03-wir-03-2012-english

in focus:
Better together
Networking
works
Defending acquired rights and privileges tooth and nail,
maintaining a fortress mentality ... These attitudes are
toxic for cooperation and for the company as a whole.
A positive culture of cooperation has been proven not
just to increase employee satisfaction, but also to
improve a company’s operating result. There are many
good examples of promising cooperation across
national and organisational borders at GIZ.
wir: takes a look at some of them.
Alumni relations
40,000 people currently use GIZ’s two virtual
networks Alumniportal Deutschland and GIZ
global connect. ‘These communities are international
cooperation instruments that ensure
that cooperation doesn’t simply stop once people
leave. They are a great way to make sure that our
work remains sustainable,’ explains Jan Schwaab,
head of Global Knowledge Cooperation / Alumni
Coordination in the Germany Department. ‘Of
course, you have to know what kind of impact you
can achieve with alumni relations work and how it
can be integrated effectively in project planning.’
To ensure this is done, Schwaab and his team have
been building different kinds of networks throughout
the organisation for some time now. ‘We organised a
roadshow for the regional divisions, the field structure,
the Sectoral Department and the sector projects and
received very positive feedback,’ says Sabine Olthof,
Programme Manager at Alumniportal Deutschland.
However, there are also some reservations that have to be
addressed when it comes to the benefits and added value of
alumni relations, she adds. ‘But we’re making progress.’ For
instance, in future the alumni coordinators on the ground
will be integrated into the country offices and are also going
to participate in country-level planning. In China, this is
already the case. And GIZ is about to launch 14 pilot projects
that are the result of integrated planning and the newly
created internal networks. Lernort Deutschland > Globale Wissenskooperationen/Alumni-Koordination
> Über uns (Currently German only)
Steffi Mallinger, Sylvia Giessler and Irene Fröhlich from the Europe, Caucasus,
Central Asia Division. Photos: private.
6 GIZ staff magazine | wir: 03_2012