Publications

The GPOD Process Document is a narrative of the journey undertaken towards evolving a framework for strengthening the organizational capacity of Gram Panchayats, which emerged from an intensive action research project with two Gram Panchayats in the state of Karnataka – Oorkunte Mittur in Kolar District and Dibburhalli in Chikkaballapur district. The project was incubated in January 2011 in Arghyam Foundation and housed in Avantika Foundation since April 2014. As we move from concept to action research to scale, it is important to record the endless discussions and arguments, document the mechanisms, the learnings, as well as the challenges. This document available under a creative commons license attempts to do precisely that by narrating what was achieved in the action research project and what was needed to move forward.

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This case study published in News Reach, the livelihoods and development bi-monthly of voluntary organisation PRADAN demonstrates how the organisation development of Gram Panchayats strengthens and improves local governance and ensures effective service delivery to citizens at the last mile, through work undertaken in Karnataka and Maharashtra. Organisation Development principles include appropriate organization design, incentive structures, and behaviour norms among others. The publication acknowledges change as a continuous process and underlines the need for such frameworks to evolve as per the local needs and requirements of the panchayat over time. The case study also narrates the transformational journey of some elected representatives to demonstrate how organisation development initiatives nurture the potential of individual members in the change process.

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The paper illustrates the methodology used in the development of an innovative framework called Gram Panchayat Organisation Development (GPOD) and its implementation in action research mode in two village councils since 2011. It further explores the wider applicability of this framework, which has been extended to over 50 gram panchayats (GPs) since 2014. GPOD works towards strengthening the panchayat as an organisation in its entirety, rather than by tackling stand-alone components. It includes building a shared vision in the panchayat, mapping and re-engineering key processes, developing accountability and incentive structures, and supporting the village body in developing and implementing its annual plans. The approach has evolved to its present form based on real-time change management initiatives in GPs in which politically elected members participated in decision-making and implementation. We argue that by following the principles of organisation development and aligning the panchayat’s organisational components, marked improvements in local governance and service delivery were achieved. Impact is captured in terms of systemic outputs such as annual plans, accountability structures and activation of defunct committees, as well as improvements in services such as health, sanitation, drinking water, etc. The paper also includes a critique of the challenges faced as GPOD was scaled up to include new areas. 

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This article published in India Development Review (IDR), the potential to deepen grassroots democracy is immense if panchayats are accorded their rightful place in local development.

This process documentation, as the name suggests, documents the Gram Panchayat Organization Development (GPOD) processes and tools, designed, and deployed collaboratively by PRADAN and Anode Governance Lab. Rolled out in 16 Panchayats in Jharkhand and 10 in Madhya Pradesh, between 2015 and 2018, as part of the SPACE project, the GPOD framework aims to strengthen Gram Panchayats us units of Local Self-Governance through a structured organisation development approach.

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Projects