SOME REFLECTIONS ABOUT THE THIRD SECTOR FROM THE THIRD SECTOR

 


Original article published in catalan on 10/15/2023


With this writing, I want to organize ideas and document some current visions/reflections I have about the third sector from within the third sector. I believe it is valuable to pause, think, and write to explain and share reflections. This helps us become aware of where we are and perhaps where we should be heading.

The following reflection is personal and undoubtedly biased, as someone who has worked for years in the third sector, specifically in the field of intellectual disabilities, focusing on management and strategy. It does not aim to be an exhaustive or validated analysis; it is merely a perspective from within the sector.

Innovation in Models of Care for People: In recent months, and probably years, both in meetings with other sector entities and listening to the administration's intentions, I see a trend towards changes in care models. However, from my point of view, this is happening much more slowly than I believe is necessary.

Recent examples of this willingness to change from the administration include the review of the social services portfolio that the current government has expressed it will undertake, and the creation of the integrated social and health agency.

I feel that there is a growing recognition of the need for a more holistic, less segmented approach to care. I am beginning to see that there is a genuine effort to place the individual and their needs and wishes at the center, prompting professionals, services, and entities to rethink how they are organized and structured to respond to this new paradigm.

As with everything in life, thinking about it and talking about it is one thing; actually implementing it is another. I see that some entities are more advanced than others in this regard. What does this depend on?

I believe it depends on many factors, but one crucial factor is the people involved. People working at all levels of the organization:

People leading technical areas who need to drive new ways of providing care, responding to emerging needs, and therefore must have a medium-to-long-term vision of where the entity should be heading.

People leading management areas who need to listen to and understand the technical perspective and strategy, facilitating the necessary organizational changes to move towards this new way of providing care and support. They must also contribute knowledge to formulate effective, efficient, and economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable strategies.

People involved in direct care, who will be the ones transforming the way we truly support individuals through their daily interactions.

People who are part of the governing bodies of entities, responsible for approving their strategy and vision.

People who advise and guide entities.

Of course, the role of the administration in designing and implementing social policies will be crucial in accelerating or hindering this innovation.

Innovation to New Social Challenges: We might say that “the world is changing.” While acknowledging that the world has always been in flux, the accelerated, unpredictable, multifactorial, dynamic, and complex nature of these changes is presenting us with new social challenges: aging of a large portion of the population, unwanted loneliness, newcomers, new family structures, increasing social and territorial inequalities, recognition of rights for specific groups, financial crises, wars, etc.

The third sector, as we understand and conceive it today, emerged in the mid-20th century from social initiative, with a clear transformative, collective, and empowering intent. The fight for the recognition of rights and the guarantee of necessary services for vulnerable individuals has guided third sector entities through the decades to the present day. It remains a strong, recognized sector with political weight but faces significant challenges ahead.

In the face of these emerging social challenges, I wonder: will it be possible to continue addressing and responding in the same way as we have so far? Will people continue to be “labeled” according to their social needs or situations of vulnerability throughout their lives? Will the third sector continue to “cover” many unmet needs through the current social protection system? Or will this change?

If so, where should third sector entities focus their efforts? I am not referring to the short term but to looking ahead and asking what the third sector should be in the next half-century or century...

At the same time, third sector workers are not separate from new social needs and are already in situations where they face worse social and economic conditions than those they are serving. How should this be addressed? What should be the role of third sector entities in this context? Are the workers part of the group for whom the third sector should be fighting?

Innovation in Management Models: This will be the point where I will be brief, as I have written extensively on this topic in recent years. My view on this can be summarized as follows: I start from the hypothesis that if third sector entities genuinely want to respond to current and emerging challenges, their internal organization will also need to change, becoming more community-oriented, with self-managed teams, promoting participation, shared decision-making, and recognizing the various existing knowledge within organizations. It should value the construction of collective knowledge in response to complex needs, while not undervaluing expert, specific, and scientific knowledge.

In summary, organizations need to transform themselves to mirror what they want to build outside their own structures.

Innovation in Alliances: As the third sector has become a significant player in the economy and has professionalized, entities are moving towards forming alliances with other agents and economic sectors.

