There is no specific definition of a group. Some feel that two or more persons interacting with each other form a group. Other definitions state that for a body of persons to be perceived as a group there should be a degree of structure or permanency. In a general sense we can say that a group is a collection of people who interact with each other and perceive themselves as a single unit. They work together in harmony to achieve a common set of goals. In a workplace, groups are very important irrespective of whether they are formal groups or informal.

They give a sense of belongingness to an individual and bring out the best in performance, enthusiasm and creativity. Kurt Lewin described group dynamics as how individuals and groups act and react to changing circumstances. It is a system of behaviors and psychological processes occurring within a group or between groups. The study of group dynamics helps us to understand decision making, leadership, the reasons for conflicts in a work environment and creating effective therapy techniques.

The question that arises is that why do we really join groups? Why can’t people just work individually? There are a variety of reasons for that. They can be categorized in the following way.

1. Synergy

In a professional environment the most common reason for joining a group is to complete the task assigned to them. Now there is limit to what an individual can achieve due to physical and emotional constraints. However if many people work together they can accomplish well beyond the total member’s individual capability. Thus, a group helps in creating synergy. A whole that is more than the sum of its parts. Group synergy is necessary to become competitive and complete tasks in the most efficient way in today’s dynamic business environment.

2. The Need to Belong and Affilation

Man is a social being. He constantly seeks company of others and cannot live in isolation. Research has demonstrated the one’s need for affiliation is very strong. Mayo found that employees at a textile plant who worked separately from others were not as satisfied as the ones who had the opportunity to work with others. Thus, man likes to work in groups rather than alone.

3. Identification

It is the need of an individual to associate with image projected by other people or groups. Most individuals belong to various groups, but many of these memberships do not have an influence on their social identities. In some groups however, a person identifies himself with social categories and accepts the group as an extension of him. They feel connected to the members and the cause for which the group exists.

4. Emotional Support and help

People joins various groups for emotional support and for help. It is a very common tendency of an individual to be attracted to those people who may have suffered something they have too. An example of this may be various anonymous groups created by ex-alcoholics who talk about their journey and how they dealt with their addiction. Even in a school, students form various groups so that they can help each other and solve their problems.

5. Common Interest and Goals

Individuals also become a part of a group because the share some common interest and are enthusiastic to talk about it and share their experiences. Today, many people have formed reading clubs online so that they can freely talk what captivated their interest among other things.

Every start up today wants to be successful. However, even if you have a great product, the best of resources and highly skilled manpower you mail fail. This is because if you don’t have an efficient and effective team all you can hope for is a mediocre product at best. In today’s dynamic environment businesses spend huge gallons of time to get the most experienced and innovative individuals. Of course, having these individuals with you is a valuable asset but these individuals also need to work together in order to meet their goal.

So what does it really take to get the best of a group of people?

What are the factors that affect group performance?

Group Cohesiveness

Group cohesiveness is the extent to which group members like and trust one another, are committed to accomplishing a team goal and share a feeling of group belongingness and pride. Social cohesion is like a double edged sword. Normally, the more cohesive the group is, the more is the productivity, efficiency, and decision making quality. But cohesiveness can also reduce the quality of group performance. This is because when group members become too close they start giving more importance to their personal needs than the needs of the customers. Sometimes they may also not work to their full capacity just because others cannot keep up or it is against the group norms. It can generate bias, prejudice and ‘us versus them’ mentalities.

Group Homogeneity

A homogeneous group is one in which the members have similar characteristics. On the other hand, a heterogeneous group is one in which the members are more different than alike. It is not easy to determine the homogeneity of a group because each individual is unique and has different values, beliefs and personality. Many studies have been conducted to determine which type of group is better. Mixed results have been found. The leader needs to decide the composition of a group keeping in mind what he wants the group to accomplish.

