Beans and Rice: Pulling it all together

So this week in class, Eric Bucey from Beans and Rice, Inc. joined us to share a bit about his organization.  He is the Executive Director, MicroSolutions Program Director and IDA Program Director.  Okay, if you are like me, you are thinking “what the what” – Eric is doing everything.  Well, he is the only paid staff member.  The organization functions due to the hard work of their many volunteers, who donate their time and energy to plan, organize, and run Beans and Rice.  Coming from a person who supervised over 100 volunteer tutors for Seeds of Literacy, I understand the commitment of volunteers.

To be honest, I was quite impressed with the organization.  As Eric talked, shared and answered questions, I was able to see some of the topics we have discussed this semester.  Some connections I made include: evolutionary change, Lewin’s Three Steps, and boundary management. 

Beans and Rice is using evolutionary change: small, incremental change in order to transform their community.  The organization held a listening project, in order to better understand the community’s issues.  Their organizational philosophy is to be “change drivers”.  Again, their mission reiterates evolutionary change: to “provide short run solutions while working for long term change”.  

I also noticed Lewin’s Three Steps of “unfreeze, changing, and refreezing”.  Unfreezing occurred in the entire process of understanding the needs of the community while preparing them there are other options.  Change occurs when they introduce and implement new programs.  Refreezing occurs during the process of helping people commit to the new programs.  As an evolutionary organization, the “unfreeze, changing, and refreezing” process is not a onetime event.  It occurs every time a new change is attempted.  Lewin’s framework can also be seen in the Virginia Individual Development Accounts (VIDA) programs.  The program “unfreezes” and prepares people to change their lives either through buying a new home or opening a business.  Participants take part in courses on homeownership, business and financial education to prepare them.  They also invest and receive $2 for every $1 they invest, up to $4000.00.  This enables them to make the “change”.  Refreezing occurs once participants complete the program and either move into their new home or start their business. 

A final observation, I noticed was boundary management.  According to Burke, this is one of the characteristics of executive leadership.  It is the ability to be aware of the external environment in order to make decisions in the best interest of the organization.  Dr. Lynn A. Walker of Boundary Management Consulting says “It is as important to know when we will say "No" as to know when we will say "Yes."”

This was a noticeable concern with Eric.  When asked about Beans and Rice’s boundaries, he responded that they say no when they do not have the funds or the volunteers.  Boundary management is often difficult for social change organizations as they attempt to meet the needs of the people.  However, at some point, “No” must be said.  Saying no allows an organization to focus on their mission and ensuring they are truly meeting their mission.