Network of Asia-Pacific Schools and Institutes of Public Administration and Governance (NAPSIPAG) Annual Conference 2006 University of Sydney, Australia December 4-5 th , 2006. Title ROLE OF ENCOMPASSING INNOVATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN WILL—A MAJOR CONTRIBUTIVE FACTOR IN THE SOCIAL AND THE HUM AN DEVELOPMENT Vinay Sharma is Assistant Professor & Head at the Department of Management Studies with SRMCEM, A college affiliated to the U.P. Technical University, Lucknow, India. Residential Address: 15/112, Indira Nagar, Lucknow 226016, Uttar Pradesh, India Ph No: 0091-522-2356185, 2358396, 9839022610, e-mail: [email protected], [email protected]About the Author: Having worked with organizations in the fields of Social Development, Media and Information Technology his areas of interests include Poverty Alleviation through Business Development, Market Development and Technology and especially Enhancing the reach of the Health-Care with the perspective of Affordability for the Poor & Profitability for the Provider. He is an associate and a member of the founding group of the Network of Asia Pacific Schools and Institutes of Public Administration and Governance constituted by Asian Development Bank in December 2004 and the Associate Editor of the E-Journal of NAPSIPAG. Vinay Sharma is teaching Strategic Management and Heading the Department of Management Studies at SRMCEM, Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA.
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Network of Asia-Pacific Schools and Institutes
of Public Administration and Governance (NAPSIPAG) Annual Conference 2006
University of Sydney, Australia December 4-5th, 2006.
Title
ROLE OF ENCOMPASSING INNOVATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN WILL—A MAJOR CONTRIBUTIVE FACTOR
IN THE SOCIAL AND THE HUM AN DEVELOPMENT
Vinay Sharma is Assistant Professor & Head at the Department of Management Studies with SRMCEM,
A college affiliated to the U.P. Technical University, Lucknow, India. Residential Address: 15/112, Indira Nagar, Lucknow 226016, Uttar Pradesh, India Ph No:
About the Author: Having worked with organizations in the fields of Social Development, Media and Information Technology his areas of interests include Poverty Alleviation through Business Development, Market Development and Technology and especially Enhancing the reach of the Health-Care with the perspective of Affordability for the Poor & Profitability for the Provider. He is an associate and a member of the founding group of the Network of Asia Pacific Schools and Institutes of Public Administration and Governance constituted by Asian Development Bank in December 2004 and the Associate Editor of the E-Journal of NAPSIPAG. Vinay Sharma is teaching Strategic Management and Heading the Department of Management Studies at SRMCEM, Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA.
This paper through the citation of live and working examples proposes
and suggests that Innovations in Governance, Technology and its usage, Service
Delivery, Business Opportunity Development and in Strategy (Business
Strategy especially in relation to the Rural Markets) develops ‘Human Will’ at
both of the ends of the implementers and beneficiaries i.e. at the ends of
Government and the Public, Technology Providers and the Users, Service
Providers and the Beneficiaries, Business Organizations and the Clientele.
Please also see fig. 1. The paper further suggests that this kind of a
development of ‘Human Will’ at both the ends is instrumental in establishing
‘Self Replicable Processes’ and this in turn are supportive of Social and Human
Development.
The paper also emphasizes that innovation even in any of the
areas/fields like Governance, Technology and its usage or any other also
influences the other areas and aspects and gets influenced in a cyclical fashion
and the process of innovation itself is all encompassing and cyclical in nature
for example the enhancement in the levels of the reach of micro-credit facilities
(through innovations in the policies of the credit facilitators) for the poor people
definitely and positively influences Business Opportunity Development and
triggers innovations in the later too. Hence the paper proposes that the
innovation is important regardless of the area prioritized as the objective should
be to develop ‘Human Will’ because sustenance of the processes is the question
and the answer as well.
Key Words: Innovation, Human Will, Governance, Business Opportunity Development,
Technology, Service Delivery, Strategy, Self-Replicable Processes, Social and Human
Development.
