PDIA in the Balkans: The Western Balkans Alumni Association (WBAA) as Positive Deviance

Abstract

This chapter aims to portray why and how WBAA, as an organism, organization, entity, agent, actor, network, … produces emergent effects as a regional entity is a Positive Deviance, as recognized in theory, and more specifically within the Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation by Harvard’s Center for International Development. Positive Deviance is one of the core principles in the PDIA strategy—by “creating (and protecting) environments within and across organizations that encourage experimentation and positive deviance.” First we will briefly elaborate on PDIA and its concepts and describe and encode the distinctiveness of WBAA arguing why and how it is a positive deviance for our Balkans. The expected outcome: to inspire leaders, institutions, CSOs, citizens, academia, … to take the regional approach, moves beyond the silos of a country/domain, has functional bridges with developed countries (for knowhow, funding, coopetition, alignment), and shows “how” coopetition within Western Balkans is to be done. If volunteers can do it, others can surely follow