Sector Connectors
Some personal reflections on crossing sectors
United Nations, Geneva
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Practical Example
The World Development Report 2015: Mind, Society, and Behavior (World Bank) is a good example of crossing sectors and disciplines for collaboration. Prominent in the latest annual report are the insights from the behavioral sciences--the psychological and social factors that influence how we make decisions about developmental problems, policies and practices. Progress in human/planet well-being is not simply a product of producing and providing the right information. Watch the 2.5 minute summary here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh8065i3Xx4
United Nations, Geneva
We think that the time is coming for a diversity of colleagues to come together
intentionally, visibly, and practically on behalf of global
integration (GI). GI put simply is how we skillfully integrate
our lives and values on behalf of the issues facing humanity. Likewise we think that the time is coming for colleagues to carefully reflect and act on what it
means to be good global learners-practitioners--to
seriously consider what it means to be what we are calling global integrators (GI-People).
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Global Integrators as Sector Connectors
“A sector is
a distinct part of society (analogous to the area between two radii in a
circle or a piece of pie) with a special albeit broad purpose. It is a large,
amorphous yet recognizable block within the international community that
provides different types of services and products to people. Each one is
comprised of a wide array of people who are part of different organizations;
influenced by various disciplines, practices, and goals; and intertwined with
many related networks. A sector fundamentally is a human entity.” (pp. 5-6)
Another accurate title for our book could be:
Global [Integration with a Special Focus on] Member Care
Crossing Sectors for Serving Humanity
“Trying to grasp
sectors both conceptually and practically can thus be a bit of a challenge. It
is akin to trying to grasp the sky. Both are readily observable. Both are highly
influential. Yet both are hard to “contain,” especially as they are so vast and
full of variation. It can also be daunting and confusing entering into a new or
even overlapping sector. It can feel very “foreign”—a bit like the proverbial
fish out of water—as my wife, Michèle, and I found out in our initial efforts
to connect and contribute to the global health (GH) sector.
Being psychologists
with international experience helped us to enter into GH, of course. Yet coming
from the faith-based mission sector with involvement in the humanitarian sector
did not guarantee it would be easy to find our way into the mainstream of GH.
Entering into different sectors is a dynamic process, not simply a static
concept. It felt like a cross-cultural experience, exhilarating yet at times
unnerving as we were stretched by our encounters with a variety of highly
experienced people, challenging ideas, and new areas of learning. This diverse
sector though, like learning a new culture or language, started to make more
sense over time. We attended conferences, workshops, and webinars; learned
about projects and research studies; read materials and watched videos; served
on committees and task forces; asked lots of questions; and above all met and
talked with people from many NGOs, countries, and disciplines within the
sector. We built relationships and saw how much we all had to offer each other,
highlighting our mutual emphases and goals.
In short, the
global health sector, especially the global mental health (GMH) part of it,
which lies within the much larger human health sector, gradually became more familiar,
less foreign, and even less perplexing. So the moral of this short account is
to be encouraged as you cross into sectors and subsectors. Maintain your core values
and worldview, but be open to new ideas. With time you will learn to navigate your
way around the relevant parts of the sectoral terrain—and the sectoral sky!”
(pp. 6-7)
Excerpts above from Chapter
2, Charting Your Course through the Sectors, Global Member Care (vol 2): Crossing Sectors for Serving Humanity (2013)
edited by Kelly and Michèle O’Donnell.
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