The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded the William Davidson Institute (WDI) a contract to carry out a management, team building and leadership workshop for its mission in Islamabad, Pakistan.
WDI’s Development Consulting Services has completed the program’s design phase, which received unanimous approval from the Islamabad mission. The workshop implementation was fast-tracked and will be held Dec. 11-12 for the mission’s 50 staff members.
“This initiative is a direct response to President Barack Obama’s December 2009 speech addressing the new U.S. policies toward Pakistan,” says Khalid Al-Naif, director of WDI’s Development Consulting Services. “WDI will work with the staff and leadership of USAID/Islamabad to define the new vision for a renewed U.S.-Pakistan partnership.”
In that speech at West Point, the president said the United States is committed to a partnership with Pakistan “that is built on a foundation of mutual interest, mutual respect and mutual trust … America is also providing substantial resources to support Pakistan’s democracy and development.”
Paul Richard Sullivan, a Stephen M. Ross School of Business Executive Education faculty member, will lead the workshop, which is designed to produce the following outcomes:
• To achieve the mission goals and build stronger team relationships by improving team building and project planning activities
• To develop a clearer understanding among USAID/Pakistan management and staff of the challenges and solutions to managing teams, especially across cultures
• To establish a common, coordinated vocabulary and approach for team building and project management throughout USAID/Pakistan
• To energize USAID/Pakistan management and staff with key insights into how their activities and a positive work culture can harmonize and impact relationships in accomplishing their mission
“WDI will provide the USAID mission to Pakistan with the leadership principles, techniques and strategy to bring this about so that the Pakistani people will know that the U.S. is concerned with its long-term prosperity and committed to assisting its citizens reach their potential,” Al-Naif says.
In September 2009 WDI delivered a similar workshop for the USAID mission in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
At the workshop’s conclusion, the 50 participants said the program was valuable to the mission, and well worth the time. Additionally, they said it brought people together on a more equal footing than they enjoy in the office.
