The purpose of this exercise is to develop a framework for understanding grass-roots diplomacy issue methodologies. For the purposes of the exercise, I am currently a volunteer in Kenya as children’s youth center. I ceremoniously handed out a set of pre-packaged gifts to the kids yesterday. There were not enough for every kid to get one. There were only unpackaged black hats that I could give to the ungifted kids afterwards. The group of kids with black hats were upset, so I decided to tell the youth center full-time employees. The employees were not sympathetic, calling me a “children’s rights activist”.

The problem:
I want to be respected by my bosses while maintaining strong relationships with the children so that I can maximize ability for impact for the next 5-months while I work here.

Primary Stakeholders:

1. Myself
   1. Personal Goals: to be liked by the kids
   2. Professional Goals: to make the kids happy – keep a good relationship with the center staff –
2. Kids that got gifts
   1. Personal Goals: like me for having given them something
3. Kids that did not get gifts
   1. Professional Goals: want to regain dignity as compared to the students who got gifts
4. Youth Center Staff
   1. Personal Goals: are not sympathetic with the issues with the kids
   2. Professional Goals: do not want work to seem unfair – expectation to make an effort with the kids

Three + Alternative Solutions

• I find/make/order gifts to ceremoniously give to the other kids in front of the group
  1. Solution pros: all the kids would be happy and get their gifts
  2. Saving face: the larger group of kids feels even more left out, and the smaller group of kids become even greater outcasts.
  3. Relationships impact ST: The staff might be annoyed with him.
  4. Relationships impact LT: This makes the staff feel that he is a child activist, thus they might feel and aversion from me, as well as possibly not doing this event again and not want to work with me.
  5. Venture impacts ST: There might be some impact on the way people look at me and the venture based on my actions.
  6. Venture impacts LT: People will remember this event and it might help people forget about this event, but it might also make them remember it forever.

 

• I wait for new gifts to come and give them to the black hat kids first
  1. Solution pros: makes the black hat kids feel special/included.
  2. Solution cons: what if not enough gifts come again and other kids don’t get a gift?
  3. Saving Face: Same issues as alternative solution #1.
  4. Relationships impact ST: new gifts = fun, and excitement in kids.
  5. Relationships impact LT: other kids might be annoyed these kids got both hats and gifts.
  6. Venture impacts ST: He will probs take a hit for not giving gifts, and screwing the poach. Lots of time and effort.
  7. Venture impacts LT: Might fix social problem, in the end, may make it worse.

 

• Jack wears a black hat for the next few days
  1. Solution pros: the kids may feel more included, respected, or dignified since the adult is also wearing their hat, solves the issue with the staff because they all move on, simple, fast, easy
  2. Solution cons: it’s not as ceremonious as the other gifted kids
  3. May also cause problems among the kids who have the hats and don’t have the hat
  4. Saving face: This makes the non-gifted kids feel better, and gives the top management a signal for how caring about the kids in a more motherly way can make for happier students.
  5. Relationships impact ST: saves face w kids who didn’t get gifts before, excites them
  6. Relationships impact LT: extreme tensions among kids who do and don’t have hats
  7. Venture impacts ST: tension from the staff thinking I initially overreacted may last but will hopefully fade
  8. Venture impacts LT: mends the relationships with all the children and quietly solves the issue with the staff as long as no one holds a grudge

 

• I approach the staff to try and save my own face by suggesting they change their perspectives on working with the children
  1. Solution pros: Changes the staff mentality to help improve my experience for the rest of the time I will work there
  2. Solution cons: Coming up with a solution that approaches the stern admins instead of the children.
  3. Saving face: Potential for failure means the potential for securing loss of social influence. I may lose dignity in the eyes of the staff. The conversation would be very straight-forward, and potentially change opinions overnight, leading to better relationship development overall.
  4. Relationships impact ST: tension with staff. Children are still mad.
  5. Relationships impact LT: Eased relationship with staff and me. Staff and children have a better relationship.
  6. Venture impacts ST: Less productivity and collaboration.
  7. Venture impacts LT: Increased levels of collaboration that would otherwise not be achievable.

 

Additional Assistance, Best Course of Action and Plan:

I spoke with a classroom-full of students on creating an answer for this topic in order to determine what would be a bad decision. What I realized was that the bad decisions were much more detailed and thorough than the most feasible solution of simply wearing the black hat. I realized that choosing the most intuitive and least resistive path for diplomacy should almost always be the priority. My personal experience has helped me to realize that I over-think most simple solutions. In the Philippines this Summer, for instance, I spent half of a day contemplating the most effective strategy for engaging my team better on a single work topic of writing a paper. I realized while we began writing the paper that I could have spent all of that time getting ahead on paper writing and work because of the fact that my actions are more telling than my words – meaning that if I started earlier then the team would have started working earlier. Additionally, Eastern African gift-giving culture is continually evaluated as a public method for displaying gratitude and respect while building public face. Going against that is a loss of potential, as well as loss of face in the eyes of your peers. https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/kenyan-culture/2161-do-s-and-don-ts#2161-do-s-and-don-ts