Reflection of Personal Observation
If
one thing differentiates PM Abiy’s team from the recent predecessors, it is the
ability of execution, a practice of words to action. What actually has been
happening in Ethiopia over this short period is a disruption/upheaval to the
whole of the incumbent government at a scale never seen before (Well, at least
in my age and conscious peafully). I feel it in many forms: within, across the region
and elsewhere, and in a positive way. Unless our memory is short, these are
just the very few mentions that calls for my appreciation.
- Release of all political prisoners,
- Peace deal with Eritrea,
- Revival of the GERD and few other energy projetcts
- Consolidation of the ruling party,
- Completion of river side, unity and Entoto park projects,
- Rebalancing of the macroeconomic variables,
- Sidama statehood,
- Institutional footprints across line ministries,
- Relative press freedom,
- Relocation of citizens,
- Controlling of Contraband
- Fighting of the locust
- Gains in regional and international deplomacy
- Success in Green revolution
- Revision and introduction of liberalization, Commerial and investment Laws
- Drafting of the ten year strategic master plan
- Above all the handling of COVID-19 pandemic
I
am not suggesting all of them as perfect but as a positive work in progress. Remember,
all of this was possible all along an overall turmoil, push and pull in every
direction. The key limitation if not the key area where the government falls
behind the most, in my opinion, is the inability to ensure rule of law and
mobilizing the lower level cadres as much as they have done at the top
resulting in loss of unaccounted lives and deteriorating public trust.
Although
I have reservations with the KPI mantra of executives, as I do think that it
promotes short-term gains as opposed to long term development impact of
government initiatives, at least it is a manifestation of how the cabinet in
charge views the government’s tasks at hand. The public will at least know the priorities
of the ministers in charge and it is easier to recognize them when they succeed
and let them accountable when they fail. We know that the plan (used to be done
anyway) is a must to do job but what matters most is when the plan is executed.
Plans don’t bake breads, execution does. Result matters and it is achieved only
through effective execution. We are watching not like before and after few
years, we will reflect and say that one is on the right track and this one is
falling behind of its own commitment. This, of course, will be possible if they
stayed transparent.
Designing and sticking to a certain process is crucial to achieve the stated goals but it should not be allowed to be the end as much as it happened to be the case. The reason we are there as executers is to address whatever comes in the way towards heading to the goals. Plans need to be executable in the first place. It is time to find the mindset that will lead us there. As of now, the way I see it, there is a tendency of falling back to the trap of putting only cadres to key government positions which is a case for concern.
When
we execute our plans as individuals, as team members, as a section in a
department, as a department in an organization, the organization (say Ministry
if you want) will move forward with a cumulative result more than the sum of
its parts. When this happens, the aggregate gains would benefit all the actors
and it continues as a virtuous cycle. Ya, Obvious! I am just saying ever one of us are part
of the plans as well.
There is a change management concept (part of change management execution) that guides how to succeed in change initiatives called Unfreeze> Change> and then Freeze quickly. It advices that with due preparation(plan) well in advance, shake the unwanted status quo, change to the direction required and then stabilize the system faster and prepared for another change. The change makers need to acknowledge that all the players would not be at the same level of understanding to the change aspiration and the longer the change process takes, the more the drifts become, slowly building resistance to the whole change process.
If the change process
is sustained for long, it would be a cause for concern. Stability is crucial to
be back in business. When a change is initiated at a country level, stability
would even be far more important. With this change management concept in mind,
the change process in Ethiopia has actually been in good hands except that resistive
momentum is being built lately. Stability (after a huge concern) is being built
but it need to be executed even faster to build more public confidence. What we
have been witnessing here and there in Ethiopia once the change process has been
initiated, is not actually a surprise for someone experienced in the change
management process. It becomes a real concern only if stability cannot be established faster.
We
are almost right there. We need to execute more and faster and stabilize the country and then plan and execute forever.
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