Working groups abound in public health, but how do you make them work? Some reflections on working within and coordinating a variety of working groups over the past 15 years.

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Working working groups
A work in progress
Lou Compernolle
May 2015
Working groups
A small team where everybody knows each other and
a huge international network of relative strangers with
sometimes more than 100 members clearly have very
different dynamics but they tend to go under the same
header “working-group”.
The working groups this reflection piece refers to are
large (between 25 and more than 100 people), theme
based, long-term, working groups. That were set-up to
support complex global or regional initiatives in
development.
Diversity: thinking independently together
These working groups often (and ideally) distinguish
themselves by their diverse membership. Groups unite
academics, technical specialists, the non-profit and
private sectors as well as those in public office for
example. A great deal of their added value derives
from this skills and experience mix.
This value however, will only be capitalized by careful
preparation, management and coordination.
Who cares?
Most people are part of one - or more working groups
and know all too well that they tend to be time-
consuming and rarely give a lot in return. These same
people already feel overburdened with their day-jobs
so why would they volunteer their precious time to yet
another working group?
People initially join a working group because they
care. Or less altruistically because they feel flattered
they were asked, honored to be part of a select group,
or because they think this time they will get something
out of it (resources, expanded network, visibility).
The wish to be closer to the VIPs (especially those
who may have access to resources) is also an
important motivator.
No matter how attractive a working group looks from
the outside, people’s actual long-term contribution will
depend on a sincere understanding and endorsement
of what the working group aims to - and can do, and
how this will contribute to the greater goal. An emotive
attachment to the issue and the working groups
members and lest we forget the ability (time,
resources, approval) to participate.
Lead, leader, leaders
The working groups often have officially designated
“leaders” or “chairs.” These are selected because of
their technical skills and their clout within the
community. A strong lead is essential to give the group
status and visibility. Ideally a coordinator is also
appointed to support them. The working group leader
and coordinator have a clear TOR. This institutional
framework is important (especially when expectations
need to be managed or a situation gets out of hand).
In addition (and ideally) there is also a core group of
highly motivated and skilled individuals above average
involved in both activities and the strategic direction of
the group. This valuable core-group are the most
constant group and hold the institutional memory of
what has worked in the past (and what has not). There
is a high level of trust within this group and “hard talk”
is not shunned.

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A lot of the support-relationships between coordinator,
leader and core group, will form organically and need
to be nurtured.
Leading from behind, the front and the side
More often than not the appointed leads are extremely
busy people that have little time to spare to do the
brunt work which falls onto the shoulders of a
coordinator. To keep the working group moving this
central person will lead from behind, the front and
most importantly the side.
Tasks range from organizing calls and meetings, to
setting the agenda, on-boarding new members,
ensuring the information heartbeat, keeping a finger on
the activity pulse, nurturing the core and herding the
members. Coordinators play a key role and are the
invisible leaders. They need to be excellent listeners
and facilitators, with a knack for pace setting and
analysis, with enough technical ability to help steer the
group.
Coordinators should not be asked to operate too much
behind the scenes since this does not do justice to the
key role they play. They also need sufficient time and
resources to ensure working groups work. At the same
time a coordinator rather than member led activity can
also cause working group members to take on a
passive demeanor.
A working group coordinator should have the clout and
standing to be able to communicate demands
effectively to higher management and ensure there is
leadership endorsement. At the same time the
coordinator should be given the power and
responsibility to lead the group according to its needs
and expected outputs.
Knowing me, knowing you
A working group thrives on personal relations and as
already pointed out an emotive attachment from its
members. Little work (or of low quality) will come from
people who do not care. Therefore one of the
coordinators’ often not spelled out tasks is to look-after
and nurture the relationships between people, during
one-to-one phone calls, teleconferences and of course
face to face meetings.
The ability to host a platform where everybody has a
role to play, and where different personality types feel
accepted and respected are key traits of a good
coordinator. Furthermore keeping those who for
whatever reason could not make it in the loop and
ensure that they do not feel left behind.
Size matters
In any working group there are workers and lurkers -
those who do the work and those who benefit from
listening in – and that is fine. If the balance however is
skewed and the number of lurkers far outnumbers
those who are active, working groups have a tendency
to lose their agility and energy. This is especially a risk
in “open-door” working groups where people are
accepted without serious vetting or on-boarding to
ensure added value.
Size also affects the extent to which people in the
group “know” each-other and are able to forge
productive relationships, having large numbers of new
people join can quickly negatively affect group
dynamics. While keeping people out and not letting in
new blood will make the working group go stale.
Truly global
Despite their global scope and ambition, many working
groups only pay lip-service to ensure meaningful
participation of partners in the global-south. Having
southern partners on the members’ list allows
organizations to quickly “tick that box”. If southern
partner participation is not tackled genuinely it is a
waste of valuable time and resources.
Despite information technology becoming better
Southern partners still face technical difficulties and
often great costs when attempting to participate in
calls, face-to-face meetings and activities. A dedicated
budget is a minimum to ensure they can play a
meaningful part. In addition tailored mechanisms

