Page 12 - OSISA Annual Report 2015-2018

OSISA Highlights
In 2016 OSISA continued to provide support to its partners working to promote and advance open societies in the region. We also continued to work at improving our organisational effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness to the challenges faced by the region. The following highlights provide a snapshot of the outcomes of these efforts:
Successful organisation of the Global
Board’s visit
The Global Board’s visit to South Africa in February was a resounding success in many respects. The preparations ahead of the meeting, including the agenda, background material and identification of partners, were adjudged by the Global Board members to be of very high quality. The level of engagement and participation of staff and grantees with the Board was very high and deemed by the Global Board members, staff and grantees to be useful and beneficial.
The Global Board’s response suggested that OSISA was a stable and vibrant organisation, working hard to respond to the region’s open society challenges. The Global Board gave OSISA valuable feedback suggesting adjustments that we should consider to enhance the agility, flexibility and effectiveness of our approaches.
Development and timely submission of
the 2017-2020 strategy
We successfully developed and submitted our revised strategy. The process was inclusive, participatory and reflective of the changing context in our region. It was also progressive in its anticipation of future changes and reflective of the Global Board feedback. The strategy was submitted on time (in June) and adopted by the Global Board. As part of the strategy process, OSISA reviewed its women’s rights, human rights and justice
and law strategies, and articulated thinking regarding its youth arts and culture strategy. In November, a strategic retreat attended by the Board and senior management was convened to review and analyse the strategy implementation.
Addressing all critical concerns raised in
the staff engagement survey of 2015
At the end of 2015, OSISA commissioned an anonymous OSISA staff engagement survey. The survey shed important light on staff perceptions on a variety of issues affecting them and provided an empirical basis for engaging staff concerns. It focussed on what makes them feel both enabled and effective in their roles. Most notably, the survey generated valuable insights into staff perceptions. Positively the results showed the following:
à Our staff are proud to work for OSISA,
à Staff understand the strategy and mission of the
organisation,
à Staff understand how the strategy relates to their functions, and
à Staff believe the organisation is heading in a clear and promising direction.
Some of the key concerns identified in the survey include:
à Negative perceptions of gender empowerment,
à Need to strengthen leadership capacities and deci- sion making,
à Staff safety and security concerns in DRC, and
à Organisational climate issues in Angola.
At the end of 2015, OSISA management committed to addressing these negative issues or concerns. The Executive Office (EO), working closely through the Human Resources Unit, developed a response plan and roadmap to be implemented in 2016. Significant responses we provided included:
à An all-staff discussion of the results and underlying causes at the staff retreat in December 2015,
à Development and consultation of a roadmap and response plan by the EO and staff,
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OPEN SOCIETY INITIATIVE FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA – 2016 REPORT