1. CISV
International
Organizational
Review
Created for CISV USA chapter development weekend
www.cisv.org

2. The Approach
•Put the Chapters at the heart of the
Review
•Worked with external consultants
•Consulted with every layer of the
organization
•Included feedback from NAs,
Chapters, RTFs, Regional Meetings and
IO, and AIM
www.cisv.org

3. Background
•Conducted by BlueSpark Consulting
•Work was extensive and has taken more than a year
•The review has required a major investment of time and money from CISV
International
•Commitment from NA’s was a signal that there were problems and it was
time to take a look at how we work and organize ourselves
•Done by outside professionals who could take an objective approach
•This is the first time external professionals have made an independent
examination of our organizational structure and working practices
www.cisv.org

4. Findings
• BlueSpark’s findings are highly critical
• Indicate an organization that has:
• long outgrown its structure
• is ineffective in its operations
• appears unsure of its mission and values
• Determined that the working culture of CISV is making problems worse in
many ways
• Many of our 212 chapters are under severe strain
• Growth is becoming harder
• Our organizational structure is too complex to provide clarity and
accountability
www.cisv.org

5. Key Findings
• The roles of the International Board, IEC, EEC, Committees and IO are confused,
overly complex and therefore lead to systematic dysfunction
• CISV’s current strategy is lacking in purpose and clarity, including its approach to
growth
• The vision, values and mission of CISV are not viewed or treated as the guiding
principles of everything that CISV does - or the way it does it
• The existing organizational culture of CISV is a significant barrier to change and
improvement
• With an unclear core purpose, too many objectives and poor evaluation, CISV’s
flagship meeting, AIM, in its current form provides poor value for time and money.
•The organization pays ‘lip service’ to the mantra of ‘Chapters being at the heard of
everything we do’.
•A vital part of the ‘heart’ of CISV is the Junior Branch, which is treated as a
separate organization.
www.cisv.org

6. Organizational Culture
• Overall: An organization that seems to be allowing its culture to be a
barrier to achieving its Mission
• Unless CISV International wants to change its culture and the behaviors
that underlie it, any changes rising from the Organization Review will not
achieve desired results
• Though it may not be comfortable, frank and open discussion will be
necessary to address which parts of the organizational culture help and
which ones hold CISV back, and those involved will need to confront the
feelings that underlie the culture.
www.cisv.org

7. www.cisv.org

8. “CISV has a large number of closely inter-related problem areas that will
only be successfully addressed if we adopt a clean sheet of paper
approach to its structure and operations. In virtually everything it does,
CISV should adopt a less is more approach. This means less words, less
paper, less committees, less meetings, less objectives, less
initiatives/projects - and move its focus to doing the important things
well.”
www.cisv.org

9. Recommendations of the IEC
• The International Executive Committee, using the results from
BlueSpark’s Report, has put forth suggestions for action
•They address 5 sections, those being:
• New Board and Committee Structure
• Role of our International Office
• International Meetings
• Chapters
• Junior Branch
www.cisv.org

10. A. New Board & Committee Structure
“We support BlueSpark’s suggestion that we take a ‘clean sheet’
approach, that we disband all current structures and start afresh.
The recommended structure, summarised below, is in line with those
adopted by other, successful, international organizations"
www.cisv.org

11. Board
Findings
• Lack of clarity as to what the board does
• EEC is failing to a significant degree in successfully meeting
responsibilities
• Function as a collection of individuals
• Operates in a leadership vacuum with little central guidance
• Most members act in interest of own Committee
• No unified vision or direction
• Meets only once a year and is too big to have effective virtual
meetings
www.cisv.org

12. Board
Proposal
• A Governing Board of 9 members, elected for three year terms
• First GB would be elected at AIM 2013, after which it would be
done annually by electionic ballot
• Recommend that one of the members be elected by Juniors
• Remaining members be elected for terms that will be staggered, to
provide continuity
• Chief Executive (current Secretary General) be an ex-officio
member
• GB meet 3 times each year
• over weekends in cost efficient locations
• when possible, meet at Regional Meeting or Training Forum
• every third year, larger meeting would occur
www.cisv.org

13. Committees
Findings:
• 21 Committees governing an organization of CISV’s size is too
many
• Generally, committees are not managed by IEC and lack guidance
and control
• There is little understanding or agreement among Committees or
EEC or who does what and who has what authority
www.cisv.org

