Dear Editor,

Several industries have of late been involved in developmental programmes. Many others have shown some interest. In the past, most people used to consider economic development as more important and social development as its lesser partner. However, of late this position has changed considerably and people have moved closer to implementing human-centred community development programmes. Involvement of industries in development programmes can be viewed in many perspectives, such as social responsibility, an atoning ritual that compensates in a small way for the gains received by way of profit, or an activity that helps to improve the image of the corporate body and to promote business.

Industries can adopt many types of approaches to involve in community
development. Direct involvement is where industries take up the development tasks directly. The industry designs and implements its own projects and programmes or can employ development specialists. It can create a new cell or division, either independently or along with other industries with a similar motivation for this purpose. Such an activity can bring prestige and give the industry control over the programme. But it can also lead to problems. The work of the cell or division will be very different from the usual activities of the industry. There will be two separate work cultures within the same organisation. The personnel in industry have a distinct life style and a set of attitudes and values which are different from the style of functioning of development workers and the communities they serve. The overheads can be very high. The community being served also might develop expectations of employment in the industry, even if they are not skilled or qualified. One way to reduce the problems of this nature would be to set up an independent society, trust or foundation. While it will reduce the problems to some extent, it also reduces the control over the programmes.

Support to government or quasi-government activities is another alternative. Government has the responsibility of improving the quality of life of the people. But the government is always short of funds. Industries can provide these additional funds though this option does not make a great impact. Also, governmental activities are not known for their efficiency or effectiveness and the policies are decided by persons and committees far removed from the people they serve. They are implemented often by people who may not have the right motivation and commitment for the development of the people. There is also a sense of patronage and condescension. There is very little people's participation, which is essential for the success of any developmental work.

Support for academic or research institutions is the third alternative. This is useful and must be encouraged. One has to accept that often the results are indirect and not easily visible. The outcome cannot be foreseen. The results may not always be positive. A fairly large percentage of wastage must be anticipated.

Support for voluntary or not-for-profit organisations is also an option for the industry. Provision of funds, appropriate technology, use of the marketing facilities of the industry or its management expertise are the different areas of support that can be offered to voluntary or not-for-profit organisations.

Voluntary organisations in their turn are capable of providing motivation, people's participation, grass roots action, and leadership that are appropriate for human development. Voluntary organisations have certain strengths and weaknesses. They are committed to social and economic change. They have the commitment to achieve the goals in the short term and work towards achieving their Vision. They are generally small, autonomous and work with the people at the grass root level. Planning and decision making are done with the participation of the people, keeping in view the needs of the people. Implementation of the plans are easier. They can also mobilise the community's resources. Their work culture is easily understood by the people and they acclimatise themselves to the local milieu fast. There is flexibility of approach in the activities and they favour the weaker sections. There are however certain weaknesses in voluntary organisations. They lack funds and this sometimes makes them focus on non-priority issues which may bring them funds. Their programmes may not be worked out fully, with clear objectives, plan of action, resources, monitoring and evaluation. Sometimes the organisations are paternalistic and act based on the assumption that 'people are ignorant' and 'We know what is best for them'. Some of them are started by charismatic persons, who may not nurture or even tolerate a second line, and the organisation may become stagnant. In course of time, the organisation may become too big, institutionalised, hierarchical and semi-bureaucratic, losing all the advantages that it had. Many may lack sufficient training, technical competence and professionalism with a human touch. Many voluntary organisations do not pay sufficient attention to the maintenance of records and accounts. Sometimes sustainability of the programme is also questionable.

The major areas of strength of the industrial houses are the availability of funds, technology, competence, management expertise and entrepreneurship. The main weaknesses of the industrial houses are inadequate knowledge of the local environment, its complexities, problems and potential. Industry is quite often very centralised, whereas the development process requires a decentralised approach. The profit motive which motivates industry is not always compatible with human development goals. However, a combination of the strengths of the industries and voluntary organisations can enhance the potential of a development programme and reduce its risks.

Once it is decided that the industry will collaborate with the voluntary organisation, selection of an appropriate organisation becomes important. There are many voluntary organisations working in the field. One has to identify what credibility they have, before an association is established. The other questions that need to be answered are, do they have a yearning to help the people to help themselves? Do they have an empowerment approach rather than merely providing services ? Do they have the appropriate professional, technological, scientific and supportive personnel? Are they willing and able to tackle the problems and make use of the opportunities? How efficient and effective are they? If the answers to these questions are satisfactory, one may choose the organisation.

During the process of collaboration it is essential to identify areas of interest and develop areas of mutual co-operation and understanding. The objectives of the partners must be congruent and there has to be transparency in all dealings between the two partners. They have to study developmental potential of local resources and determine priorities in the collaborative work, along with the people involved. The identified programme should have an independent budget and ensure people's participation at every stage. The collaborators need to develop indicators for monitoring and evaluation. They have to continuously feedback and feed forward information and take appropriate action. They should also work out a strategy for sustainability and withdrawal.

It is possible to have linkages between a single industry and a voluntary organisation. Sometimes it is advantageous to have a trust or consortium of industrial houses collaborating in an activity. It helps in pooling together the financial, technical and management support.

There are many choices of development activities that can be taken up. It may be wiser to take up simpler ones to start with, where there is no conflict of interest and benefits are visible fairly quickly. While taking up these activities, co-operation with other developmental agencies and government is necessary. It should become a people's effort with participation by the voluntary organisation, industry, and government. The project must have linkages with other sectoral projects in the area and should not remain as an island. Involvement of the partners (industry and voluntary organisation) must be on a continuing basis for a fair amount of time and withdrawal must be planned from the very beginning and should be in phases. The people should not become perpetually dependent. The aim must be to make the community self-reliant.

ASIA PACIFIC DISABILITY REHABILITATION JOURNAL (VOL.9, NO.1, 1998)

Produced by:
Shree Ramana Maharishi Academy for the Blind
3rd Cross, 3rd Phase, J.P. Nagar
Bangalore - 560 078, India
Tel : 91-80-6631076, Fax : 91-80-6638045
Printed at:
National Printing Press
580, K.R. Garden
Koramangala
Bangalore - 560 095, India
Tel : 91-80-5710658