Blog post 3:International Research Grassroots Diplomacy Case 1
Team: Layan, Jon, Carol, Alyssa, and Aidan
Due Date: 9/11/22
Prompt:
Jack is an American student who lived at a youth center in Kenya while working on a social
venture. In this role, he lived and interacted with the children at the center and worked closely with the staff. One Saturday evening, kids under the age of 14 years were to receive presents that were sent by an international donor organization. A staff member at the youth center had picked up all the gifts the previous weekend and they were finally going to be distributed this Saturday. When it came time to give the gifts out after dinner, the staff members called Jack up to the front – as he was a guest – to assist in the gift-giving ceremony. The staff members had allocated the gifts for the children and labeled them – Jack’s job was to hand out the gifts to the kids. The only problem was that four children did not receive gifts and the staff members did not appear to be concerned about the four forgotten children. As kids began leaving the hall, they thanked Jack for the gifts. The kids were convinced that Jack had gotten the gifts for them. Jack felt a little awkward but at the same time reflected that a good relationship with the kids would help him in several ways during his five-month stay at the center.
At the bottom of the boxes containing the gifts, there were a few black hats. The kids that did not get a present were brought over to the box and given a hat. However, they were upset about the fact that they were not given the hat as ceremoniously as the other kids. The staff gave them their hat and shooed them on their way as if they had some fault in this situation. As one of the little boys who did not receive a gift left the hall, he walked past Jack holding his black hat, and gave him a stare that clearly indicated that he blamed Jack for not receiving a gift. Jack met with the staff and discussed how the four kids were very upset and felt ‘left out’ after the incident. The staff did not acknowledge the problem and were a little piqued that they were being blamed for such a trivial matter. They were convinced that Jack was making a big deal out of the situation and were concerned that Jack would become a ‘children’s rights activist’ and create unnecessary problems for them. The only response they gave Jack was – “If you think there is a problem, then you go ahead and solve it”. If you were Jack, how would you proceed?
Grassroots Diplomacy Strategy Development Methodology:
Step 1: Determine the facts in the situation – obtain all of the unbiased facts possible
- There were not enough presents for four kids
- The gifts are from a foundation, not personally bought
- Four kids feel left out.
- The present giving wasn’t ceremonious
- The staff did not seem bothered by not having enough gifts for the four kids and that they received the black hats.
- Jack has a five-month stay at the center.
- Jack is an American
- Jack distributed the gifts
Step 2: Define the problem and the stakeholders – those with a vested interest in the outcome
The problem: Four kids did not receive gifts nor had their name called. They think Jack was responsible for this mistake. Jack feels badly about the children’s feelings being hurt and is unsure how to correct the organization’s mistake.
- The kids who did not get gifts
- The kids who did get gifts
- The youth center workers
- Jack
Step 3: Determine and distinguish between the personal and professional motivations of the
stakeholders.
- Jack
- Personal: being liked, feeling fulfilled, demonstrating he cares about the children he works with,
- Professional: ensure the success of the social venture
- Staff at the Youth Center
- Personal: helping children
- Professional: keeping their jobs
- Youth Center
- Personal: the well-being of the children
- Professional: maintaining good relations with the community
- Children
- Personal: get presents and feel important
- Professional: have their needs met at the center
- Donor (secondary)
- Personal: Satisfaction of helping children in Kenya
- Professional: Allows them to make connections through the philanthropy they are engaged in and build upon their brand/reputation
Step 4: Formulate (at least three) alternative solutions – based on information available, to have a win-win situation for your relationship and your venture.
- Jack apologizes to the kids and explains his limited responsibility for what happened. He reconvenes the kids and calls the four back up for more presents he bought himself or received from the nonprofit. In the future, he will pay more attention to ensuring there is equal treatment for the kids.
- Jack can approach the families of these four children. He could be forthcoming on what transpired and acknowledge what he could have done differently, such as having ensured there were sufficient presents for each kid. He could also ask them for novel ways to make it up to their child without necessarily buying them a gift he might not be able to afford. This approach could be a way to engage the families in the decision-making process so one solution is set for all kids, which acknowledges each kid’s individuality.
- Jack can reach out to the donor organization and ask for four more gifts.
- Make it a big deal to have a black hat for those four kids to feel extra special they received one.
Approaches [1/2/3: repeat for every action]
- Potential Solution 1: Jack apologizes to the kids and explains his limited responsibility for what happened. He reconvenes the kids and calls the four back up for more presents that he bought himself or receives from the nonprofit. In the future, he will pay more attention to ensuring there is equal treatment for the kids.