Fig-1
ROLE OF ENCOMPASSING INNOVATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN WILL—A MAJOR CONTRIBUTIVE FACTOR IN THE SOCIAL AND THE HUM AN DEVELOPMENT
IN DEVELOPS INNOVAT HUMAN WILL LEADING to AT BOTH THE ENDS of
GOVER ACE
TECHN OGY AND ITS SAGE
STRA GY
SERVICE DELIVERY
BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITY DEVEL ENT
G rnment and e Public
chnology Providers and the
Users
Service Providers and the
Beneficiaries
Opportunity Providers and the
Recipients
SELF REPLICABLE PROCESSES which in turn
Support THE SOCIAL
AND THE HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT
Business Organizations and
the Clientele
TE
OPM
ION
N
OL U
oveth
Te
Introduction:
The question of ‘Social and the Human Development’ has an
inevitable answer in the effective Governance of a nation and a society.
Effectiveness of Governance on the other side has ‘Human Will’ as a very
essential ingredient.
This paper emphasizingly proposes for ‘The Role of an Encompassing
Innovation in the Development of Human Will’ justifying the same as one of
the major contributive factors in the Social and the Human Development on the
one hand and simultaneously addresses the question of enhancement of ‘Human
Will’ through innovation and technology through the citation of live and
practical examples on the other hand.
Examples of Innovations in Governance, Technology and its usage, Service Delivery, Business Opportunity Development and in Strategy (Business Strategy especially in relation to the Rural Markets): Lokvani – The voice of common people: (A technology based effort suggesting innovations in Governance).
A model based on Public Private Partnership, Lokvani was initiated
on November 9th, 2004 in Sitapur a district of Uttar Pradesh. The objective was
Governance with more responsibility, more transparency, less corruption,
speedy decision-making and relatively less paper work. A Lokvani society was
established with District magistrate (DM) as its President, Chief Development
Officer (CDO) as its secretary and, District Information Officer (DIO) of
National Informatics Centre (NIC) as a technical member. To ensure financial
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viability the revenues are generated by Lokvani centre through registration
charges and revenue sharing on the services offered.
Services offered: The various services offered through Internet kiosks are –
• Online submission, tracking and disposal of public grievance.
• Land records.
• Information about Government schemes.
• Prescribed government forms.
• Pension / scholarship disbursement list.
• Food grains disbursement details.
• Funds allotted to Panchayats (elected Governing body at village
Cards and other FMCG products. While ITC is an outstanding market leader in
its traditional businesses of Cigarettes, Hotels, Paperboards, Packaging and
Agri-Exports, it is rapidly gaining market share even in its nascent businesses of
Branded Apparel, Greeting Cards and Packaged Foods & Confectionery.
The Company's 'e-Choupal' initiative is enabling Indian agriculture
significantly enhance its competitiveness by empowering Indian farmers
through the power of the Internet. This transformational strategy, which has
already become the subject matter of a case study at Harvard Business School,
is expected to progressively create for ITC a huge rural distribution
infrastructure, significantly enhancing the Company's marketing reach.
e-Choupal places computers with internet access in rural farming
villages; the e-Choupal serve as both a social gathering place for exchange of
information (Choupal means gathering place in Hindi) and an e-commerce hub.
What began as an effort to re-engineer the procurement process for soy,
tobacco, wheat, shrimp, and other cropping systems in rural India has also
created a highly profitable distribution and product design channel for the
company—an e-commerce platform that is also a low-cost fulfillment system
focused on the needs of rural India. The e-Choupal system has also catalyzed
rural transformation that is helping to alleviate rural isolation, create more
transparency for farmers, and improve their productivity and incomes.
ITC has created and is maintaining its own IT network in rural India
and has identified (the process is still going on) and trained local farmers to
manage e-Choupal. The computer, typically housed in the farmer's house, is
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linked to the Internet via phone lines or, increasingly, by a VSAT connection,
and serves an average of 600 farmers in 10 surrounding villages within about a
five kilometer radius. Each e-Choupal costs between US$3,000 and US$6,000
to set up and about US$100 per year to maintain. Farmers incur no costs for
using the system but the host farmer, called a sanchalak, incurs some operating
costs and is obligated by a public oath to serve the entire community. The
sanchalak benefits from increased prestige and a commission is paid to him for
all e-Choupal transactions. The farmers can use the computer to access daily
closing prices on local mandis, as well as to track global price trends or find
information about new farming techniques—either directly or, because many
farmers are illiterate, via the sanchalak. The e-Choupal system has had a
measurable impact on what farmers chose to do. The system provides direct
access to the farmer and to information about conditions on the ground, thereby;
improving planning and building relationships that increase its security of
supply. The company reports that it recovers its equipment costs from an e-
Choupal in the first year of operation and that the venture as a whole is
profitable.
