To support business partner Jharcraft in developing its organization, Women on Wings is working on a management development program for the direct reports of Jharcraft’s managing director. The program will take place in the course of the next few months. Women on Wings’ experts will be working with the management on issues like teamwork, communication, ownership and cooperating in a supply chain. The first two-day workshop was held last October in Ranchi.
Getting acquainted
Expert Esther Goethart and Ronald van het Hof, Managing Director Women on Wings India, worked with 25 participants on improving teamwork, internal communications and giving feedback. Esther: “We decided to focus on role-plays and workshops, rather than on explaining the theoretical backgrounds of the tools. But since I am new to the Jharcraft team, we started with some exercises to get to know each other. After all, the topics of the workshop require that they open up to me.”
Strengths and weaknesses
In two days, the team worked in various group exercises. The team members had to become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, giving them the possibility to develop their strengths and to organize additional help to complete required skills. At the closure of the workshop all participants shared their insights with the group, which gave a great overview of all the present (and powerful) skills.
Neeraj Kumar Sinha, Head of Design: “The kind of exercises we did was very new to us, but it really helped to open up and talk about private matters and share information about ourselves. Ultimately, this workshop helped us to communicate with each other and help us build a good team.”
Committed to make a better India
Esther: “Next to the great outcome of two days of hard work, it really touched me that all participants were so committed towards their social environment. They are very motivated to make a contribution to their country by giving their best to Jharcraft. They want to improve and strengthen the organization to make a difference.”
Early December, the management development program will continue with a second round of workshops by Women on Wings experts Esther Goethart and Annemarie van Holstein.
Expanding business results in new jobs
Since 2011, Jharcraft, an undertaking of the Government of Jharkhand, and Women on Wings collaborate in creating employment opportunities for women in rural India. Since the start of the collaboration, the business of Jharcraft shows significant growth and over 100,000 women have found new employment opportunities. Jharcraft sells products in 31 crafts in its own retail and in shop-in-shop outlets. It also sees its wholesale expanding.
