Rural Women's Education and Empowerment Program in India: An Appreciative Inquiry

• In Event: Gender Equity in Education: A Global Challenge and Local Solutions

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore women district leaders’ perceptions of organizational change in a rural women’s education and empowerment program in India. During the current phase of the organizational change in the Mahila Samakhya (MS) program, the 5-D model of the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) was used as a conceptual framework. For this study, 28 MS women district leaders from 11 states, with five or more years of experience were purposefully chosen. This study has a threefold purpose: (1) it provides insights to understand the challenges faced in managing a women’s organization in India; (2) it illustrates the disconnect between policies and implementation strategy; and (3) it contributes toward our current understanding of the organizational changes in an all-women’s educational organization.
The New Education Policy of 1986, with the assistance of the Dutch government, paved the way for a hybrid form of educational organization. Thus, the emergence of the model program the Mahila Samakhya (MS), in 1989, became a symbol of symbiosis between government and non-governmental organizations (Jandhyala, 2012; Sharma, 2008). The program’s grassroots approach focuses on reaching rural women from socially and economically marginalized sections of Indian society. The organization is undergoing structural changes proposed by the Government of India.
AI framework created a space to cocreate knowledge about organizational processes and changes. This knowledge is part of the generative aspect of AI that would lead to an action strategy (Boland, 2013; Bushe, 2007; Bushe, & Kassam, 2005; Cooperrider, et al. 2013). Face-to-face interviews (structured, semi-structured, and unstructured), telephonic interviews, and field observations were conducted. The data were coded, analyzed, and presented to understand the organizational processes. Based on the 5-D model, the taxonomies and patterns were created to understand the sequence for triangulation and summarization while ensuring credibility, usefulness, and above all avoiding bias (Kvale, & Brinkmann, 2014; Patton, 2015; Rubin, & Rubin, 2012). RQ: How do women district leaders identify and appreciate the process of organizational change in their Mahila Samakhya program?
This study contributes to the field of the organizational change process for women’s organizations. First, the study highlights the hybrid organizational structures for empowerment and education. Second, a deeper understanding of social issues behind the education deficit of women for the successful implementation of policies. Third, the study was conducted in 11 states of India to provide a comprehensive study of the MS program. In the global context, there is a need to understand the MS program from the perspective of India. India is a country that is part of the global commitment toward the education and empowerment of women. Additionally, India is a country that has participated in international funding programs and initiated its own local programs. Finally, the effectiveness of community-based education programs rests on a clear understanding of the determinants of empowerment, especially among rural women; an understanding that we currently lack in our policies. Understanding how the MS program’s district leaders view the organizational change process is crucial for the successful development of rural women’s education policies.

Author

• Rashmi Sharma, Western Illinois University
  Presenting Author