Selected from 64 nominations in 27 countries, the 'e-Choupal' project has been specially recognized for making a significant contribution to society by deploying the innovative and productive skills of a business enterprise and striving to address the challenge of development through a core business activity.
Further ITC is establishing 30 rural malls in synergy with its fast
growing e-choupal network. One of the ITC’s rural malls - Choupal Sagar - is at
Sehore in Madhya Pradesh. These malls are modeled and housed in 5 acres of
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land, have a warehouse space of 10,000 sq ft, besides space for storing 10,000
tonnes of grains, with support facilities such as fuel station, food court and
training center.
SKS Microfinance: (An effort based on Business Opportunity Development through technology and its Usage).
SKS Microfinance empowers the poor to become economically self-
reliant by providing financial services in a sustainable manner. Launched in
1998, SKS Microfinance is one of the fastest growing microfinance
organizations in the world, having provided over $ 92 million (Rs 425 crores)
and has maintained loans outstanding of $38 million (170 crores) in loans to
nearly 320,000 women clients in poor regions of India. Borrowers take loans
for a range of income-generating activities, including livestock, agriculture,
trade (such as vegetable vending), and production (from basket weaving to
pottery). SKS also offers interest-free loans for emergencies as well as life
insurance to borrowers. Its affiliate, SKS Education, provides education
services to poor children, including running a government-funded school for
girls who have dropped out of school. SKS currently has 138 microfinance
branches in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and
Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, UP, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and
Chhattisgarh. This year, SKS aims to reach 700,000 clients by March 2007. In
the last year alone, SKS Microfinance has achieved nearly 161 % growth, with
98% on-time repayment rate. Further, SKS is accepted into MicroFinance
Network (MFN) http://www.mfnetwork.org/, a global association of leading
microfinance practitioners committed to improving the quality of lives of the
Drishtee has included the ‘Community Sensitization’ as the first step
of the rural ICT implementations. This is done through participating in the
scheduled official Gram Sabhas of the villages and by organizing local
community meetings. These meetings – termed as Gram Sabhas in general by
the Drishtee terminology – are organized with the consent of the Village Head
i.e. Mukhiya or the Sarpanch. A team of Drishtee represents in these meetings
and talks about the concept of Drishtee to the rural groups – students, elderly,
working people, farmers, etc. The revenue model, returns to the Kiosk Owner,
to communities and to all the stakeholders are explained in the simplest manner
so that the value of the ICT Centers can be promoted well. Drishtee’s Kiosks
are established and run by the village entrepreneur who should have the zeal for
delivery of information and services in the rural segment. For selecting the most
appropriate entrepreneur, Drishtee follows a selection methodology based on
reach out capacity of the entrepreneur with the Drishtee concept – i.e. through
the sale of Subscriptions for the Drishtee Soochnalaya.
Development of ‘Human Will’ through an Encompassing Innovation – especially Technological Innovation:
This paper proposes for the usage of ICTs to enhance connectivity and
communication which brings in action and response (on both the parts of doer
as well as the recipient i.e. the beneficiaries) and this becomes the motivational
force for the generation of sense of belongingness, consistency of efforts and
further communication, which generates commitment levels, (Max Neef 1991,
1992), which in turn enhances credibility, reliability and trust of the participants
of a process into the process itself, whereas trust is highly vital for change
initiatives (Shaw, 1997).
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Now, the development of credibility, reliability and trust becomes the
motivating force and the reason for the satisfaction of intrinsic needs of the
participants (the people and the agencies/the doers and the beneficiaries)
enhancing their levels of capabilities (Sen’s capability approach, 1999) and
freedom, as freedom has intrinsic as well as instrumental value (Sen, 1999).
