The strategic level decisions in ASA-GV are taken by the Board of
Directors and the Chairman and Managing Director, with the assistance
of the Core Management Team. The Core Management Team consists of
a unique combination of staff with extensive grassroots experiments
and professionals recruited from outside. The Core Team members
head the important functions and departments (such as Operations,
Finance, Systems, Human Resources, Credit Plus and Beyond Credit
Programmes etc.) and oversee the implementation of policies.
The tactical level in ASA-GV has been strengthened over the years,
by developing a second-line of staff who assist the Core Management
Team in the regular operations. The tactical level performs the
important function of linking the strategic level personnel with
the field-level operations.
Mr. S. Devaraj
Chairman and Managing Director
Founder of ASA and Grama Vidiyal
Dr. (Mrs.) D. Rinnie
Secretary
Professor, Holy Cross College, Tiruchirapalli
Mrs. Mary D. Anbarasi
Treasurer
Staff Representative, ASA-Grama Vidiyal
Mr. M. Udaia Kumar
Executive Trustee
Chairman and Managing Director,
Share Microfin Ltd, Andhra Pradesh
Dr. Arul Jeganatha Raj
Executive Trustee
Head & Professor (Retd.) – Department of Economics
St. Josephs College, Tiruchirapalli
Dr. Mary John
Executive Trustee
Head & Professor – Department of Mathematics
Loyola College, Chennai
Mrs. K. Tamilarasi
Executive Trustee
Elected Leader of Women’s Federation
Mr. S. Devaraj
Chairman and Managing Director
Founder of ASA and Grama Vidiyal
Dr. (Mrs.) D. Rinnie
Secretary
Professor, Holy Cross College, Tiruchirapalli
Mrs. Mary D. Anbarasi
Treasurer
Staff Representative, ASA-Grama Vidiyal
Human Resources
ASA-GV’s emphasis on the development of the human resources
is reflected in the achievements of the organization over the
years, one of the principal forces behind these achievements being
the dedicated and sincere staff team of ASA-GV.
Recruitment
Staffs at the branch level are recruited through advertisements
placed in regional and national newspapers, as well as through
references from existing staff. Candidates shortlisted after a
preliminary screening of the résumés undergo a written
test before interview to measure their numerical and logical abilities,
knowledge of accountancy, a psychological test for self-esteem
and their aptitude for social service. The candidates finally
selected are sent for a field visit to enable them to take an
informed decision and appointed on a training-cum-probation basis
for three months. The appointment of the candidates is confirmed
based on the feedback received from the senior branch staff as
well as the other staff in the branch, after an interview with
the Manager, Human Resources. The minimum qualification for branch-level
staff is graduation, preferably in Commerce or allied subjects.
ASA-GV encourages women candidates to apply for vacancies at all
levels, particularly for branch level jobs since women can understand
and empathise with the members of ASA-GV, who are all women from
poor families.
Number
of Staff over the Years |
|
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| Head Office Microfinance Staff |
41 |
45 |
29 |
43 |
| Head Office Non-Microfinance Staff |
37 |
42 |
27 |
59 |
| Branch Managers |
25 |
22 |
27 |
28 |
| Accountants |
25 |
22 |
27 |
29 |
| Field Staff |
111 |
116 |
104 |
141 |
| Trainees |
4 |
16 |
13 |
36 |
| TOTAL |
243 |
263 |
227 |
336 |
The Head Office level recruitments are made through advertisements
as well as through campus recruitments conducted in professional
colleges within and outside Tamil Nadu. During the year, ASA-GV
participated in the campus recruitment at several prestigious
institutions including the Institute of Rural Management, Anand
(IRMA), with an aim to bring in professional talent in the important
functions of fundraising, human resources, finance etc.. Professionals
were also recruited for software development and for the Internal
Audit and Monitoring Departments.
During the year, over hundred new employees joined ASA-GV mainly
in the field. The focus of recruitment of additional field staff
was succession planning and to support the expansion plans of
ASA-GV.
Training, Development and Exposures
The in-house training team of ASA-GV ensures that the staff recruited
from outside understand and imbibe the cherished values and culture
of ASA-GV. Prior to their branch posting, staffs recruited for
branch level operations are provided a three-day residential training
at the ASA Community College (ACC), which is a fully equipped
training centre, located in the rural settings in Mannapparai,
off Tiruchirapalli town. The training sessions include topics
such as the history and growth of ASA and Grama Vidiyal, the strategic
orientation and approaches over the years, the products and services
of ASA-GV, roles and responsibilities of Field Managers, branch
operations & use of computers as well as soft skills such
as appropriate behaviour and communicating with members, communicating
with senior staff etc..
