Institutional Transformation

Our Work

Institutional Transformation

The Context

Despite the last 70 years of planned development and the investment of lakhs of crores of rupees in infrastructure and socio-economic development, India still faces issues of growing pauperisation, conflict over resources, inequitable development, deficit in participatory democracy and environmental degradation.

The challenges in the eradication of poverty do not emanate merely from the lack of resources or technology, but rather, from a failure in governance. The crisis in governance has at its core, the unwillingness and lack of commitment from:

  • Sections of the bureaucracy and technocracy, and
  • The political executive to turn promises of inclusion, equity, democratic participation and sustainable development into a reality.

The Challenge

The three key issues that prevent the democratisation of governance processes and the transformation of institutional culture are:

  • An entrenched bureaucracy and technocracy with a rigid hierarchical mindset; undemocratic in practice and indignifying in practice. A bureaucracy that is also allergic to demands for inclusion by citizens (especially from marginalised communities) on one hand, and calls for greater accountability, transparency, and responsibility from institutions, on the other hand.
  • A reality of alienation, marginalisation, and exclusion of vast sections of disempowered communities (divided by way of caste, community, language, regional and other identities) that pose significant difficulties in the way of collectively mobilising them around issues of common concerns. Consequent to a long history of alienation (starting from the colonial period), local communities have increasingly lost or are on the verge of losing their collective memories of traditional practices, methods, and skills for governing common resources.
  • Dominant institutional practices, ethics, and cultures rooted in the paradigm of secrecy, centralised power, suspicion of devolution of power, and denial of citizens’ entitlement – “inclusive, accountable, responsive and responsible” governance to a rights-based, corruption-free governance.

The Conviction

The key to changing institutional culture and reforming governance processes involves “attitude and mindset shifts” amongst “official functionaries” elected representatives and common citizens. From the highest officer to the junior-most cadres, each of them has to change the following areas:

The key to changing institutional culture and reforming governance processes involves “attitude and mindset shifts” amongst “official functionaries” elected representatives and common citizens. From the highest officer to the junior-most cadres, each of them has to change the following areas:

  • Changing Attitudes amongst Individuals – addressing how individuals perceive their own roles, functions and the nature of the relationship between themselves, the department and the community at large.
  • Changing Attitudes within the Organization – encompassing how the organisation relates to the ordinary citizen, the way the citizen is treated, and the nature of power relations that dictate the terms of engagement between them.
  • Changing Attitudes amongst Key Stakeholders – inducing a concurrent change in the way other stakeholders and the community at large also perceive the relevance and importance of the state departments / institutions and the services they offer.
  • Changing Institutional Cultures – examining the ethical and behavioural relations between functionaries and citizens, along with the nature of the `social contract’ between the different players in administration. Additionally addressing issues of inclusion, equity, involvement, participation and dignity from the point of a work or cultural ethic of practice.