Thus, now comes in the enhancement of the levels of ‘Will’ i.e. ‘Human Will’
of the participants of the process, which actually becomes the reason for the
enhanced levels of effectiveness and efficiency of process itself. (Pleae refer to
Figure-2). Therefore, reaching to a stage wherein, one may observe the
importance of ‘Human Will’ as a generic constituent for the genesis of an
effective and efficient process and a basic or generic reason for the success or
failure of human endeavours, we actually argue on the following lines:
a) the factors such as commitment, faith, responsibility and reliability,
which, are the main constituents of the human will may be deeply
accessed through the proper usage of Information and Communication
Technologies (termed as ICTs in this paper). (Please See Figure - 3).
b) and that the factors mentioned above are the qualitative results of
management supported by e-Governance.
c) and these qualitative results, which may not be quantified in a shorter
span of time, but definitely extract quantitative results, which, can be
summarized in figures in a longer span, also are the initiators of self
replicable processes.
Replication of a process brings in its sustainability, which, further
brings in viability. Viability on the conceptual levels is intensely related to self-
sustenance i.e. financial capability. (Please See Figure -4).
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FIGURE-2
ICT INTERVENTION/ leads to CONNECTIVITY USAGE OF ICTs CONNECTIVITY enhances COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION generates ACTION & RESPONSE ACTION & RESPONSE becomes MOTIVATIONAL FORCE/DRIVE SENSE OF BELONGINGNESS MOTIVATIONAL generates CONSISTENCY OF EFFORTS FORCE/ DRIVE &FURTHER COMMUNICATION SENSE OF BELONGINGNESS CONSISTENCY OF EFFORTS generates COMMITMENT LEVEL &FURTHER COMMUNICATION CREDIBILITY COMMITMENT enhances RELIABILITY TRUST CREDIBILITY THE MOTIVATING FORCE RELIABILITY becomes FOR THE SATISFACTION OF TRUST THE INTRINSIC NEEDS OF THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE PROCESS SATISFACTION OF enhances the levels of CAPABILITIES INTRINSIC NEEDS & FREEDOM CAPABILITIES & enhances HUMAN WILL FREEDOM in actual terms EFFECTIVENESS & HUMAN WILL is the reason for the THE EFFICIENCY OF enhancement of A PROCESS
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FIGURE-3
SELF-REPLICABLE PROCESS Subsequently initiates And these qualitative results, though may not be quantified in shorter span but extract quantitative results which can be summarized in figures in a longer span And these factors are qualitative results of the management supported e-Governance
PROPER USAGE OF INFO. facilitates the deep Commitment these are the HUMAN
& COMMUNICATION accessibility of Faith main WILL TECHNOLOGIES (ICTs) factors such as Responsibility constituents Reliability of
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FIGURE-4 HUMAN WILL REPLICATES PROCESS REPLICATION OF THE brings in the SUSTAINABILITY PROCESSES OF THE PROCESSES SUSTAINABILITY brings VIABILITY IN ALL THE FUNCTIONAL TERMS/AREAS VIABILITY BRINGS IN SELF SUSTAINANCE Which may develop FINANCIAL CAPABILITY OF A PROCESS AS PER THE REQUIREMENTS
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The Interlinkage Innovation Develops Between Different Segments:
The beauty of innovation or the technology-based innovation is that it
develops a specific interlinkage between various segments regardless of the fact
that it is done or initiated from the Governance point of view or Business
Opportunity Development Point of view or else and the basic and the basic and
fundamental reason for this is that the Information and the Communication
Technology has multiple usage for example a platform generated by ITC per se
may be used by other organizations or service providers for the same set of
beneficiaries or target population, like in the case of ‘Lokvani’ on the one hand
it is providing a complaint redressal system and also providing earning
opportunity to the kiosk operators and if these operators multiply the usage of
their facility the replication process may find its solace. (Please also refer to
Figure - 5). (Figure-5)
The adjacent PictorialDemonstration is suggestive ofthe fact that Innovation,influences all the segments in acyclical fashion regardless ofthe segment ittouches/implemented first. The concept here is that‘Innovation’ based on‘Technology’ has multipleusage and at the end of everyprocess there are people at largewho actually are interconnectedin a sphere called SOCIETY.
