Karmayog

Kaho, Karo, ya Karwao

You are here: Home / Karo / Understand / Articles by Experts / Social Service – A Practice or A Process?

Social Service – A Practice or A Process?

1. Social Service – A Practice or A Process?

…………..not necessary to start off the presentation with a saying…but….an effective “Practice”….so…..here it goes…

 

         “Excellence can be obtained if you:

…care more than others think is wise;

…risk more than others think is safe;

…dream more than others think is practical;

…expect more than others think is POSSIBLE.”

 

 

2. Know your “Presenter”

  • Professional details
  • Academic details
  • Financial details
  • Personal details
  • Extra-curricular activities details
  • Contact details

3. Practice

  • Voluntary – Not Rule-based
  • Generally, it is an action pattern that is developed over a period of time

4. Process

  • Rule – based
  • Systematic / Series of actions performed to achieve a specific result

5 . Differences – Process and Practice

Process

1) Goal oriented

2) Focus

3) Easier to identify deviation

4) Need not necessarily result in pleasure

5) No ambiguity

6) Evolves with “Hit-rate” or “Trial and Error” mechanisms

Practice

1) Not necessarily

2) Lesser emphasis on Focus element

3) Very difficult

4) In general, practices grow when they bring in happiness.

5) Ambiguous

6) Evolves over time and acceptance

 

6. All of you……now know what I am biased to?…..Yes…Process Approach.

  • Process-oriented approach makes the work we do:
  • Effective
  • Efficient
  • Measurable
  • Scalable
  • Objective
  • Unambiguous

 

7. Some major drawbacks with the “Practice” approach to social service:

1) Lack of clear direction

2) Objectives not objective

3) Vagueness

4) Too many hands and not too many heads

5) Weak bargaining power

6) Not scientific

 

 

8. Some major drawbacks with the “Practice” approach to social service:

7) Less “impact value”

8) “Floats” over an issue but will not be able to effectively “Fix” the issue

9) “Time Spent” to “Results Achieved” largely discouraging

10) No visible “Output”

 

9. How does Process overcome these drawbacks?

1) More work done at the “Drawing Board” than on the “Playground”….so less tiring…physically

2) Brain-power vs Muscle-power

3) Focused efforts

4) Objectives clearly defined

5) Overlapping / Duplication of activities prevented

6) Smart usage of funds, resources and time

7) Visible goals and defined POAs

10. How does Process overcome these drawbacks?

8) Measurable performances

9) Scalable and Scientific

10) Does not require massive time investment

11) Less chaotic

12) More participation

 

 

11. Applying the “Process” theme to our social cause…..

  • Do we all agree that there is a ‘problem’ to be solved?(…anybody still thinking…!!)
  • Then…simple…we have the tested, proven formula to solve the problem….
  • ….recap O & M….

A)    IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM (if there are more than one problems, apply these steps to each of them)

B)    UNDERSTAND THE CAUSES (list down every cause that you think is a cause..regardless of its size, materiality or impact. Just remember not to deviate from the principal problem)

 

12. Applying the “Process” theme to our social cause…..

C)    DISCUSS AND DEVELOP VARIOUS ALTERNATIVES TO REMOVE THE CAUSES (keyword here is ”DISCUSS”…this brings in the magic of a team and synergy

D)    TEST THE ALTERNATIVES FOR SOUNDNESS (…this can be done through sampling..)

E)     MEASURE THE RESULTS OF THE TESTS

F)     MODIFY PROPOSALS, IF REQUIRED

G)    IMPLEMENT THE BEST ALTERNATIVES

H)    ENSURE “problem” IS SOLVED

I)       DON’T GO HOME & SLEEP!!!!..THERE ARE MANY MORE PROBLEMS..FIND THEM!!!

 

13.Applying the “Process” theme to our social cause…..

  • Does it sound simple?
  • If it does…that means it is simple!!
  • Solving any problem is simple……..
  • …………provided…..there is
  • COMMITMENT
  • CONFLICT
  • CO-OPERATION &
  • CONTROL

14.Advantages of a good process

  • problem is defined, so, no confusion.
  • causes also identified…what else?? You know everything now!
  • alternatives proposed by intense brainstorming and discussions…so best strategies come out
  • everything will be tested for success…so there is no rush towards failure
  • everything is clear, so, it will be continuous (members may come, members may go…objective(s) remain)
  • clarity brings in scalability. You can always scale the process up to higher geographies, greater populations.

 

15. What do we need?

1) we need data to zero in on a problem

2) we need data to identify the causes

3) we need data to measure the effectiveness of our actions

4) we need data to convince other supporters to believe that the problem is real

5) we need data to recommend alternatives

6) we need data to ensure continuity

7) we need data to sell our ideas

DATA à INFORMATION à KNOWLEDGE

KNOWLEDGE à WISDOM à “power”

WE NEED DATA TO BECOME POWERFUL

 

16. NEED THEOREM

  • Physiological needs à social needs à

à    esteem needs à actualization needs

  • EVERYBODY NEEDS SOMETHING..
  • Me, you, he, she……we all try to move from one level to the other
  • one point gets identified here:
  • Our target universe is that which is below the first level (in most cases) and sometimes, below the second level
  • Our target universe …ONLY A CHILD?

 

17. Tell me something…

  • As a CHILD (till you turned atleast 16..)..could you do something that your mom and dad didn’t like / want you to do?
  • (assuming a ‘no’)….In that case, to achieve any objective which is “child-centric”, can you ignore the “family”?
  • Whom do you call a child? Those humans below the age of 14? If somebody is 16, we ignore them? If 20…? If 25??
  • Education vs Literacy…..which will help a child become a responsible adult?

18. Some objective target groups

  • Children below 5 years (Infants)
  • Children between 5 – 10 yrs
  • Children between 10 – 15 yrs
  • Children between 15 – 20 yrs
  • Girls
  • Boys
  • Orphans
  • Children from families that send them to schools
  • Children from families that do not send them to schools
  • Children from families that cannot send them to schools
  • Children that beg
  • Children that work
  • Families of each of the above categories

19.You will realise….

  • That once you break the targets into small groups (objective groups)…you will find..
  • Different problems
  • Different causes
  • Different solutions
  • Common problems and common solutions

 

20. You will realise….

  • That we need to do the following:
  • Collect such data
  • Store and save such data
  • Consolidate the data
  • Brainstorm
  • Identify problem, causes
  • Alternatives is the next step (….new systems….existing systems with new rules..)

 

21.Poverty

  • Is lack of money to buy necessities
  • Is lack of a bridge between rich and poor
  • Is lack of equal opportunities
  • Is lack of education…(not literacy…right?)
  • Is lack of systems to identify and address poverty
  • Is not being able to dream
  • Is an unexplored POSSIBILTY to grow….

 

22. Who are key players?…not in a great order….

  • Me
  • You
  • School Children
  • College students
  • NGOs
  • Administration
  • Schools & Colleges
  • Commercial establishments
  • Politicians
  • Systems
  • Media
  • Money
  • Motive
  • …………….many more…

 

Ravi Sankar

 

Translate »