Stability of Members

Stability here means the extent to which the membership of a group remains consistent over time. The greater the stability of the group the more efficient it will be. This is because when the members have previously worked together, they know the strengths and weaknesses of each other and work accordingly. The longer the group stays together, the longer they start to think similarly, act similarly and live similarly.

Group Size

While creating a group, sensitivity to size is ubiquitously important. Usually small groups are better. This goes with the saying ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’. Studies have shown that larger groups are less cohesive, less coordinated and have lower morale than small groups. Large groups also face logistical issues, such as finding enough physical space and time to meet. When large teams try to develop a common purpose, all they are able to produce are superficial tasks rather than concrete objectives.

Thus, even a large organization works better when it is divided into smaller departments, committees and teams. However, in case of additive tasks where the group’s performance is the sum total of its members, a larger group is better. Examples of these may be bowling groups and typing pools. The group size should be determined keeping in mind the nature of the task and maturity of the group members.

Group Ability and Confidence

Undoubtedly, if the members of the group are highly skilled the performance of the group is also better. If the members believe that they can achieve a task and are confident in themselves they can outperform those who are not confident about their success.

Communication Structure

The manner in which members of a group communicate with each other has a significant impact on the performance of the group. Effective communication will lead to transparency which will result in better understanding and coordination among group members. A variety of networks may be used and each network has its own merits. For example, if the goal of a fraternity is to know one another better then a centralized will be less conductive than an open one. While if the goal is to solve a problem as quickly as possible a centralized structure will be better suited.

What is a group conflict? How does it arise?

Conflict is the psychological and behavioural reaction to a perception that is different from that of another. In a group there are various people who differ in the way of their personality, their style of working and how they perceive things. This is really good as it bring different skills and perception to the workplace. Every coin however has two sides.

These very differences among individuals can be the reason for conflicts, which prevents smooth flow of work and damages relationships. It is important to note that one of the key components to conflict is perception. People of the group may share the same goal but they may perceive it in a different way or choose an action to reach that goal which is incompatible. This will lead to conflict.

Conflict can be divided into the following types:

Interpersonal Conflict

It refers to the conflict between individuals. This basically occurs because each individual differs from another in various ways. Varied personalities lead to incompatible choices and opinions. Experts believe that there can be three components to these types of conflicts. The behavioural component involves someone interfering with the aims and objectives of another person. For example, you want to make a presentation however your colleague disturbs intentionally so that you may not be able to give that presentation and get promotion. The cognitive component involves a disagreement between the parties that illustrates the differences between the interests and objectives of conflicting parties. For example the finance manager may have a disagreement with the marketing manager because each has different goals and objectives. The third one is affective component which generally relates to negative emotional states. However, when these types of conflicts become too destructive calling a mediator can help resolve it.

Intrapersonal Conflicts

This type of conflict occurs within an individual. It is a psychological conflict involving an individual’s contrasting values, beliefs or emotions. For example, you are a part of an informal group whose norms indicate that you should work share everything with them about your work but you know some confidential information that you cannot disclose because your superiors have trusted you with it.

These types of conflict may range from simpler one like deciding whether you want to have tea or coffee to major one that may have a direct impact on your career. These conflicts may lead to frustrations, restlessness and have negative effects on your work performance.

Intragroup Conflicts

Conflicts among group members come under this category. They may happen due to misunderstanding between individuals due to interpersonal disagreements or differences in views and ideas. Within a team, conflict may sometimes be good to. It may be constructive. When different members suggest their own plans to achieve a desired goal the team can integrate all the opinions and decide the most efficient way. In another case, if the conflict may disrupt the harmony among members it may pose serious threats for a group as a whole. It may require expert guidance.

Intergroup Conflict

This type of conflict occurs between two or more groups. Such group-group conflicts occur annually as various departments fight for budget allocations and space. So these types of conflicts usually occur due to varied sets of goals and interests of different groups. In addition, competition also gives rise to intergroup conflict.

How to improve group dynamics at work?

