Rosie Houldsworth
The end of August marked another special transition for Oxford Research
Group with a new role for Rosie, as she became an honorary consultant
having retired from her previous staff role at ORG as the Outreach
and Communications Coordinator.
Apart from Scilla, Rosie is the sole remaining member from the original
team set up 25 years ago. An important part of Rosie's value to ORG
is the remarkable depository of knowledge and experience gained over
these years in developing the 'ORG method' of reaching out to others
- whether partner NGO's, targeted experts, or even the odd foolhardy
decision-maker! For Rosie has been largely responsible for developing
the unique emphasis which ORG puts on understanding the human motives
behind the decisions and developments which otherwise seem inscrutable
and unaccountable - an approach which is still at the heart of everything
ORG does.
I once heard someone say that Rosie 'Speaks Truth to Power' (a saying
often written in capital letters). But Rosie, who would never claim
to 'know' the absolute Truth anyway, does far more than this; she
gently enables others to 'think again' about their fundamental assumptions
and perhaps to reconsider whether the way they handle these assumptions
might be modified in light of new insights. Sometimes these others
are quite powerful people who become susceptible to Rosie's approach
precisely because it is neither lobbying nor campaigning. In the same
manner, 'dialogue' means for her a fair discussion between holders
of differing points of view; it fully justifies the 'R' in ORG's name,
as it is very demanding to be able to participate in dialogue properly
without a thorough knowledge of all sides of the issues.
So although Rosie's role is changing, it is most fortunately not
'goodbye'. Indeed, I know that Rosie is looking forward most positively
to the next phase of her relationship with ORG, and will continue
to promote the much needed mutual understanding which is so often
lacking when parties confront each other with apparently irreconcilable
differences. We most sincerely wish for her the very best for the
future.
Frank Boulton, Secretary to the Board of Trustees, 18 September
2007