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(separate call-ins, regional calls) need to be set-up to
ensure they can contribute.
Working groups are an ideal venue where leaders are
groomed. By focusing on a core group of Southern
partners and forging strong relationships, local leaders
soon start to emerge. These leaders should be
encouraged to take on roles including (co) chairing
working groups, work streams or activity teams.
What binds us
While creating a sense of “belonging” provides the
support infrastructure, a strong and well defined
common cause is the lifeline of the community. If the
group strongly identifies with the cause, they will be
much more willing to go the extra mile, swim against
the current when needed and fight the good fight. A
clear cause also ensures much needed focus and will
help to prevent a group from “drifting”.
What are we about?
A strong definition of the working groups’ goals and
objectives is important for several reasons; to remind
people of the scope of the working group, to onboard
new members and to test whether the working group is
still relevant or should change tack.
The strategy should speak to all and spark many. The
lead organization may have its own objectives, the
working agenda of the working group should
nevertheless be set (and re-set) through an iterative
and participative process. This does not have to be an
administrative burdensome and lengthy process. If
members feel that what is key to them is not
addressed their participation will be superficial at best
and soon peter out.
Once the broad picture has been painted it is all about
Action with a capital A. Most of the action happens in
smaller highly motivated “work-streams” that are
nurtured by both the chair and the coordinator.
Occasional joint action with the members is
indispensable to energize the whole group, this can be
around an initiative, a shared concern, a publication or
whatever else is appropriate.
Do what only you can do
Drifting happens for a variety of reasons to most
working groups when; certain objectives have been
achieved, the membership has grown un-checked, key
people have left, or the cause has lost its traction.
It is then up to the leadership (plural) to assess
whether the group should remain alive and if yes, get
the working group working again, by focusing on “what
only the working group can do” through its members
and the unique value they bring. While action is
outlined, it is key to be realistic and judicious in terms
of activities and outputs in relation to available funding.
Nothing demotivates as much as a hefty strategy that
is revisited month after month with no perceptible
advancement.
Show me the money
Working groups have great potential. Anybody who
thinks, however, that they are an easy way to get
people to work for nothing or that they are a quick way
to get results, should think again. Making working
groups work takes a lot and requires considerable
investment in terms of time, human and financial
resources.
There is no free lunch and there is only so much
that can be accomplished on a voluntary basis. It is
the responsibility of higher management to put their
money where their mouth is and provide the
necessary seed-funding to ensure activities can
take place. In the absence of funding, expectations
should be lowered and the coordinator should be
given time to seek outside-funding.
Working hard
It is hard work to get working groups to work. Work
implies the investment of resources, human as well as
financial. Most participants have some of their time
(and brains) on offer but need approval from higher
management to ensure they can dedicate themselves
consistently.

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Dedicated time from the lead, the coordinator and the
members, is the essential success-factor. The different
stages of a working group - from reflection, to action,
and from catharsis to resurrection and not necessarily
in that order – all require a high-level effort. The task of
the working group coordinator and leader is to be a
step ahead, be aware of the stage the working group
is in, and steer it in the direction it needs to go with the
help of the leaders.
Working smart
Coordinators need to be master “herders” of the
working group members to where they need to be.
This takes patience, persistence and vision. Since
people’s participation in working groups is mostly
voluntary, motivation is key here, combined with a
sense of common cause and urgency.
To work smart, coordinators need to be able to
communicate effectively, nurture relationships, reach
out to others beyond the working group when needed,
translate a strategy into a realistic work-plan with
agreed activities, tasks, responsibilities and outputs,
and if needed ensure the necessary financing. And
crucially the group with the chair and coordinator in the
lead should seek out opportunities as they arise and
solicit a response.
What doesn’t kill us …
This will not apply to all working groups but responding
to an opportunity or taking risks are great ingredients
to establish or kick-start the group when it drifts. The
coordinator and chair should be supported in this
“rapid response” role alongside the slower paced
objectives. A keen grasp of the members, and the
“environment” allow the coordinator and chairs to
reach out directly to those who are likely to be
interested, conceive an initial plan and then reach out
to the wider group to participate. Responding to
opportunities make the group feel relevant and alive.
Opportunity response and agility are key, this is why it
is useful to have a flexible work-plan. In one working
group it was decided to work with a portfolio rather
than a work-plan to allow activities to be reprioritized
swiftly, and put others on the back-burner.
In a heartbeat
Internal and external communication are the life-line of
any great working-group. Regular and relevant
information exchange from the leaders, members and
teams constitute the heart-beat of the working group
and without it, it will soon die a silent death.
Information dissemination about how the work is
advancing and contributing to the cause is key.
Information needs to go out with a regular beat to keep
members informed, tuned-in and connected. Members
should not be overburdened with emails and the
purpose of the information that is being shared should
be clear. There are many good virtual platforms
available that can support this.
Emails, regular phone calls and a face-to-face meeting
from time to time are excellent ways to keep the
working group working. All meetings and calls need a
clear purpose, outputs and outcomes and the
expected contribution from members.
It worked!
Success in a working group will be the result of hard
work, trust, loyalty, persistence and failure. It is hard to
admit failure, especially in front of a group and it is the
task of the coordinator to ensure the working group
can fail, and can learn from what did not work.
Equally important is the response to a successful
completion of an objective. People are always quick to
sniff out self-serving working groups. Individual and
team successes should be recognized but most
importantly those who brought it about should be
celebrated and documented.
Although working groups are notoriously difficult to
evaluate, as so much happens in the tacit sphere,
serious effort should be taken to monitor the group’s
advancement towards key indicators and results, as a
learning exercise, and to motivate the release of
additional funds and support.