1. Recognise personalities and divide the group into teams

If there is a large number of members in a group then it would be clever to divide the group into smaller teams and assign them specific tasks. While dividing a group into teams there are various factors that require attention. Each person in a team brings something to the table according to his personality and skill set. Recognizing each person’s style of work, level of aptitude and motivation can help him determine the people who will gel together and those who will not. This can also provide an opportunity to the manager to note gaps in experience and behavior that will help him to determine additional tea members.

2. Create a team charter

Individuals in a team need focus and motivation to flourish.  Creating a team charter offers well defined roles and encourages members to address their responsibilities and work in harmony with others. It also helps in setting unambiguous expectations and outcomes. It also helps set certain norms which the member should abide by and thus be held accountable in case of inefficient work.

Have Strong Leadership

One of the prerequisites for good group dynamics is a strong leader. This does not imply that the manager needs to bully or strong arm the team to maintain control. A leader should be able to guide the members towards the correct path in case anyone strays away. His should be in constant contact with everyone and constantly motivate them to give full support to the cause. He should be a good communicator, have strong organizational skills and should ensure that members display competency and skill with the available resources in the given time.

Encourage full Contribution

Each and every member should contribute towards the group efforts in the achievement of the goal and should be dedicated towards the group’s progress. If the group is willing to share the effort and to work together toward the aim, individual frustrations can be mollified quickly. If each member shares the work equally then feelings of resentment do not arise. They swim and sink together. More than a century ago, a French engineer discovered ‘social loafing’.

He observed that when only two people were pulling a rope they exerted 97% of their effort but when six more people were added to the task they only used 47% of what they could give. This practice can be discouraged by making all individual contributions identifiable and rewarding good performance.

Make the team Mutually accountable

Every team should openly discuss and establish some ground rules and a code of conduct that should be followed by all its members. There should be rewards as well as penalties so that a group can check itself when a problem arises. While defining rules an open discussion should be conducted. This process makes these rules more egalitarian and difficult to argue against.

Accountability for delivering results is a quality that takes teams to the highest level of performance. Individuals should not only be held accountable for their personal tasks but they should be responsible for the team goals too. There is a huge difference between “the manager holds me accountable” and “we hold ourselves accountable”. The former may lead to the latter but without the later there is no team.

Shared Values

Every member of a group is unique. Individuals perceive according do their own values, beliefs and experiences. Value Incongruities usually give rise to conflicts and arguments. Furthermore, each individual may want to take a different path to achieve a common goal. An open recognition of value differences and attitude toward finding common ground in a respectful and considerate way can solve all problems and create a more conducive environment which will advocate success.

Tackle Problems Promptly

If a member is engaging in unproductive activities or creating misunderstandings it is the responsibility of the leader to look into the matter and provide solutions. To accomplish this he may speak to the person directly to counsel and encourage him to direct his efforts towards the group objectives. It is essential for the tem to be in a state of positive group dynamics so when the team faces challenges and conflicts, the leader should advocate open discussion and help the members to resolve their differences and come to an understanding.

Enhance Team Culture

For a team to be productive it should definitely have a supportive culture. Members should readily offer assistance to each other if required. Regular team building exercises should be undertaken to develop stronger relationships and mutual trust. Teamwork should be one of the core company values and should put clear emphasis on self-managing teams that are empowered to make their own decisions. Another method to improve team culture is feedback. A feedback should be constructive, kind and honest. It should be real yet positive.

Always pay attention

The best managers and leaders are listeners as well as facilitators. In a group, it is essential that the leaders pay attention to what is going on. He should be on the lookout for unacceptable behaviour such as freeriding and bullying so that they are addressed promptly.  Reinforce positive behaviour such as successful collaboration, sharing of ideas, trust and respect.

