Innovation encompasses all the values of BRAC especially Effectiveness and Inclusiveness because innovation cannot take place in a vacuum and innovation usually comes out of doing things more effectively. BRAC has always been innovative, so how did innovators of BRAC innovate? To find out I went to talk with some of the Values Award winners of 2012.
Biman Chandra Roy, Senior Manager, (HRIS), BRAC-HRD
The Human Resource Department used to maintain a physical file for every staff member of BRAC and these consumed a lot of space. Two people could not work on one file at a time if the need came up. When the higher management wanted to work on a particular file they would have to go to the HR department in person. A lot of valuable time was spent doing this. Biman Chandra Roy decided all the files need to be digitalized and he took up the initiative to get it done. It is because of him that the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) operations have been able to decentralize efficiently.
Biman Chandra Roy has been working atBRAC for over 10 years. He won the Values Award for Innovation and Effectiveness for promoting the use of technology and developing a database. He started out in the microfinance program, which at that timed entailed a humongous amount of paper work and that is when he started thinking about removing the tedious paperwork. His biggest learning comes from his day to day activities where he finds that what people do in ten steps can be brought down to just three steps and hence he pushed higher management to remove paperwork.
BRAC’s biggest asset is the network it has formed all over the country through its various programs and the kind of staff who can communicate and bond with beneficiaries. The human relationships we build also make us very effective both internally and externally. One of Roy’s most memorable moments with BRAC was when he was with the microfinance programme and he had to go to Dherai, which is usually water logged for half of the year, and he had to travel by boat at night. A storm started and he and everyone on the boat were almost sure they would die. When they reached the microfinance branch office in Dherai in the morning the branch manager was so nice and welcoming he forgot that he had a near death moment only hours ago! Team spirit is obviously something that helps one own their programme and be able to make changes and innovate easily.
Dr.Morsheda , Program Coordinator (IMNCS), BHP
Dr. Morsheda joined BRAC in 2003 and recently received the BRAC Values Award for upholding all four values of BRAC; Innovation, Integrity, Inclusiveness and Effectiveness. She also received the Chancellor’s gold medal for excellent academic performance in MPH from the James P Grant School of Public Health of BRAC University in 2011. One of her most memorable incidents with BRAC is receiving the gold medal from Sir Fazle Hassan Abed.
She helped design and prepare the training manuals for Shasthya Kormis and Shasthya Shebikas and Trained Birth Attendent (TBA) s. She mainly brought new concepts into newborn health services, which is in fact a new concept in Bangladesh.
She entails much of her success to the flexibility of the Improving Maternal and Neonatal Child Survival (IMNCS) program. The project design was bendable, both her supervisor the Director of Health Dr. Afsana, and the donors were supportive allowing them to change log frame and program design according to convenience. It is through her day-to day activities and hearing from the communities that she visits, that she learns the most. “It was while working in the community that we realized that there is a need for a comprehensive Maternal and Neonatal Child care product which was community based. It was the people of the community who said; there should be a referral system through which they can easily access hospitals in case of emergency. And we worked around designing a way to do it in the most sustainable way with the available resources.”
However given how big BRAC has become and it’s decentralization; getting to know each Manager and understanding their capabilities through personal interaction has become very difficult.
Dr. Morsheda feels that BRAC has a lack of technical expert consultants; there is no formal regular advisory group at the policy and political level for health related issues.
What she loves most is the almost immediate impact that she can see the IMNCS programme is making, saving the lives of mothers and newborns by being able to be there at their time of need.
DrSirajul Islam, Program Head, AFSP
Dr. Sirajul Islam joined BRAC in 2008 and he received the values award for Innovation in 2012. He has worked on identifying and developing two shorter maturing inbred rice varieties(OM 576 and Thai 03) to intensify the rice cropping system. He also helped identify and develop a drought tolerant variety of rice known as Green Super Rice variety through collaborative research work with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science(CAAS) and the International Rice Research Institute(IRRI). He also successfully demonstrated the cultivation of hybrid rice in the unfavorable rice eco-systems and hybrid sunflower in the coastal regions of Bangladesh.
Some of the factors that he confers his success to are; sincerity of his staff and working closely with a very encouraging supervisor like Dr. Mahbub Hossain from whom he learns the most. In addition, keeping in track with current research areas of his field has given him the sight for innovation prospects.
Dr. Siraj feels that people at BRAC are often too resistant to criticism they do not like their failures or problems being pointed out. Instead of learning and changing from their mistakes, they try to defend and justify and that is what stifles improvement and scope for positive changes.
Nanda DulalSaha, Director, Internal Audit BRAC and BRAC International
Nanda Dulal Saha joined BRAC in 2007 and received the values award for endorsing all four values of BRAC in 2012. He changed the traditional audit system and took a more advisory and risk based approach. He played a key role in designing and setting up the internal Audit Charter, Internal Audit manual, Quick Reference Guide, Follow up Review system, Internal Audit system and Internal Audit Policy and Procedure. To increase the transparency and accountability of the Internal Audit department he formed the Communication Section, Reporting section, Follow-up Review Section and IT support team.
One of the foremost things that he thinks every member of the organization should possess is a clear understanding of the vision and mission of organization. Support from not only his supervisors but also his colleagues and subordinates helped him undertake the improvisations he wanted to make. “To bring change you need both those who work under you and above you to support you because your supervisors will approve and guide but the implementation of an idea must happen through you, your colleagues and other staff members.” To increase ownership among staff members he takes time to listen to his staff members and learn from them about their interests and background and that helps him connect them to various projects where they would like to work. Accentuating how Innovation is a process which entails all procedures; from the inception of an idea to its development and execution.
One of the obvious trademarks of BRAC’s innovators is the willingness to ‘learn’ from communities, research, current affairs, partners and other organizations. Despite the successes, there are many challenges that innovators struggle with in huge organization like BRAC; problems that come with decentralization, coordination, organizational cultural change as a organization grows and increasing the percentage of female workers in a society which is not exactly gender sensitive when you require field workers. The acceptance of change is another aspect of BRAC that makes it so innovative and able in tackling all these problems.
The next Values award winners will be announced soon, I hope when you consider someone for the innovation value, their “learning” capacity will be taken into account.’
