laughter. At theendof the firstday theOdisha and Jharkhand team organized a

cultural event wherein a troupe ofexceptionaldancersperformedGotipua,a

folkdanceofPuriinwhichboysbelow14

yearsdressup aswomentopraise Lord

Jagannath and Lord Krishna. Theacrobaticposesstruckbytheseboyswere

enthralling. After this performance itwas time for the DGteam todisplay itstalents.TheAndhraPradeshandKarnatakateamperformedacomicskitcalled

AdhunikRamayana (present-day Ramayana). The Odisha and Jharkhand teamenactedaplayonDigitalGreen,itspurposeandimpact.TheDelhiteamdanced

onamedleyofdiscosongsandtotopitall,theMadhyaPradeshteamcombined

allthatwasdonebeforewithaskit,videoscreeninganddanceallrolledintoone.Thenightendedonahighnotewiththearrangementsforfoodanddrinksbythe

pool.

Ontheseconddaywemademostofthebeachrightatthefootstepsoftheresort.WewereluckythatourretreatcoincidedwiththePuribeachfestival.Besides

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sand sculptures we were able to enjoy an Odissi dance performance on the

beach. Some people in the group chose to also visit the Jagannath temple, arenownedtemplebuiltinthe12thcenturydedicatedtoLordJagannath.

Onthethirdday,westartedearlyto

visittheChilikalake,abrackishwaterlagoon,spreadoverthePuri,Khurda

and Ganjam districts of Odisha. We

tookaboatridetoasmallislandcloseto where the lagoon flows into the

Bay of Bengal. Spotting dolphins,

eating fresh seafood and buyingpearlswere definitehighlights. After

the close of the sessions we left forthe Konark Sun temple, a world

heritagesight,whichisalsooneofthe

sevenwondersofIndia.Thetempleisdesignedintheformofachariotdrawnbysevenhorsesand isheavilydecoratedwithstonecarvings.Weare thankful to

theOdishaandJharkhandteamfororganizingtheseexcursionswhichwefoundextremelyculturallyenriching.

Feedbackandsuggestions

In order to capture participant feedback, the retreat organizers developed afeedback form (attached). Based on this, the retreat received an extremely

positivefeedback.Amajorityoftheparticipantsfeltthattheretreathadindeed

met itsobjectives.PleaserefertoTable1which indicates thedegreetowhicheachofthepre-definedretreatobjectivesweremet.Theratingsindicatedinthe

tablerangefrom1to5wherein1=Bad,3=OKand5=Good.Thetableisbased

onasamplesizeof20.

IfelthonoredtobeapartoftheretreatandIamhappytoseethe

energyandtheenthusiasmasDigitalGreenscalesupandreachestomanymorepeopleTejeshShah

The commitment andmotivationof theDGfamilymembershas

really motivated me personally to deliver my best in the new

responsibilitythatI'mcurrentlyinPraveenSriramshetty

Awesome!RikinGandhi


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Table1:Ratingthedegreetowhichwemetour

expectations

Thesixexpectationsaredefinedasfollows:1.EnsurefamiliaritywithDGsvisionandexpansiontrajectory

2.DevelopanunderstandingofDGsevolutionandcurrentoperations

3.Provideaforumtobeheard,reflect,shareachievementsandexpressconcern4.Systematicallyaddressorganizationalneeds

5.Buildfriendshipsandteamspirit,and6.Havefun.

Asindicatedeachoftheseexpectationsreceivedaratingofmorethan3.5.Table2 indicates the feedbackon the coordinationof theretreat.JustasTable1the

ratingsindicatedinthetablerangefrom1to5wherein1=Bad,3=OKand5=Good.Thetableisalsobasedonasamplesizeof20.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6

R

atings

Expectations

ExpectationsRating


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Table2:Ratingtheoverallcoordinationoftheretreat

Asindicatedthelogisticsandon-sitecoordinationgotthehighestrank(barring

internetconnectivity),followedbyagendasettingandsessionplanning.

Inorder toassess the levelofsuccess ofeach session,participantswere also

asked to rank each session on five characteristics enjoyable, effective,well-

planned, informative and overall success. The vision and strategic planningsessionledbyRikinalongwiththeSystemsandCOCOsessionledbySystemsteam received the highest scores in almost all categories effective, well-

planned, informative and best overall session.QualityAssurance Video and

Dissemination session led by Nadagouda and Chandrashekhar received the'enjoyable'prize,OrganizationaldevelopmentsessionledbyVinayreceivedthe

'informative'prize,reflectionsessionledbyShivajireceivedthe'planning'prizeand participant introduction led by Satyam and Sudha received the 'effective'

prize.

Wealsoreceivedsomequalitative feedbacktohelp futureorganizers improvethequalityofretreatsinthefuture.Somepeoplesuggestedthattheagendawastootightandthatwemayinthefutureconsiderextendingtheretreatbyaday.