Ensure good communication

Teams of every sort need to communicate to get the job done. That is why every basketball team has a coach who asks for a time out to discuss tactics and quarterbacks yell out plays. Open communication is the key to building good team dynamics. The most valuable form of communication are face to face exchanges and other methods include emails, shared documents and daily chats via group messaging systems. Team effectiveness is also ensured if they have an efficient communication structure so that members are aware of who is communicating with whom and who is out of the network.

When individuals work in groups their decision does not only reflect the intellect of one individual but all of them. Group dynamics plays a critical role in determining the innovation, quality and effectiveness of their decisions which is a key component of management. Thus, a sound understanding of group dynamics is a critical component of successful management. When a group dynamics exists within a group working toward a common goal, each individual member will perform effectively and achieve the goals set by the group. Suppose you have to determine a team for a start-up.

What people usually do is go with their gut feeling and determine their teams but data shows that 60% of new start-ups fail due to issues with the teams. Some people would say that an entrepreneur should ensure that the team members should be skilled and have experience. But this is not sufficient condition for a team to thrive. What is essential is that these teams should work together in cohesion and have passion and vision to achieve success. This is only possible with good group dynamics.

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Thus, the main objective of corporations is no longer profit maximization. In today’s age of corporate ethics development it is the responsibility of organisations to properly utilize the resources for the development of the community. There is a pressing need to focus on accountability on the part of corporations not only on what is important for the shareholders but the society as a whole. This is what has led to the emergence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Corporate Social Responsibility is a model or form of corporate self-regulation whereby a company is responsible to itself, its stakeholders and to the community. According to CSR a business needs to incorporate various social, legal and environmental concerns in its operations and culture and be ‘socially responsible’. Mahatma Gandhi said that “Wealth created by the society has to be ploughed back into the society”.

The emergence of ethical business and social responsibility of business came from U.S.A. and Europe in the 1990s and 1980s from the campaigns run by pressure groups such as Friends of the Society and Greenpeace that are dedicated to protect natural resources and create a sustainable environment.

Indian lawmakers have also given due importance to the concept of CSR. In fact, India is the first country which has made CSR mandatory for companies in an amendment to the Companies Act, 2013. It is gratifying to know that a number of Indian companies have taken a step towards the development of the country. Some of these companies and their efforts are as follows:

Tata Steel Ltd.  Formerly known as Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) was founded by Jamshetji Tata is an Indian multinational steel-making company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Since its inception, the company has been a brilliant example of social responsibility. It was the first company in India to incorporate social responsibility towards its customers and the society in its Articles of Association and the first one to set up a social audit committee in 1979 for measuring social performance.

CSR EXPENDITURE OF TATA STEEL

Some of the CSR schemes undertaken by the company are as follows-

1000 SCHOOLS PROJECT

Tata steel had started the thousand schools project in September 2014 with the aim to revitalize primary education in six administrative blocks in three districts of Odisha, 5 of which are Educationally Backward Blocks (EBB).

The project is based on the Right to Education model and its core objectives include ensuring that every child gets primary education, improving the quality of education in government schools and improving governance of schools through School Management Committees and gram panchayats.

A press release by Tata Steel stated that the project has succeeded in making 68% of the habitations it covers in the six blocks child labour free zones. Moreover, 40,000 children have been helped to overcome their learning deficiency and about 1.5 lakh have been reached across of which 98,000 have been directly benefited. With the help of The Hans Foundation the programme is also being implemented in 2 blocks in Jharkhand, changing the lives of another 50,000 children.

PROJECT MANSI

Before its commencement, the Infant Mortality Rate in Seraikela was 60 per 1000 live births. The Neonatal Mortality Rate was also very high with children dying within 28 days of their birth. This was due to inadequate public health services and lack of awareness among the people. Also, the scattered villages in the hilly terrain made the region inhospitable.

In this project, training was given to the “sahiyas” in the field for maternal healthcare and newborn care to check newborn deaths. They were well equipped and graded according to their performance in the field. This project was unique and one of a kind in the sense that it overcame the terrain barriers and succeeded in empowering and developing a self- sufficient  Sahiyas who a pregnant woman could turn to in the time of need.

