Change Management Strategies for Oxfam Scandal: A Detailed Report

This report examines the 2018 Oxfam scandal, where aid workers were accused of sexual misconduct in Haiti, and contextualizes it within the broader issues of humanitarian work. The report identifies the need for change, analyzing the scandal's impact on Oxfam's reputation and donor base, and its roots in colonial mentalities. The ADKAR change management model is applied to recommend specific changes, including gender sensitization workshops, an external committee for oversight, and enhanced accountability measures. The report emphasizes the importance of protecting whistleblowers and fostering open communication within the organization. The author concludes that while the proposed changes may not immediately solve all problems, a bottom-up approach is essential for addressing the ethical failures and promoting a more equitable and just framework for humanitarian work.

Running head: CHANGE MANAGEMENT AND OXFAM SCANDAL
CHANGE MANAGEMENT AND OXFAM SCANDAL
Name of student:
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Introduction: About the scnadal
Established by the Oxfam family, Oxfam International is one of the most reputed
charitable organizations in United Kingdom (Oxfam International | The power of people
against poverty). However, February 2018 turned out to be the black letter day for the
organization. There was massive media furore against Oxfam aid workers who were found to
be guilty of using sex workers during their fieldwork in Haiti. The former director of
Operations, Roland Van Hauwermeiren was reported to have sex workers in his villa that was
rented for the purpose of charity. The chief executive officer of Oxfam, Mark Golring
extended his apology and condemned the depraved behaviour of his employees. The
President of Haiti, Jovenel Moise was extremely critical of the incident and it termed it as
gross violation of human dignity. This paper examines the Oxfam sex scandal and
contextualizes it within the broader discourse of humanitarian work. It uses the framework of
ADKAR change management to recommend changes concludes my views on the impact of
the proposed changes.
Identification for the need for change and analysis of the situation and
The Reports of 2011 against the infamous Oxfam sex scandal might be appalling ad
repulsive for people all over but it is rooted in the broader context of the discourse of
humanitarian work that has swept across the world. The charitable organizations and aid
workers manifest white man’s’ burden in performance of their duties. The white colonial
mentality of the white man being a savior of the distressed third-world population is the
banal representation of humanitarian work (Easterly). An illustration of this would be the
exploitative images of children deployed by these philanthropic organizations in their banners
and posters. This further reinforces stereotypes about the nations in the global south and
justifies the endeavour of colonial encroachment through humanitarian in these parts of the

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world. Tropical neurasthasia, identified as a condition emerging from the onerous nature of
fieldwork in the humid climate and deprivation from the requisite leisure in life. Therefore, it
was argued that sex with the native was a respite from the demanding work schedule
(Kempadoo). This kind of an understanding embedded in the colonial ideology shifted
the burden on the victims and external factors rather than shaming the perpetrators.
This underscores on the confluence between masculinity and racial superiority that have
informed the contemporary state of humanitarian work. The mainstream representation of the
Haiti incident is conflated with problems. The under-age victims were labelled as child
prostitutes instead of labelling the white aid workers as sexual offenders for having sex with
underage girls. Blaming the women in the countries of Haiti, Chad, Liberia amongst others
amounts to a myopic understanding about the magnitude of the issue (Aid charities ordered to
improve standards following Oxfam scandal). For women deprived of basic amenities in
conflict prone zones, any opportunity to earn their food becomes an imperative. Therefore,
this is a trap for these women and an opportunity to purchase pleasure by the aid workers in
the guise of social work. Instead of gaining a deeper insight into the ordeals and lifeworld of
these women and not busting the unequal, exploitative network of relationship that is
emerging, there is a bird’s eye view of the situation (Haiti suspends Oxfam GB operations).
People all over the world are conditioned to believe that these influential organizations
are operating on a moral vacuum. The recent media outrage and uproar from the public is
more about the money of the British taxpayers going to waste rather than addressing the
genuine cause of the victims (Hornstein). Earlier, there has been a spate of sex scandals that
emerged in the limelight but those were short-lived, thus highlighting the biased, unfair and
vested interests of the civil society and the British citizens.

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Environmental impact on Oxfam
Following the shameful incident, Oxfam has lost 7, 000 donors who have till now
provided patronage to the organizations (Elgot and Karen). Golring has been worried about
such a consequence and talked about how corporate donors are scrutinizing the incident to
make their next decision. A report based on internal investigation compiled on 2011 found
that seven employees have left the organization in the light of the scandal. Former country
director of Oxfam, Hauwermeiren has resigned following his involvement in the sex abuse
scandal and four staff members have been ordered to leave the organization. The internal
inquiry unveiled that the witness to the incident have been threatened physically by three men
who have been identified as abusers. Oxfam has been used of covering-up the incident. Since
the spread of the news, 26 allegations of misconduct reports have emerged, out of which 16
incidents are associated with the international missions.
Change Management model appropriate for the incident and proposed changes
The analysis of the Oxfam incident has led me to adopt the ADKAR model of change
management. This model is premised on a bottom-up approach that emphasizes on the
individuals behind the change (Artman, Knut and Eric Jonsson). This model is befitting to the
concerned situation as it involves all the stakeholders in the organization to be a part of the
change through creating awareness among the employees about the motivation to change
(Cameron and Mike). This should be done bringing together the different employees in the
organizational hierarchy together and discuss with them the ways change will be
implemented. In this case, weekly gender sensitization workshops and verbal feedbacks
through discussion is a pragmatic step. The second step would be to inspire the members of
the organization to remain committed to these proposed changes by continuously making
them aware the inhumanness of exploiting the countries they are working. The knowledge

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step according to the ADKAR model will be utilized in this case by setting up an external
committee who would keep a tab on the activities the employees and through an in-house
counsellor. The multiple methods of the ADKAR model will enable me to come up different
methods to address the issue based on the nature and intensity of the issues (Hayes).
Accountability and checks-and-balance approach among the vertical and horizontal
organizational hierarchy needs to be ensure with the aim to foster a more egalitarian and just
organization. There is a need to protect the whistleblowers so that they feel emboldened to
speak out about any misconduct violation within the organization. I would expect the Oxfam
family to continuously meet with the employees and not solely depend on the chief executive
and other authorities to carry out the task. I would exhort the Oxfam family to have
conversations with the different employees to understand their concerns and at the
same time to change the centralized authority in the organizational structure. The
change would be initiated from April 5, 2018 and would continue for a period of three
months followed by the valuation of the proposed change model.
The Oxfam scandal has shook the world but such incidents are not new. In fact, these
are located in the larger discourse of the white colonial worldview towards the poor,
developing nations. They operate with the view that it is justified to engage in such frivolous
activities due to their exacting nature of work. However, such an attitude not just spoils the
image of accompany but it further tarnishes the image of social work and humanitarian
service. This was evident in the loss of patronage and blow on the reputation of Oxfam on a
global platform. The recommended changes might not turn out to be successful during its
first time implementation. However, the essence of the bottom-approach is an urgent need
considering the attitude of the contemporary humanitarian organizations towards their aid-
work in the nations of the global south. I strongly feel that an enhanced accountability,
checks-and- balance, establishment of an external committee to review the behaviour of the

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employees and periodic conversations between the different levels of the hierarchy looks
promising for ushering in the much-needed change in the framework of social and
humanitarian work.

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References
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