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Tools for Changing Organisations, Systems and Structures 8. Commonwealth Games Federation: A Case Study in Organisational Change Description of
the Tool When to Use it? Format Tool As with most international sport organisations, the Commonwealth Games Federation is an organisation run primarily by men. Over the past eight years, the CGF has made a major commitment to becoming more gender equitable and it has made significant progress. Although much work remains to be done, the CGF should be congratulated for its willingness to change. Step 1: Support by Key Leaders A change in leadership at the 1994 Games produced a change in culture that allowed the issue of gender equity to be addressed. Under the leadership of a new Chairman the following steps were encouraged and supported. Step 2: Build the Case A position paper to raise awareness of the issue was presented to the General Assembly in 1995. Although it was formally presented it was intentionally tabled until more support for the issue could be generated. During the year leading to the next General Assembly, informal discussions and external pressure from other equity events such as the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing 1995, resulted in enough support for a formal motion. The recommendation to establish a Women in Sport Committee was accepted. The position paper contained the following information: A. Introduction
B. Statistical
Analysis of Current Status
1. Sports and Events in the Commonwealth Games
Step 3: Establish
a Women in Sport Working Group A working group was established using the approved Terms of Reference and ensuring both geographical and gender balance. Step 4: Prepare an Action Plan The working group prepared a three-year work plan to guide national and international activities. The work plan included activities, tasks, timelines, responsibilities and a budget to support the plan. Sample activities included items such as:
Step 5: Report Regularly Reports from the Working Group were added to the agendas of Executive Board meetings and the General Assembly. An annual meeting for Women in Sport was included in the Committee meeting schedule. Regular reporting resulted in an opportunity to continue to build awareness and understanding of the issue, as well as celebrate the progress made. Step 6: Collect Data Following each Commonwealth Games, statistics were updated to reflect the male and female numbers in the three categories outlined in the initial position paper: Sports Programme, Participation, and Leadership. An example of the data reporting is as follows: Sports Programme
Results: Step 7: Provide Role Models Women are still under-represented in leadership positions. Only one woman holds a senior Officer position and a second woman is a co-opted member of the Sports Committee. These women provide role models that inspire other women to attain leadership positions. More women are needed at the Federation and the CGA levels. Achieving credibility at the International level is a long process. Many individuals believe that longevity rather than competence is a main criteria for selecting leaders, i.e., "it's my turn" attitude. Step 8: Include Gender Equity in the Sports Programme Review A review of the Commonwealth Games Sports Programme provided an excellent opportunity to address gender equity. In the first step, gender equity was included in the principles governing the sports programme. Principle 5. That gender balance is achieved by ensuring both men and women participate in any sport where the International Federation has events for both men and women, providing the sport meets the criteria in number of countries participating and level of excellence of Commonwealth participants. As the Sports Programme review became more refined, equity was added as one of the six criteria to assess sports for inclusion in the Commonwealth Games. The six criteria are: Commonwealth participation, performance excellence, marketability, equity, cost of the sport, and commitment of the International Federation. Step 9: Entrench Gender Equity in Organisation Documents One of the most important strategies for long-term change is to have gender equity entrenched in the foundational documents or legislation of your organisation or nation. In the CGF case, this was accomplished in three stages:
The final article (to be voted on in July 2002) is outlined below. Article 19 Gender
Equity Regulation 13
Step 10: Build a Network As the change process continues, the current priority is to establish regular communication and support for women sport leaders in the Commonwealth. Although this has been happening informally for some time, advancement in technology, and the increasing number of international events and conferences offer the opportunity to advance this strategy. Commonwealth meetings are being held in conjunction with the 2002 World Conference and at the Manchester Games. There is great potential to build a strong support network for women leaders and to ensure capable women are elected to leadership positions with the Commonwealth Games movement. In conclusion, there is still much work to be done before the Commonwealth Games Federation can call itself a gender equitable organisation, but it is making steady progress - and with each year, there are more people who are part of the solution.
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