Intro -- Louise Toucher LO19248

Louise Toucher (toucherl@npb.co.za)
Tue, 15 Sep 1998 17:01:40 +0300

I am responsible for the Strategic Planning Cycle and accountable for the
supporting information and systems for KwaZulu Natal Nature Conservation
Service. I report directly to the deputy chief executive / chief
executive team and am a member of the executive management team.

The organization has 4000+ employees.

The organization is a non-profit making organization which has been
recently formed from two previous organizations (01-April-1998). The
organization has a Board. It is a parastatal meaning that it is partially
funded by the state but also generates income for itself (through tourism
amongst other things). The organization manages some of the most diverse
(beach to mountain) and beautiful game parks, forests, mountains and coast
in the world. The two previous organizations rescued the white rhino from
extinction amongst many other things.

The challenge that we as an organization have is that we have only just
come together, the new Board took office and met for the first time in
late July (new vision and mission required), the two previous
organizations had a large cut in their state subsidy and we have less than
half a year left in which to steady and ready the organization for the
very likely scenario of another budget cut. At this stage due to the
amalgamation and the budget cut an unusually high percentage of our total
budget is being spent on staff salaries leaving too little to operate
effectively.

The organization has a tremendous senior management team ("I am a new kid
on the block - (2 years)") who very successfully blend personalities (very
diverse), skills (also very diverse) and strengths to move forward. This
team is committed and shares the essence of the same mission an vision
even though it is made up of people from the two previous organizations.

The board is new and is still settling in.

We have prepared background information on the essence of the previous
organizations, and some performance measures and standards for the
dimensions for the new Board ie:
biodiversity eg % change in land under conservation in KZN
change in status of endangered species
customer
finance
community (fostering nature conservation value in society - which includes co-defining nature conservation value)
internal (includes family spirit of the organization)
innovation and learning

We believe that this will assist the Board and the Executive to understand
and share a vision for the future.

I would really like to hear some ideas on how to move forward from there
with the knowledge that 6 months is an extremely short period of time.

Louise

-- 

Louise Toucher <toucherl@npb.co.za>

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