In the daily whirlwind of civil society organizations, one truth is becoming increasingly clear: good intentions and intuition are no longer enough. To endure, grow, and be accountable, organizations need to equip themselves, structure their work, and formalize their processes. It is around this essential need that a dynamic workshop was held on formalization, the standardization of organizational behavior, and the development of procedures manuals. It brought together finance and accounting officers from eleven partner CSOs, including : Association des Femmes Juristes du Tchad (AFJT) ; Centre Africain pour la Paix (CAP) ; Commission Episcopale Justice et Paix (CEJP) ; Convention Tchadienne des Défenses des Droits de l’Homme (CTDDH) ; Droit de l’Homme Sans Frontières (DHSF) ; Ligue Tchadienne des Droits de l’Homme (LTDH) ; Réseau des Jeunes Femmes et Filles Leaders au Tchad (REJEFFLT) ; Union Nationale des Associations des Personnes Handicapées du Tchad (UNAPHT) ; Observatoire des Associations sur le Processus Electoral au Tchad (OAPET) ; Organisation Tchadienne Anti-Corruption (OTAC) ; Vision Consciente Africaine (VICA).
This workshop was not one of those seminars where participants doze off while taking passive notes. It was a living laboratory, where collective intelligence lit up the room from the very first minutes.
The workshop opened with a thought-provoking simulation exercise led by Pierre Kadi Sossou. Participants, split into two groups, were invited to step into the shoes of two fictional organizations: Centre Ndoïna and ONG Bolingo. Through these contrasting stories, teams were tasked with analyzing internal practices and identifying which elements reflected formalization – or a lack thereof.
Ndoïna, a young and energetic association, was caught in a fog of improvisation: no manuals, per diems assigned at random, new staff left to figure things out alone, and unclear responsibilities paired with hastily written reports.
Bolingo, in contrast, exuded maturity: a clear operational manual, standardized per diem policies, structured onboarding, mission procedures, and even a weekly ritual to strengthen internal culture.
This roleplay immediately captured everyone’s attention with participants learning through their role playing. Some couldn’t resist gently teasing their peers who embodied Ndoïna: “Oh, those are the Ndoïna people… where direct democracy rules, unless the founder is around!”
Between humour and caricature, the exercise helped participants understand – without heavy theory – just how central procedures are to organizational life. Drawing on their own professional experiences, participants enriched the discussion, often recognizing the Ndoïna scenario all too well. From this emerged a living and collective definition of formalization: to formalize is to prevent ambiguity, clarify roles, secure decision-making, create institutional memory, and build a solid organizational culture.
Through this renewed understanding of formalization, participants explored the three forms of formalization described by Henry Mintzberg:
1. Regulation – policies, manuals, forms, and procedures ;
2. Training – structured onboarding, mentorship for new staff ;
3. Socialization – internal rituals, shared values, and organizational culture.
Following this introduction, the rest of the workshop was masterfully facilitated by Aboubakar Mougnol of Mabou Conseil. Under his guidance, participants explored concepts of traceability, accountability, and internal control, aligned with the standards of the OHADA accounting system. They gradually developed a nuanced understanding of the essential components of a procedures manual – covering administrative, financial, and human resource areas.
Through process mapping exercises, they identified the critical points of their internal operations. And ultimately, each participant began drafting a procedures manual tailored to their organization – a foundational step on the road to structured and sustainable governance.
Far from stifling creativity or burdening operations, formalization emerged as a source of clarity and serenity. It protects organizations, strengthens teams, reassures partners, and prevents absurd conflicts, incoherent decisions, and wasted energy.
And as the workshop concluded, the sense of pride was palpable on the faces of accountants, managers, and finance officers alike. The pride of having taken a step And as the workshop concluded, the sense of pride was palpable on the faces of accountants, managers, and finance officers alike. The pride of having taken a step back. The pride of realizing that a solid procedures manual is not just another document to shelve – it is the backbone of any organization that takes itself seriously.
This blog post was made possible thanks to financial support from the European Union under grant agreement No. NDICI AFRICA/2022/435-927. The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EU.
