In their reform work, the young democracies in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) are grappling with the challenge of aligning public sectors, civil societies, and private enterprises with EU values, governance principles, and economic frameworks.
For countries approaching the EU, a key challenge is ensuring that reforms meet EU standards, particularly in rule of law, equality, and environmental protection. Yet an arguably more formidable challenge is translating these formal reforms into sustainable change. Studies show that ~70% of organizational change efforts fail to meet their intended goals.
These failures often stem from two connected issues. First is a fragmented approach to change—emphasizing either diagnosis, solution design, or implementation at the expense of the others. Sustainable change demands a holistic process. Second, the way change is often executed: hierarchically, with centralised decision-making.
In contrast, a democratic approach to change often holds greater potential to be transformative. Key here is involving the stakeholders in all phases of change. An integral tool in this approach is value-creating negotiation, which, when used appropriately, manages conflict and supports collective decision-making that is aligned with EU ideals like broad participation, transparency, and the rule of law.
This program equips young leaders with the skills and frameworks to lead democratic, inclusive change that delivers real results. By means of practicing democratic processes and negotiation strategies, it aims to contribute to democratic governance from within the work process itself.