This presents a great opportunity to work towards inclusion, equal opportunities, and raising awareness for people in vulnerable situations. However, I would raise a point of caution about how this is done: The third sector must not lose its essence and must be clear that its value contribution lies not only in its intervention area but also in other aspects such as its transformative intent and its role within the social and solidarity economy. Therefore, it should focus not only on what it does but also on how it does it, acting according to universal values such as respect, solidarity, equality, and equity, with participatory governance, community-based structures, ensuring work quality, and contributing back to society, among other considerations.

At this point, I think it is interesting to ask: which sectors or key areas of the economy should the third sector be actively building strategic alliances with to transform itself and contribute actively to positioning itself for the coming decades? Certainly, sectors like healthcare, education, and academia are crucial, but should there be an active approach towards sectors such as technology and artificial intelligence? Or less intuitive sectors like finance, among many others?

As I mentioned at the beginning, this is intended to be a reflection at a particular moment of the third sector from within the third sector. It is like placing a “witness” in construction to later observe how the surrounding structure evolves in terms of flexibility, resistance, durability, and whether cracks appear... perhaps these ideas and reflections can serve as a witness to see where we were and where we have advanced over time.

__

(1) Some texts where I have explored these ideas more extensively include:

https://ariadnamanent.blogspot.com/2023/02/transformacio-organitzacional-i-tercer.html

https://ariadnamanent.blogspot.com/2022/08/tercer-sector-i-si-la-palanca-estigues.html

https://lleiengel.cat/transformacio-organitzacional-inclusio-comunitaria/

 


Comentarios

Publicar un comentario

Entradas populares de este blog

COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE: FROM REFLECTION TO ACTION

Imagen
  Original article published in Catalan on 03/20/2023. In the present text, I want to share some interrelated ideas and proposals between the construction of collective knowledge, democratic governance, organizational structures, and "real" transformation. By collective knowledge, we refer to the result of engaging in dialogue, subsequently organizing and systematizing, different types of people who possess various knowledge with the intention of seeking a response or solution to a challenge or problem. Theoretically, there are many definitions of what knowledge is and what types exist, but I like the definition given by Joaquín Gairín (2015), who says that knowledge is the "backpack" that each of us carries. As a result of our perceptions, educational experiences, and life experiences, we accumulate concepts, ideas, feelings, frustrations, points of view, etc., which often explain what we say or don't say, what we defend, or simply say or do. So, if we
Leer más

ORGANITZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION AND THIRD SOCIAL SECTOR

Imagen
Original article published in catalan on 02/11/2022   This is the speech I made last January 26, 2023, in the session of " Apunts 654C. Imperdibles de La Confederació ".  First, I want to contextualize from where I talk about the following ideas: I talk from the knowledge I have been acquiring in recent years, reading, studying, and writing. At this point I want to mention that a most part of the ideas that I explain here are reflections made and written jointly with Fernando Fantova and that we have been publishing in  Llei d’Engel     between 2020 and 2022.   Also, I talk from the experience I have been acquiring by having the opportunity to participate actively, together with other colleagues, in the process of organizational transformation that we are carrying out at Fundació el Maresme. At the same time, I contribute ideas from a critical perspective: asking myself what we can do differently to respond to the social complexity and challenges we currently face.
Leer más

LEADERSHIP, POWER, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

Imagen
Original article published in catalan on 11/04/2022   Last weekend, I was reading an article written by Xavier Marcet titled "The Pride of Having Substitutes", which focuses on defining and promoting a certain style of leadership. Some of the reflections he shares include: "To lead is to serve and not to serve oneself," "If we play a leadership role, our responsibility is to create new leaders," and "What is not acceptable is people who climb up to gain power and then are unable to understand that people don't work for them, but rather, the higher you are, the more you work for others." "I also know proud entrepreneurs who misuse power for improper ambitions." This article, inspiring as always when you read an article by Xavier Marcet, coincided with the moment when I'm reading an interesting book by Julie Diamond called "Power. A User's Guide." I'm currently at a part where she explains that adopting a high
Leer más