- How does it solve the problem?
o Pros:
- Kids feel better
- Kids get presents
- Youth Center workers aren’t bothered
o Cons:
- Youth center reputation might feel undermined
- Jack may have to pay
How does it save face of those involved?
- The youth center will not have its face saved
- It will although likely save the kids’ enjoyment
- Jack gets his face saved
- Implications on relationships
o Short-term: hostility w youth group
o Long-term: kids trust you
- Implications on the venture
o Short-term: kids will likely not trust the youth center staff since the blame was shifted to them. This will hinder the venture from moving forward and fostering strong community connections with the youth center
o Long-term: Once Jack leaves, the students will be left with the youth center staff. The kids may be reluctant to collaborate with them
Potential Solution 2: Jack can approach the families of these four children. He could be forthcoming on what transpired and acknowledge what he could have done differently, such as having ensured there were sufficient presents for each kid. He could then ask them for novel ways to make it up to their child without necessarily buying them a gift he might not be able to afford. This can be a way to engage the families in the decision making process so one solution is not set for each kid and it acknowledges the individuality of each kid.
- How does it solve the problem?
o Pros: kids feel better because they receive attention.
o Cons: kids might not have engaged families to approach/consult.
How does it save face of those involved?
- The youth center will not have its face saved by exposing the mistake.
- Youth center and staff may have face saved by remediating the mistake and expressing it as an accident.
- Implications on relationships
o Short-term: hostility with youth center
o Long-term: kids trust you
- Implications on the venture
o Short-term: kids will likely not trust the youth center staff since the blame was shifted to them. This will hinder the venture from moving forward and fostering strong community connections with the youth center.
o Long-term: builds trust with children
Potential Solution 3: Jack can reach out to the donor organization and ask for four more gifts for the ones who were left out. If they don’t send the gifts, then Jack moves on.
- How does it solve the problem?
o Pros:
-the kids will receive gifts and be happy
– the kids will trust jack and the youth group staff
o Cons:
- The donor organization is not willing to correct this mistake. They see it as not worth the effort of sending four additional gifts.
- The kids will think they can complain about anything and they then will get what they want.
How does it save face of those involved?
- The youth center will not have its face saved for the mistake they made
- Kids will likely complain less to their parents about youth center/staff, saving their face by the remediation
- Implications on relationships
o Short-term: kids will be happy with the youth group and trust them more
o Long-term: kids will begin complaining about a lot of things and expect a quick response & remedy
- Implications on the venture
o Short-term: Kids continue to feel resentment and may sabotage any activities the venture has planned as a way to express their frustration.
o Long-term: Sets bad precedent for money-spending as a solution in the future
Step 5: Seek additional assistance, as appropriate – previous cases, peers, reliance on personal experience, inner reflection
- Ask for advice from colleagues he might know who are also participating in social ventures.
- Consult with people who work with children and reflect on their experience with children.
- Khanjan emphasized the importance of preserving the relationship with the workers since they are the ones housing you.
Step 6: Select the best course of action – that solves the problem, saves face and has the best short-term and long-term implications for your relationship and venture. Explain reasoning and discuss your solution vis-a-vis other approaches discussed in class.
We think solution one is the best course of action. Jack shows the kids that he cares enough about them and he has the opportunity to do it without paying out of his pocket and without affecting the kids who initially received gifts. The workers may feel undermined, but they did tell Jack that he could solve the problem if he thought there was one. Solution two also has similar benefits as solution one, but it isn’t guaranteed that the four giftless children have families who would care to be engaged in finding a way to make it up to their respective children. The children may be orphans, runaways, etc.
Step 7: List the sequence of actions you will take to implement your solution.
- Jack apologizes to the kids and explains that he had no hand in what happened.
- Jack asks the nonprofit for money to buy four more gifts.
- Jack buys presents for the kids, even if the nonprofit declines.
- He reconvenes the kids and calls the names of those who were missed the last time.
- In the future, he will pay more attention to making sure there is equal treatment for the kids.
Lessons learned from this case study:
- Be empathetic to everyone’s perspective/ feelings
- Be proactive
- How can actions affect relationships
- Not every problem needs a solution
- Proactive scenario planning is so important and this case study is an apt lesson on that core competency. Therefore, understand your audience and plan accordingly.
- You can’t always make everyone happy