Background Five bombs have been detonated in different part of - TopicsExpress



          

Background Five bombs have been detonated in different part of Nigeria within the last 6 weeks, hundreds (if not thousands) have been killed, maimed or set back as a result of these blasts. Two of these bombs went off right here in the Federal Capital City. The, most secured city in Nigeria has gotten a look of vulnerability. Coupled with the abduction of the school girls in Borno States and the daily security and economical and challenges that we face as a nation, this is not the best of times for Nigeria. However, this cannot be said of all Nigerians as some people are benefiting from these challenges; they are the conflict entrepreneur. They are not unique to Nigeria, you probably have them in your immediate community, on your project and definitely in your organization. Introduction What we see as an advantage can be a disadvantage, while the disadvantage can actually be a unique advantage. Malcolm Gladwell, the acclaimed Author of “The Outliers” elaborated more on this concept in the part titled “The advantages of disadvantages and the disadvantages of the advantages” of His recent book “David and Goliath”. Huge Population and diversity can confer a huge advantage on any society, it is well known in animal breeding programs that the wider the pool the better the offspring (this is true 99% of the time). Nigeria’s large population means that a single event can have different impact on different people. A classic example is the man that was sad because he had just been relieved of his duties; but the man promoted to take his place will be happy. So while one man is sad because of an event, someone somewhere is happy because of the same event. Yet, it is very hard to comprehend how people can benefits from the current situation in Nigeria. But as farfetched as it might sound, quite a lot of people are benefiting from this crisis. For the problem to be solved, their requirements must be uncovered and taken into consideration in the final solution(s). This is as true for Nigeria as it is for your organization. Classification of Stakeholders in a Conflict Environment Any setting (be it national or organizational) would usually have the following group of stakeholders: The Victims: These are the people that suffer from the lack of a particular solution (or the presence of a problem) in the organization; they are the ones that bear the brunt of bad business processes, wrongly implemented solution(s), etc. They are the ones that benefit most from resolution of the problem, but usually lack the capacity to solve these problems. Through the victim(s), the business analyst will clearly have a feel of the devastation the problem is causing. Meeting their requirements is vital to resolving the problem. The Neutrals: Even though they are part of the organization, they are largely shielded from the impact of the problem in the organization. They probably know one or two victims, and they might be concerned about the problem. They help the business analyst to see the problem from a unique perspective, the “observer’s perspective”. The Adapters & Benefiters: This group of stakeholders has found a way to adapt and even benefits from the problem, a good example are the people that provide ferry services whenever a bridge collapses or gets washed off. They have found a good way to make the most of a bad situation. While they would not mind if the problem persists (because they benefit from it), they will however support the resolution if their buy-in can be obtained. The Conflict Entrepreneur: Espen Barth Eide in his article Conflict Entrepreneurship: defined these conflict entrepreneurs: They are actors who use a specific situation or condition for the purpose of establishing a conflict in order to gain something (economic wealth, power, etc). They are clearly benefiting from the problem, and would do all they can to prevent the deployment of a solution. They are willing to spend heavily to sustain the crisis. As a business analyst, you cannot rely on the requirements from this group of stakeholders. You cannot ignore them either, but must devise a tactical approach to dealing with them to ensure that the identified problem is resolved. Conclusion There are security advises being circulated everyday (especially through social media, text messages, etc) on the need to avoid crowded places like the market, cinema, public bus stations, etc. This is good but the earlier we collectively deal with this problem as a nation the better for all of us. Maybe, just maybe, a good way to start is by uncovering the conflict entrepreneurs among us. Dayo is the President of IIBA Nigeria Chapter and also sits on the IIBA Europe, Middle East and Africa, EMEA, Regional Board.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 09:40:03 +0000

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