Over the period of five years the Neonatal Mortality Rate has been reduced by 61.2% and the Infant Mortality Rate by 63.1%. MANSI has been implemented in 1,686 villages of Jharkhand and Odisha and now covers 2.2 lakh households in that area.

MISSION 2020 FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

Tata Steel has been working towards the mission 2020 for agriculture development to address poverty and food security issues by drastically increasing the income of poor farmers. The programme has been initiated with the objective to increase agricultural income of 7,000 households in the eastern state of Odisha. It aims to do so by increasing the efficiency of tribal farming communities by giving them skill base training and improving the productivity of the land through modern techniques of irrigation, wasteland development, horticulture and dry land farming.

For this, the formation of various self-help groups was critical. The programme also promoted women self-help groups to implement the project. The project was successful in converting monsoon dependent agricultural land to a three cropland through the establishment of irrigation systems. The project aims to convert 3000 acres of land to three crop lands thereby reducing dependence on rainfall and increasing the income sustainability. Apart from this, ponds and other irrigation facilities have been developed for the benefit of over 344 farmers. About 60 acres of wasteland has been brought under cashew, mango and lemon plantations in association with the National Horticulture Mission and approximately 500 farmers have benefitted from vegetable cultivation of 60 acres of land.

Coca-Cola India is one of the leading beverage companies of the country, offering its consumers a wide range of beverages. In 1977 they withdrew their operations from the country however, since their return in 1993 they have captured a large market share in the industry. The company is a staunch advocator of sustainable development  and has consistently worked towards solving issues of water supply, sanitation, environmental pollution and empowered women to stand up for themselves. The Coca-Cola Foundation, a subsidiary of the company was launched in 2007 and is dedicated to building sustainable communities across the country. It has already joined hands with the most prominent NGO’s of India such as Self Employed Women Association (SEWA) along with institutions such as IRRAD and FORRAD.

CSR EXPENDITURE OF COCA-COLA

Various projects undertaken by the company are as follows:-

ALAG KARO HAR DIN TEEN BIN

The project aims to sensitize the residents towards the objective of building an efficient waste management system through simple and easy solutions such as segregation of wet and dry waste and recycling. It was launched by the Coca-Cola Foundation in January 2017 in Gurugram in partnership with Tetra Pak, NGO Saahas and GIZ. The programme works in close coordination with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram under its “open waste free” initiative. Gurugram creates approximately 600 tonnes of solid waste which is not being handled efficiently and thereby creating an adverse effect on the environment. If this waste is segregated at the source itself, that is at homes and offices it can be recycled and reused. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has mandated that waste is to be segregated into three categories i.e. wet, dry and rejected waste.

The project aimed to achieve the following:

• 9000 households in 60 selected areas had to segregate the waste at source.
• Collaboration with 50 schools and 50 commercial outlets to create awareness about waste management systems and recycling
• Reaching 150000 people by creating public awareness.
• Preventing waste from being dumped in landfills that is polluting ground water and eliminating burning of waste.

VEER

The “VEER” campaign has been undertaken by CCIPL in partnership with CNN IBN, The Being Human Foundation along with American Indian Foundation. It was formed to give the differently abled people of the country a chance to be heard and an opportunity to fulfill their dreams and ambitions. The major focus of the campaign was to provide these people with employment opportunities and create dignified livelihoods through skill training. It was in the form of a digital initiative with Salman Khan as its ambassador. It trained over 1000 PwDs and provided jobs to 573 Pwds within 15 months of its initiation.

SUPPORT MY SCHOOL CAMPAIGN

Support My School Campaign aimed to provide adequate sanitation amenities like washrooms and other facilities to educational institutions. Several institutions across rural India lack even the basic requirements that children must be entitled to because of non-availability of funds. This Coca-Cola NDTV campaign with its partners has not only build infrastructure at schools but also created a sense of ownership and responsibility among teachers. The teachers and management now take actions amongst themselves to solve obstacles such as power shortage. This campaign has created a difference in 3,72,919 lives across the country.