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Conclusion:
Assuming that the basic reason for the success or the failure of the
human endeavours is the ‘Human Will’ itself (as may be concluded by the
motivational theories propounded by various theorists and sociologists), The
paper has argued on the following lines:
a) The factors such as commitment, faith, responsibility and reliability, which
are the main constituents of the human will, may be deeply accessed through
the proper usage of Information Technology.
b) And that the factors mentioned above are the qualitative results of
management supported by e-Governance and e-Facilitation.
c) And these qualitative results, which may not be quantified in a shorter span
of time but do extract quantitative results, which can be summarized in figures
in a longer span, also are the initiators of self replicable processes.
Governments and their stakeholders, such as donor agencies and
international organizations, have enthusiastically embraced the claim that IT
usage can enhance public-sector efficiency1 and effectiveness2 (e.g. Heeks,
1999b; Bedi, 1999; Hashim & Allan, 1999; and Mansell and Wehm, 1998).
Consequently, IT initiatives have been designed around technical infrastructure
investment, education and training projects, and change management initiatives
to achieve the efficiency and effectiveness benefits associated with IT
deployment and usage in clerical activities, government decision-making
service delivery (see: Mansell and Wehm, 1998; Heeks, 1999b).
1 Efficiency gains in information system studies are measured along three dimensions, namely quantity, time and accuracy (see: Heeks, 1999b; Te’eni 1990; and Dery, 1981). 2 Effectiveness gains in information system studies are described as improvements in the way information is filtered, integrated, and presented to decision makers (see: Te’eni, 1990).
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This paper has used the reference of Information and the
Communication Technologies with context to ‘Innovation’, which is perceived
to be all encompassing in nature. The proposition suggested in the preceding
pages is based on the characteristics of the social structure itself and the
technology as well i.e. on the one hand various segments of the society
influence and are influenced by any innovative change regardless of its initial
most point and on the other hand technology motivates for it to be used for
multiple purposes.
References:
1. Background paper on E-governance Problems and opportunities in delivery of Public Services through IT, available at: http://www.mit.gov.in/eg/home.htm.
2. Benchmarking E-Governance: A global Perspective, (2002) United Nations Division for Public Economics and Public Administration, May.
3. Census of India Report, 2001. 4. DfID, (2002), Making e-Government work for poor people: Governments
and Electronic Information and Communication Technologies (eICTs) in Development, Department for International Development Target Strategy Paper Executive Summary Report.
5. DfID, (2002), The significance of information and communication technologies for reducing poverty, January 2002.
6. Habermas, J. (1984). The theory of communicative action: Reason and the rationalization of the society, Volume 1, Boston: Beacon Press.
7. Harris R. W., Kumar A., & Balaji V., (2002), Sustainable telecentres? Two cases from India, paper presented at the 7th IFIP International Conference held in Bangalore in May 2002 entitled ‘Information & Communication Technologies and Development: New Opportunities, Perspective and Challenges.
8. Heeks R., (2001a), Understanding e-Governance for Development, iGovernment working paper series, paper no 11, Institute of Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester. Available at http://www.man.ac.uk/idpm_dp.htm#ig.
9. Heeks R., (2001b), Building e-Governance for Development, iGovernment working paper series, paper no 11, Institute of Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester. Available at http://www.man.ac.uk/idpm_dp.htm#ig.
10. Heeks, Richard, “i-Development not e-Development: Special Issues in ICTs and Development”, Journal of International Development 14 (January 2002), p 7.
11. Heeks, Richard, “The approach of senior public officials to information technology-related reform:lessons from India,”Public administration and development 20 (August 2000), pp 197-206.
12. Prahalad C. K., & Hammond A. 2002. What works: Serving the poor, profitably. A private sector strategy for global digital opportunity, Harvard Business Review , September 2002.
13. Sharma Vinay (2002). Visionary Enterprise, First International Conference on Vedic Values and Corporate excellence, 22-24, (February, 2002) Organized by Gurukul Kangri University and Shanti Kunj, Haridwar, Uttaranchal.
01b.pdf 11. www.digitaldividend.org/pdf/serving_profitably.pdf 12. www.itcportal.com 13. www.sitapur.nic.in All the information related to Lokvani may be