OD-ing on innovation

These days, the buzz word among buzz words is “innovation.”

The 21st century is so saturated with the term that people instantaneously equate it with technology, or with anything that flies from the mouth of Apple. 

Among our youth, innovation is a term oft-cited but only vaguely understood; used to buttress inspirational speeches and campaign slogans while bringing to mind Very Important People who wrack their brains daily for the next best thing (like entrepreneurial gurus or astrophysicists, for example). Because of this, innovation is viewed as lofty, larger-than-life, and something best left to adults until further notice.

The Ateneo CODE, however, doesn’t think so. Short for “Consultants for Organization Development and Empowerment,” the Ateneo CODE is an officially accredited student organization of the Ateneo De Manila University, specializing in organizational development (OD) among the youth and youth-oriented organizations. They’ve had almost a decade of partnership with the Department of Education (DepED), have undergone rigorous training workshops, and are a passionate, dedicated bunch whose consultancy services extend way beyond the four walls of the Ateneo.

This year, Ateneo CODE takes the word innovation and turns it into something more digestible, understandable, and practical for the youth; channeling their energy and expertise into the form of a leadership seminar, entitled OD on Overdrive.

Before you cry wolf — or, “another leadership training seminar?” — here’s a little tale to start you off:

Once upon a time, a sociologist named Max Weber posited that the most effective and rational form of organization was the bureaucracy, since it followed a rigid hierarchical structure. Lines of authority were clearly delineated, action was taken on the basis of written rules, career advancement depended on resume padding and technical qualifications, etcetera, etcetera.

Fast forward to the present, and the magic formula behind organizational efficiency has drastically altered. Creativity is prized like never before, and initiative on the part of those people deemed as “lesser” employees is something highly valued, and not frowned upon as it was in the past. Innovation again comes to the fore, and with it, the mandate of leadership.

Indeed, organizational efficiency is now seen in a different light, and the Ateneo CODE is one of the game changers making it happen. Advocating a leadership transition seminar for high school students, the name in itself already implies a distancing from the rigidity of bureaucratic structure. As CODE external affairs representative Joyce Tiam-lee puts it, what makes their project unique from other leadership seminars is the specificity of its kind — a “brand” of leadership never really given thought of in other seminars.

“Sure, representing a group of people and mapping out the year’s activities can be very challenging, but so is the crucial stage of passing on the baton to a new administration,” she says. “While most trainings teach you how to lead and how to do things yourself, OD on Overdrive takes leadership to new heights, in that you learn how to lead through others, how to delegate and manage personalities, how to realize your mistakes and help the new forerunners to improve on them.”

With the theme “Leave a Mark, Live a Legacy,” this year’s event, to be held on Feb. 23 at the Ateneo de Manila University school grounds, is officially recognized and endorsed by DepED. Participants can expect well-crafted modules about the sustainability and transition of their organizations, and can look forward to a social mixer at the end of the whole-day affair, allowing participants to meet fellow students of various backgrounds, and share their experiences with one another.

The Ateneo CODE is inviting all public and private high school student leaders from the NCR (which they hope to extend to high schools from all over the country next year), to experience this opportunity. 

Transition is movement, passage from one state to another. It’s a condition of purposeful limbo, a space imbued with limitless possibility and, ultimately, change.

* * *

For more information, inquiries, and interested participants, visit the OD on Overdrive 2013’s official Facebook page www.facebook.com/ODonOverdrive, or contact Shairra Bello (0917-8952290).