Is there experience working with small and medium enterprises through succession planning? Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade retailer working with a number of successful medium size craft enterprises that were started by and are managed solely by a charismatic social entrepreneur. After ten or twenty years, however, nothing has been done to prepare new leadership, to manage a transition, or to ensure the sustainability of the enterprise when the founder leaves the leadership role. Combined, the incomes of many hundreds of families are at risk.
We would like to learn from the experience of others.
Thank you,
Kathleen Campbell
Ten Thousand Villages
5 Comments
Succesion planning
This is a core issue for organizations working in HIV and AIDS impacted communities. This month, the SEEP Network is launching an on-line community of practice on HIV and AIDS and microenterprise development. In addition, the following link is to a resource guide on working with Orphans and Vulnerable Children: http://www.microlinks.org/ev_en.php?ID=21730_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC
It is recent, excellent and some information about legal services and succession planning.
What brings this up for you? Is it HIV and AIDS or another issue?
Mary McVay, Facilitator
Enterprise Development Exchange
Succession Planning
Thank you Mary,
Ten Thousand Villages does work with a number of enterprises (in India, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda) that serve as the sole source of income for communities/families affected by HIV/AIDS. Succession planning is threatening the sustainability of incomes in many different settings and even among some of the more successful small and medium enterprises. Have you seen an organization plan for it successfully?
Thank you,
Kathleen Campbell
Ten Thousand Villages
Succesion planning
Hi Mary!
This is a good one again. Succession Planning in microenterprises is key for sustainability. It has worked for most the successful family businesses you can think of, generation to generation.
Well, am not very familiar with programs for succession planning in communities, but I know of something similar – Writting Wills. This approach of writing wills is especially neccessary in programs that target rural communities with a burden of HIV&AIDS. World Vision Uganda, under its OVC Community programming model of Community Care Coalitions trains communities on making wills. In the event of sudden death of a guardian or parent, OVC can be better with some inheritance as opposed to instances where the remaining gurdians/relatives sell off their inheritance leaving the OVC to languish in poverty/destitution.
This may not necessarily be a form of succession planning. But I would think that if incorporated in programs of Succession Planning for microentreprenuers, it would be more of a plus. What do you think?
Martin
I agree. In fact, writing
I agree. In fact, writing wills is listed as a key economic
strengthening strategy in a new guide out on economic strengthening for
vulnerable children:
http://www.microlinks.org/ev_en.php?ID=21730_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC
I think there is probably more to it, though, because there is also
skill transfer, relationship transfer. For example, some microfinance
institutions allow children of HIV positive client to attend savings or
loan meeting to get to know the group and understand how things work so
that the children can represent the parent when the parent is not able
to attend. Although children are not able to borrow, they can attend
and save and a designated guardian can borrow on their behalf.
Does anyone else have thoughts about this?
Mary McVay
Director, The Value Initiative
The SEEP Network
708-660-8140
www.seepnetwork.org
http://edexchange.seepnetwork.org
——-Original Message——-
From: communities@seepnetwork.org [mailto:communities@seepnetwork.org]
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2008 10:10 AM
To: Mary McVay
Subject: Comment for Discussion: Succession Planning for Small and
Medium Enterprises
Thank you Mary. Every thing
Thank you Mary. Every thing is trial. There are some that work and there areas that I think we should look at. And this is in the area of work oplicy in HIV/AIDS where MFIs dstigmatise and discriminate against people livivng with HIV/AIDS and their families.
In this case the NGOs and CBOs still have alot to play in organising seminars for MFIs on HIV/AIDS education, care and support.
The Initiative sis a wolcome idea and its all about aplying it to our verious communities.
Thanks