Protecting Your Mission- Understanding What You are Working Towards

Today I was lucky enough to go attend a presentation by James T. Riordan at the Mercy Corps International headquarters. The talk presented an international economic development theory based on a buyer lead approach. Mr. Riordan’s article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review also outlines this concept:

http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/one_buyer_at_a_time

After reading the article and attending the talk my interpretation of the buyer lead approach is this: when building an economic development project the primary goal is to decrease poverty through an increase in the business sales and job creation and this is best done by focusing on the true demands of the market. In other words one needs to prioritize the demands of the market when building economic development strategies. One example he shared was of a community in Peru that was looking to transition their cocoa fields to another type of agricultural crop. The community came together and went to the NGO saying they were interested in growing pineapples because there was a demand for them in local grocery stores in Lima. Mr. Riordan’s organization did some additional research and actually spoke with grocery chains and found that there was actually little demand for pineapples and therefore the organization decided not to invest in the project. Although everything that he said made sense on paper and through a business lens something just did not sit right with me. Don’t we want to work to celebrate and preserve local cultures? What about the right-livelihoods of individuals in the developing world, do they simply get forgotten? Also, doesn’t this type of aid create dependence between communities and NGOs?

As I discussed the talk with my boyfriend upon returning home I realized what about the theory did not sit right. Mr. Riordan and I had different missions in mind for the project. Mr. Riordan, and his model, was simply working towards poverty alleviation in the developing world through economic growth. The goal is to increase the sales of local businesses and therefore increase jobs. When I think about poverty alleviation my mission is broader and includes holistic education, cultural preservation and individual empowerment. Neither of these missions is right or wrong or better or worse, just different. Acknowledging these differences will allow for deeper more productive conversation and will allow each of us to better work towards our own mission. Different missions call for different program designs and strategies. This realization was another reminder to me about the importance of mission and how truly understanding your personal and organizational mission will allow you to build strong programs and to foster deep dialogue with others who do not share your mission.

This image created by Innovation Architects is a good visual of the importance of understanding your mission, creating a plan and then delivering a service. http://www.flipcorp.com/en/innovation-architects

This theory, although not perfect, did get me thinking about the mission of my current organization and my work, and how to most effectively implement it. What do you think about this theory in general? Have you had experiences where you have run into tension because you do not have a clearly articulated mission? Really getting to the heart of this is so important and has the ability to drive the rest your work.