Somealsosuggestedthatweekendsshouldnotbeutilizedforthepurposeofthe

retreat. Some felt that greater emphasis needed to be paid to getting betterclarityondetailsoftheDGprojectsinthepipeline.Someothersfeltthatsessions

neededtobemoreoutcomesorientedwithbetter-defineddeadlines.Otherthanthat some suggested that presentations in the future needed to be vetted by

experiencedpeopleto improvequality.Finally,wereceivedthesuggestion for

distributionofmoregifts.

0

0.51

1.52

2.53

3.54

4.55

Agendasetting Sessionplanning Logisticsandon-site

coordination

Ratings

Coordinationcategories

CoordinationRating


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Annexure1:RetreatAgenda2011

digitalGREENTeamRetreat

Scaling-upDigitalGreen

November24-27,2011

HotelMayfair,Puri,Odisha

Start End Session Objective

Lead

persons

Thursday,November24,2011

9:30 10:00

Welcome and

Introduction

9:30 9:50

Overview and

purpose

Share retreat overview

andobjectives Vinay

9:50 10:00 Logisticsandrules

Share information on

logistics and other

importantinformation Avinash

10:00 10:30

Participant

introduction

Participant

introduction

Satyam

andSudha

10:30 11:30

Reflections and

Learnings

Reflection on last

year'sexperiences Shivaji

11:30 13:00

Vision and

StrategicPlanning

11:30 12:00

Vision and

expansionplan

Map theDGvision and

expansionplan Rikin

12:00 13:00

Theory of change

andengagement

Conceptualize basic

frameworks and

theories Rikin

13:00 14:00 Lunch

14:00 14:15 Energizer Energizer Rashmi

14:15 16:00

QualityAssurance-

Partnership

Management

Reflection. Feedback.

(Engagement models,

sustainability and exit

strategy)

Avinash

and

Abhishek

16:00 16:15 Break

16:15 18:00

QualityAssurance-

Training

Reflection on current

challenges and

strengthsintraining

Gulzar and

Shivaji

19:30 21:00

Cultural show,

campfire&fun


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Friday,November25,2011

9:30 9:45 Recap Recap Akhilesh

9:45 10:30

QualityAssurance-

Video ProductionandDissemination

Improve the qualityof

video production anddissemination

Dr.

Nadagoud

a and

ChandraShekhar

10:30 13:00

Systems,COCOand

Analytics

Update, tutorials and

feedback

Rahul,

Nandini

and

Srinivas

13:00 14:00 Lunch

14:00 14:45

Branding and

Communication

Brainstorm on the

'what' and 'how' of

communication

Vinay and

Shreya

14:45 15:30

Organizational

Development

14:45 15:15

Organization

structure (existing

and emerging in

viewofexpansion)

Share the emerging

organizational

structure Vinay

15:15 15:30 AdminandFinance

Articulate concerns,

share solutions and

executivedecisions

Vinay and

Ajit

15:30 15:45 Break

15:45 17:30

Vision andStrategic Planning

(ctd)

Thematicbrainstorming on

expansionstrategies Rikin

Saturday,November26,2011

Chilikalakevisit

12:00 13:00 Lunch

13:00 13:15 Recap Recap Gulrez

13:15 14:30

Vision and

Strategic Planning

(ctd)

Grouppresentationsof

thematic strategies for

expansion Rikin

14:30 15:15

Performance

Management and

HR

Introduceperformance

management.

Articulate concerns

andsharesolutions. Vinay

15:15 15:30

Feedback and

Closing

Statements

Feedback on retreat

andsessions.Summing

upsession

Shreya,

Avinash

andVinay

Konarkvisit


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Annexure2:FeedbackformName(optional):____________________________

DigitalGreenRetreat2011Wewouldreallyappreciateifyoucouldtaketimeofftofillthisformseriously&notin

consultationwithothers.Weinvitebothbrickbats&bouquets.Pleasegivearating(1-5)

1=Bad,3=Ok,5=Good

Thesearetheretreatobjectives.Pleasegivearatingastowhethertheywereachievedornot.

Objective Rating(1-5) Comments

Familiarity with DGs vision and expansion

trajectory

HolisticunderstandingofDGscurrentoperations Beheard,reflect,flagissues,expressconcerns

Constructively and systematically address

organizationalneeds

Buildfriendshipsandateamspirit

Havefun

Ifyouhadanyotherexpectations,pleasedefine.Werethesemetornotmet?

Wereyousatisfiedwiththecoordinationoftheprogram?

Coordination Rating(1-5) Comments

Agendasetting

Sessionplanning

Logisticsandon-sitecoordination

WereyousatisfiedwiththeSessions? Rating(1-5)undereachcolumn

Session Enjoyable Informative Effective Planning Overall

ParticipantIntroduction

Reflection

Scaling-up

Energizerday1

PartnershipMgt

Training

VideosandDissemination

Systems

Branding and

Communication

Organizational Dev. and

performancemanagement

Whatadvicewillyougivetoensureabetterretreatnexttime?

Pleasefeelfreetomakeanyadditionalcomments.


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retreat report 2011

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