V-LEAD Project
(Mysore): Diagnosing the Adaptive Challenge
My partner, Mallory, and I have
been chosen by Dr. R. Balu to evaluate the environment and organizational
culture of SVYM’s subsidiary activities at V-LEAD Mysore, with specific
reference to Adaptive Leadership. V-LEAD (Vivekananda Institute for Leadership
Development) offers training to youth, NGOs, the government and the corporate sectors,
customizing various programs to suit specific needs on issues of Management,
Community Development and Leadership. The project entails the construction and
dissemination of an online survey assessment, and in-depth individual
interviews of each of the organizations employees, including executive
management (approximately 73). While this data collection and analysis will
certainly be challenging to complete in our short time here, the information we
are gathering seems to be invaluable to Dr. Balu’s goal of creating a more
adaptive environment within V-LEAD. Upon
completion of the assessment of the organization’s DNA, we will attempt to
analyze the data, alongside our mentor Dr. Balu. Then we will strategize to
arrive at sustainable solutions with an action plan to improve upon the quality
of the organization, introducing new processes, building upon what works, and
discarding what does not work. We have
been working toward this for two weeks and have been enjoying building
relationships with the employees here, as well as learning more and more about
the organization.
GRAAM: Literature Review
on Disability in the Labor Market
The past couple of days have been busy for
Jeffrey at GRAAM. They have had multiple staff meetings and recently celebrated
the birthdays that occurred in June. Jeffrey’s project is off to a
good start, now that he has settled in more into the office and has a better
grasp on things. The project that he is working on is writing a literature
review for a study that GRAAM is conducting on the inclusion of people
with disabilities in employment provided under the National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act in the Kolar District of Karnataka. The
NREGA is a federal program/law which states that all rural families should have
100 of unskilled work provided to them per year and the aim of the
study is look at how people with disabilities fare under the program. Jeffrey
is looking forward to continuing to make progress on the project in the coming
weeks.
Palliative Care Project (Mysore)
Palliative
Care Mysore, which operates under SVYM’s V-LEAD, provides in-home physical,
psychosocial, economic, and spiritual care to terminally ill and bedridden
patients. As part of that, they provide training and materials for the patients
to make bangles, necklaces, umbrellas, and more, which are then sold so the
patients gain some income. Andy’s project involves updating the products
offered and finding a new means of selling them. On the side, he is also
updating the awareness video and volunteer training manual for Palliative Care
Mysore.