Mahindra and Mahindra is an Indian multinational car manufacturing company that was established in 1945 as Mohammad and Mahindra. It has presence in more than 100 countries and is employing over 2,40,000 people currently.

CSR EXPENDIDURE OF MAHINDRA AND MAHINDRA

Some of the company’s CSR initiatives are as follows

MAHINDRA PRIDE SCHOOLS

Since their inception in 2007 these schools have been empowering and educating youth from socially and economically weaker sections of the society to enable them to get employment opportunities. The schools provide end-to-end vocational training in the fields of Hospitality Craft, Sales, Information Technology Enabled Services and Retail Customer Management. There are 9 schools located across the country that have trained 26,647 students as of December 2017 and the job placement across all batches is 100%. In FY18, 41,687 students were also trained through Mahindra Pride Classrooms which provide 40-120 hours of training to final year students covering life skills, aptitude, English etc.

LIFELINE EXPRESS

The Lifeline Express or Jeevan Rekha Expess is the first hospital train of India that started in 1991. The company has regularly partnered with Impact India Foundation to sponsor Lifeline Express which provides communities in remote rural areas access to healthcare facilities. The lifeline express was started to provide on- the- spot diagnostic, medical and advanced surgical treatment for preventive and curative interventions. Over 91,000 people have benefited from this.

PROJECT HARIYALI

Launched on October 2, 2007 with the aim to add 1 million trees to India’s green cover every year this project has gained momentum with the stakeholders of the company who are undertaking the plantation drives across the country to surpass the annual goal of planting 1 million trees. They have succeeded in planting over 15 million trees in India to combat the problems of climate change.

SWACHH BHARAT SWACHH VIDHYALAYA PROGRAMME

Aligned with the government’s ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ the programme has been successful in constructing 4,597 toilets 1,171 government schools across 11 states and 104 districts. Besides maintaining the facilities for 12 months the Mahindra Group is also carrying about training programmes to bring about behavioural changes in girls, parents and school authorities towards more hygienic practices.

WARDHA FARMER FAMILY AND KRISHI MITRA PROJECT

This project supports small and marginal farmers by training them in effective farming practices including soil health, crop planning and creating models for farms with bio-dynamic farming practice with the aim of increasing crop productivity. The Krishi Mitra project was implemented by Swades Foundation and had the budget of INR 5.47 crores and benefitted 49,635 farmers.

PROJECT NANHI KALI

The project is jointly managed by Naandi Foundation and the KC Mahindra Education Trust. Its main objective is to provide 10 years of quality education to the girl child from economically backward section of the society. The founders of this project believe that educating girls will have a positive impact in the long run and will help abolish social evils like dowry system and child marriage. In FY18 the project supported 1,43,992 girls and 25 centers across the country through which young girls received training in finance, computer education etc.

Infosys is a global leader in next generation technology services and consulting that is currently headquartered in Bengaluru. Infosys Foundation was established in 1996 as a not profit trust to support the company’s initiatives. The foundation is devoted to the cause of the destitute, the rural poor, the mentally challenged and the economically backward sections of the country.

CSR EXPENDIDURE OF INFOSYS LIMITED

BIOMASS COOK STOVE PROJECT

Infosys has consistently directed its efforts to reduce environmental pollution. To achieve its objectives the company provided biomass cook stoves to 37,200 families in the Gangam district of Odisha, a project that contributes to 11 out of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These cook stove use 50% less firewood and burn smoke free. These stoves address the household health problems that were caused due to smoke and contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing CO₂ emissions by 2 lakh tonnes. The company is also going to help to maintain these stoves to ensure effective use of them for several years. This programme was later introduced in the Kopal district of Karnataka also.

