**7. Results and discussions: developing a systemic programming framework for community resilience**

This paper adopts theoretical constructs from soft systems methodology to develop a community resilience programming framework. The proposed framework is illustrated in **Figure 3**. It incorporates principles from SSM and pillars from action research based on experiential knowledge by the author. The framework adopts a project cycle-based typology with two interrelated cycles (**Figure 3**). The outer cycle highlights the key components based on SSM while the inner cycle proposes key pillars for effectiveness of the programming framework. It should be highlighted that these cycles should be integrated and implemented simultaneously. The proposed components of the framework are detailed in the proceeding sections.

**Figure 3.** *The proposed systemic programming framework.*

#### **7.1 Systemic diagnosis**

This phase focuses on a holistic diagnosis of key resilience issues within the community. It is holistic in the sense of 'sweeping in' representatives of all stakeholders and community groupings as well as understanding interactions and synergies among various actors. Unlike most fragmented projects that select specified beneficiaries, system boundaries are stretched to incorporate different worldviews. A number of variables are mapped in the process including cultural history, stakeholders and their roles, community perspectives on resilience, historical trends of major shocks and coping strategies, and the role of social capital, among others. The process aims at capturing a wide range of perspectives and choices. It brings the real world and unstructured community perceptions on adaptive, absorptive, and transformative capacities. Experiences from action research highlight a few critical factors that might negatively affect such a holistic mapping process.

Firstly, most communities in Zimbabwe are polarised due to political defenses and past interactions with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other funding partners. Experiences by the author in Chimanimani District for example identified biases in beneficiary selection on the basis of political affiliation. On the other hand, participation in the different programs creates 'camps' between those selected and those left out. Such divisions often affect knowledge sharing and participation in local development activities. Other factors include local leadership wrangles and power dynamics as well as perceptions that participation in NGO activities need to be rewarded. Some cultural beliefs may affect participation by women. Dwindling

*A Framework for Facilitating Holistic Interventions for Building Community Resilience… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.102977*

confidence in NGO work in some sections of rural communities due to previously unsustainable projects may affect commitment by some community members.

The diagnosis process is conducted using rich text pictures (RTPs). An example of a TRP is given in **Figure 4**. The essence is to provide different perceptions, worldviews, and proposed actions on resilience within the community. Such diagrams could ideally be done at the village level and later consolidated at the Ward level through dialogue and participatory techniques for a more holistic view. The present is an unstructured description of issues on shocks and resilience within the community.

#### **7.2 Developing root definitions**

Root definitions are statements that present an ideal system with regards to relevant stakeholders, community actors, the perceived transformation process, world views, and endogenous and exogenous environmental factors. It should clearly highlight the required community-wide transformation process required to build resilience. It should be guided by inputs from the systemic diagnosis process in the preceding section. Root definitions should incorporate the three capacities of resilience (adaptive, absorptive, and transformative). An example of a root definition could be: "*A community led resilience building process for improved livelihoods*". Experiences from community planning and reflection exercises during action research suggest that such a process should start at the village level. A ward-level approach would complicate the visioning process since villages have; different resource endowments, different visions, and worldviews due to different leadership styles by the traditional leadership and have engaged in different development programs due to heterogeneous engagement by various NGOs leading to different levels of appreciating rural development approaches. Experience has also shown that a lot of communities are "over researched" and have gone through numerous planning activities hence it is important to take cognisance of their existing plans. Clear root definitions should be set incorporating community actors, key stakeholders, possible endogenous and exogenous factors that will impact the transformation process.

#### **7.3 Construction of conceptual models**

These models illustrate the relationships among the various elements defined in the root definitions. They define activities that the system must implement to achieve the proposed transformation. It is important to note that conceptual models define the process and not the methods applied. These models must be as holistic as possible to 'sweep in' all relevant stakeholder views. They should show interactions and synergies (both positive and negative) of various elements. Communities in most rural areas in Zimbabwe have gone through different shocks/hazards and have developed their own coping mechanisms. The construction of conceptual models should, as much as possible, elicit tacit knowledge from these situations.

Conceptual models are normally represented in the form of bubble diagrams with activities enclosed in bubbles. The bubbles link each other through arrows that depict dependencies (positive and negative). They should demonstrate an ongoing purpose for improving community resilience, a means of assessing performance, decisionmaking processes, components that are sub-systems, an environment, continuity, and required resources. **Figure 5** shows examples of conceptual models.

The development of conceptual models should also be done at the village level. Experience from Action research indicates that such planning processes need to be

**Figure 4.** *Example of a rich text picture. Adapted from Patching [49].*

conducted properly to manage reticence by some community members. Facilitators need to understand community dynamics that affect effective participation. Women for example may not participate effectively around men. Facilitators must be creative and adopt participatory methodologies that elicit the views of all stakeholders involved in the process. There might be need, for example, to form development groups, have separate inputs, and then conduct a village-wide process of consolidating the conceptual models.