14. Committees
Proposal
• GB will have 4 specialist Standing Committees which advise and do
work on behalf of the Board
• Include an Educational Programmes Department and Chapter
Development Department, which will concentrate on education
Programmes and Chapters
• both of these departments would require two or more
working teams and possibly more thatn one staff Officer
• GB will have 4 specialist Standing Committees which advise and do
work on behalf of the Board
www.cisv.org

15. B. Role of International Office (IO)
Findings:
• It is impossible to measure its performance with any confidence
• the role of the IO needs to be clearly understood throughout CISV
• IO seems “frightened” to assert itself
• CISV needs to be clear about why it has an IO, what the
responsibilities of the IEC, Board, EEC and Committees are in
respect to the IO, and how it needs to be used to maximize its
contribution to CISV’s mission
www.cisv.org

16. Role of International Office (IO)
Proposal:
• The nature of the IO work will change and the working relationship
with international volunteers will be better defined
• A recognized Senior Management Team will be well placed to take
on the role of managing the work in their areas
• The GB, in cooperation with the SMT will provide clear directions
and priorities for staff and volunteers
• The recommendations will necessitate the revision of job
profiles and an assessment of skills and training needs may
result in a new staffing structure
• Discussion over the relocation of the IO will be left for over the next
year in order to retain continuity during a time of change
www.cisv.org

17. C. International Meetings
Findings
• AIM has no agreed core purpose: Conference, or Business
meeting?
• Tries to be ‘all things to all people’
• Largely disconnected with the parallel IJBC
• The “Process” appears to be more important than the outcomes
• Too much time and cost for the outcomes produced
• Too large a task for the IEC to plan, manage, and execute
www.cisv.org

18. International Meetings
Proposal:
• An Advisory Conference should be established
• This conference will meet every 3 years and be aimed at all
CISV Chapters
• All chapters will be entitled & encouraged to attend and take
full part in consultations, discussions, voting on overall vision,
mission and direction of the organization
• This conference should be held in the most cost effective
location
• A system to ‘equalize’ travel costs for the official
representative of each Chapter will be established.
• Regional Meetings will continue and grow in importance in a way
that will complement the triennial Advisory Conference
www.cisv.org

19. D. Chapters
Proposal:
• Chapters be placed at the ‘heart’ of our organization where they
belong
• AIM will be restructured into a triennial meeting aimed at gathering
representatives from every Chapter
• Chapters will be asked to consider & support the three year strategic
plan of the organization, as well as consider & advise on major policy
issues
• Content of this triennial meeting will aim to support and inspire the
work of the Chapters
• It is hoped that, with this shift in focus to the chapters, the
communication between Chapter volunteers and CISV International
will improve.
www.cisv.org

20. E. Junior Branch
Findings:
• Appears to be an organization within an organization
• IJB is a resource ‘goldmine’ and a very fertile ground for leadership
development training
• Given the size of IJB and potential future contribution to the
organization, there seems to be little connection with IJB except on a
project bias
• Chapters and NA produced very low level of unprompted feedback
on JBs
• Appears to be little reason why two organizations can’t work more
closely together
• CISV needs to be clear about why it has JBs, and understand the
support that JBs/IJB need to maximize their contribution to achieving
CISV’s mission
www.cisv.org

21. Junior Branch
Proposal:
• JB should be more fully integrated into the work of CISV at all levels
• The IEC will continue to work with the IJRs to develop more specific
recommendations in this area
• “We believe it is time to emphasize the quality of the multicultural
leadership training that our Junior Branch provides at the local,
national, and international level.
www.cisv.org

22. Conclusions
• International Board will be asked to approve a direction in principle
at AIM
• IEC and IO members will be attending all Regional meetings and will
facilitate sessions on the Review
• “We urge everyone in CISV to be open and candid in discussing
these very important issues and decisions. Each of us is committed to
the mission of CISV and has the passion and desire to work
effectively to became a larger and more successful force for a more
just and peaceful world.”
This is an opportunity to make changes that will help CISV move
forward with the confidence for the next 60 years and beyond.
www.cisv.org

23. The changes arising from the
Organizational Review will
help us shape the future of
CISV and help us to continue
to educate and inspire
action for a more just and
peaceful world
www.cisv.org