MID DAY MEALS

The company believes that a hungry stomach has a direct correlation to drop-out rates in Government schools. In partnership with Akshaya Patra Foundation the company has constructed a mega centralised kitchen at Kandi Village to provide mid-day meals to over 1 lakh students in the region and cater to the needs of Anganwadi children.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

The Infosys Foundation works with the local administration of cities to undertake rural development  projects such as construction of road, drainage facilities and providing electricity. The foundation has donated INR 40 crore for rural development and livelihood projects such as spreading awareness about sanitation, hygiene, vocational training and entrepreneurship.

ITC Limited is a multi-business conglomerate that has a presence in the fields of FMCG, paperboards, packaging, hotels, IT and agriculture business. The company has made extensive contribution to the national cause of livelihood creation and has helped empower farmers and educate rural children, thereby increasing rural income.

CSR EXPENDIDURE OF ITC LIMITED

SOCIAL FORESTRY

The ‘greening of wastelands’ initiative of ITC that it seeks to achieve through Social Forestry Programme has covered 2.95 lakh acres of land in about 4,900 villages and impacted over 1,09,000 poor households. This is a part of Social and Farm Forestry initiative that has planted trees in 6.83 lakh acres to date and generated employment for 124 million people. Additionally, the initiative has also led to the regular availability of fuel wood and pulpwood in Andhra Pradesh and contributed meaning towards creating carbon sinks for tackling climate change.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME

ITC’s believes that economic development of women transforms them into powerful agents of change. Women are provided with financial assistance and vocational training so that they are employable. ITC also aims to enhance marginal female farmer’s knowledge about modern agricultural practices and make agriculture more inclusive. The company targets Ultra poor women with the objective of mainstreaming them socio-economically over a period of time. It has been successful in generating sustainable economic livelihood opportunities for 61,000 women and 21,000 ultra-poor women have access to sustainable sources of income through non-farm activities.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

ITC’s primary education programme aims to address the inferior quality of education and training provided in schools in rural areas. To strengthen these schools it aims to reduce the number of dropouts, increase the enrolment rate and improve learning techniques. Under this programme ITC provides infrastructure facilities to government schools ranging from classroom equipment to sanitation and health facilities. The Reach India Plus initiative was introduced in partnership with Pratham NGO in 2011 to help children between the ages of 6-14 to read, write, listen and speak. The programme reached 46,891 children during FY18 and 5.70 lakh children in total.162 government primary schools were provided infrastructure facilities and 351 school management committees were strengthened.

HEALTH AND SANITATION

Rural India has been facing he herculean task of eliminating the practice of open defecation.  It is a serious problem because it pollutes the environment and causes various health problems. ITC’s Health and Sanitation initiative addresses this grave issue by building low cost family owned washrooms in the catchments of its manufacturing units located in rural areas. Intensive awareness generation programmes that are specifically designed for the target audience combined with compulsory contribution from the participating families ensure sustained usage levels of constructed toilets. The programme has been successful in constructing about 32,000 low cost sanitary units till date.

WELL-BEING OUT OF WASTE INITIATIVE (WOW)

ITC’s waste recycling and resource conservation project WOW was developed to create larger environmental and societal value through collaborative action. The programme has been executed in major cities across the country including Hyderabad, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. 50,196 tonnes of dry waste has been collected from 562 wards. The programme has reached 77 lakh citizens, 33 lakh school children and 2000 corporates since its commencement and has provided employment opportunities for 14,500 waste collectors.

CSR is gaining momentum in India and now is an integral part of businesses. India’s top 100 companies fully disclose their CSR initiatives in their annual report and spent more than the prescribed value on CSR activities. Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Odisha account for 32% of all CSR initiatives underway in India. The total expenditure on CSR increased from INR 4,708 crore in 2014-15 to INR 7,424 crore in 2017-18. These CSR initiatives are a major driving force for collaborative growth and development at business and societal level but the country’s most backward districts are still deprived.

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