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Strategic Plan review of Agar Charitable Organization

Assignment 3
Zelalem Degene
Abstract
The strategic plan of the organization I chose to analyze was that of AGAR Ethiopia Charitable
Society. In this review, I will identify the strategic aims and objectives of the organization,
whether or not they have been developed from the vision and mission the organization set out,
and whether the objectives are SMART and focused.
Introduction
AGAR Ethiopia Charitable Society is a national non-governmental and non-profit making
organization established in 2005 and re-registered in 2009 with Charities and Societies Agency
of Ethiopia as Resident Charity Organization.
AGAR has three levels of organizational hierarchies. The highest hierarchy in the organizational
structure is the General Assembly (GA) which is the decision-making body that provides overall
general direction and control of AGAR Ethiopia. The Board of Directors is the second-highestt
governing body of AGAR Ethiopia. The third level is the Secretariat led by the Executive
Director who is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the organization.
AGAR has the following vision, mission, values and objectives
Vision: AGAR Ethiopia envisions an empowered, renewed and rebuilt society of elders, the
mentally ill, and victims of trafficking.
Mission: To facilitate strategic partnerships to improve the quality of life for elderly people,
victims of human trafficking and mentally ill by addressing their physical, emotional and mental
as well as spiritual needs by empowering them to meet their own needs by themselves.
Goals: The goal of AGAR Ethiopia is to contribute to the national efforts of reducing human
trafficking, empowering trafficking victims, elderly and mentally ill people to improve their
quality of life.
Specific Objectives:
• To strengthen the provision of comprehensive services (shelter, food, and clothing,
psycho-social and medical service) to trafficked women, children and men, and
reintegrate them in to the society
• To contribute to the reduction of human trafficking by increasing community
awareness on its consequences to the vulnerable groups.
• To strengthen the provision of comprehensive services (shelter, food, and clothing,
psycho-social and medical service) to the most vulnerable elderly people and
mentally ill; whenever possible reintegrate them into society;
• To improve AGAR's institutional capacity for better service provision in the area of
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Strategic Plan review of Agar Charitable Organization
Assignment 3
Zelalem Degene
human trafficking, mentally ill and elderly care;
• To provide comprehensive and integrated Psychiatry, Geriatric and related medical
Services.
Mission Versus Strategic Intent
The strategic plan revision process is aimed at developing road map for AGAR that would
contribute to the fulfilment of its overall vision, mission, goals and objectives.
In their works, Hamel and Prahalad state that strategic intent, in its essence, implies a particular
and unique point of view about the long-term market or competitive position that a hopes to
build over the coming decade or so. Hence, the notion of strategic intent is intended to convey a
sense of change, a new future direction, a feeling of discovery and even profound destiny. And
within the interpretation of Hamel and Prahaland, in view of the above, AGAR commissioned
Wisdom Consult PLC to handle development of the strategic plan. It is believed that revising the
strategic plan would enable AGAR to:
 Determine what it intends to be in the future, and how it will get there
 Find the best future for and the best path to reach that destination.
Then the participants were organized in four focus groups, it included in its focus group for the
development of the strategic plan conducted discussions on the ‘Vision, Mission and Values’ of
AGAR. After the presentation of the group work, the groups came up with the revised vision,
mission and values of AGAR. This validates that the organization has indeed focused on its set
goals and objectives in making plans of moving forward to accomplish their mission.
Mission statement and performance
The mission statement is generally viewed as important to the long-term interests and survival of
the firm (Pearce 1982). Another major issue concerning the performance impact of mission
statements rests on the notion that they sharpen the organizations focus and result in resources
being used more wisely. In this regard the organization has identified that the current resource of
the organization cannot accommodate its existing organizational structure and has in its strategy
aimed to embark on a comprehensive organizational capacity assessment process that will lead
towards realignment of its capacity.
Internal stakeholder involvement in the strategic plan development process and
performance
AGAR understands and appreciates that there are internal and external factors that positively and
negatively affect its operation. The strategic plan included a SWOT analysis and identified its
strengths and weaknesses. It has identified that its staff believes that sheltering beneficiaries and
the Administration office in one compound helps for supervision and is cost effective, however
having the center and work place in the same compound has made the work environment
unfriendly.
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Strategic Plan review of Agar Charitable Organization
Assignment 3
Zelalem Degene
In reviewing the general literature of AGAR’s Strategic plan, I found shortcomings in the
structure in which the literature was written and gaps in the findings and the recommendations.
Although it has articulately identified the strengths, limitations, opportunities sand threats within
the organization it has failed to integrate a strategic plan that address all of them.
Performance and vision
The organization has identified its achievements and shortcomings that it faced in its previous
five-year strategic plan period. In this regard, although not fully AGAR has met the specific
vision and goal it set out to achieve. It has empowered, renewed and rebuilt society of elders,
mentally ill, and victims of trafficking and contributed to the national efforts of reducing human
trafficking, empowering trafficking victims, elderly and mentally ill people to improve their
quality of life.
Are the objectives SMART?
By assessing the organizations set out objectives herein under is my;
Specific: Yes, AGAR has set out specific objectives it aims to attain.
Measurable: Yes, all the specific objectives can be measurable. Through tracking performance,
we can measure if the provision of comprehensive services has been provided, if increasing
community awareness to the vulnerable groups have been achieved, if a comprehensive and
integrated Psychiatry, Geriatric and related medical Services have been provided.
Achievable: Yes. All the specific objectives set forth are achievable through identification of the
organizations limitations and implementation of strategic solutions.
Relevant and Time Based: Yes. The specific objectives are highly relevant and time based as
the issues the organization is trying to tackle are very real and an issue of the general population
of the nation of Ethiopia as well as a world issue.
Conclusion
Hamel and Prahaland suggested five ways of judging the suitability of an organizational vision
and in reflection of this suggestions it is my observation that AGAR’s vision has foresight,
breadth uniqueness, consensus and action ability as the visions set are ready for implementation
and the organization has clearly identified its future opportunities.
Lynch states that the mission of an organization “outlines the broad directions that it should and
will follow and briefly summarizes the reasoning and values that lie behind it. In reflection of
this measurement I found AGAR’s mission statement ineffective in reflecting the organizations
distinctive advantages and effective in affecting the behavior of people in the organization its
mission statement was realistic enough and attainable as well as flexible in taking environmental
changes into account.