In addition to the orientation training provided to new recruits,
the training team also conducts division-wise training programmes
organized separately for Field Managers, Accounts Managers and
Branch Managers. The topics covered in these training programmes
are more specific to branch level operations and maintenance of
books and records. Importance is also given to soft-skills such
as communication skills, leadership skills, presentation skills
etc. for Accounts Managers and Branch Managers, in order to facilitate
succession planning by developing a second-line for the Branch
Managers and Divisional Managers.
ASA-GV also sends its staff to exposure visits, training programmes
and workshops within the country and abroad, with the aim of developing
the capacity of the staff, and exposing them to the best practices
followed in other MFIs. The staff are encouraged to make a presentation
of their observations and learnings to the Core Management Team,
and such presentations form the basis for several changes in the
programme.
Remuneration and Staff Welfare
While giving due importance to staff learning and development,
ASA-GV rewards the staff according to their efficiency and performance,
which is evaluated in a transparent and participative manner.
At the branch level, monetary incentives are provided for education,
years of seniority, interest income earned etc. as well as for
achievement of specific targets in parameters such as member mobilization,
loan risk management etc.
Several new initiatives were introduced during 2004-05, which
have resulted in a considerable reduction in staff turnover at
the branch and Head Office level. ASA-GV introduced the Staff
Development Fund (SDF) during the year whereby every staff is
entitled to receive thirteen months’ salary per annum. As
on 31st March, 2005, the total amount of SDF deposited with a
local commercial bank, were Rs. 10,18,846 (including accumulated
interest).
ASA-GV also introduced the free lunch scheme for employees during
the year. Staff at all levels are provided with free pre-cooked
lunch according to their choice, by ASA-GV.
Management Information System
ASA-GV presently uses a comprehensive MIS for the field-level
operations, developed over a period of five years in MS-Excel
and Visual Basic – MS-Access. The system automatically generates
the Weekly Collection Format for all the centres every week, based
on data updated by the Field Managers. The system provides client-wise
portfolio information in terms of the amount of savings accumulated
on her account, cumulative loan repaid, loan outstanding, amount
of arrears (if any) in total as well as a portfolio ageing report
(1-30 days, 30-60 days and so on) etc.. The system also consolidates
the information for every centre, each Field Manager, every branch
and also generates overall consolidated reports for all the branches.
The final accounting statements (Receipts & Payments Account
and Trial Balance) also prepared within the system by the Accounts
Manager, and reported to the Head Office. The branch level data
are consolidated and all the reports are presently generated on
a monthly basis.
Apart from the computerized systems described above, the Field
Managers and the Accounts Manager also maintain manual records
such as Loan and Savings Ledger (for each centre), Day Book, Cash
Book, General Ledger etc.. The manual records facilitate cross-checking
the data, and thus help in minimizing errors in the information
reported.
ASA-GV is presently in the process of developing a comprehensive
enterprise solution software, to computerize all the operations
at the field and Head Office level. The software will be developed
using SQL as the back-end and Visual Basic or Visual C++ as the
front-end tool. The software will be developed in various modules,
starting with the Client Assessment and Monitoring System (CAMS)
module, a preliminary version of which is presently being pilot-tested
in two of the ASA-GV branches.
Internal Audit and Systems Audit
ASA-GV’s Internal Audit team is headed by a senior staff,
with considerable experience at the field level. The head of the
internal audit team is also a member of the Core Management Team.
The internal audit team consists mostly of young and qualified
professionals, with experience in auditing corporate accounts
and books of records. The internal audit team conducts at least
one comprehensive branch audit per month, and checks and verifies
the members’ passbooks, field records, branch records, accounting
statements and reports etc.. Parallel to the internal audit, the
audit team also conducts a social audit, covering the conduct
of centre meetings, grievances of members, staff behaviour, staff
conflicts and grievances etc..
During the year 2004-05, ASA-GV also formed a separate Monitoring
Team under the Operations Department, specifically to conduct
a systems audit in the branches, to ensure that the systems and
procedures laid out are followed. The monitoring team typically
spends one-two days in a branch, and checks the extent to which
systems are followed in important parameters such as field visit
schedules, loan application information, expenses according to
approvals etc., using a simple One Day Audit format. The format
allows the monitoring team staff to rate the branch on a four-point
scale for each parameter, resulting in an overall score for the
branch. The branch staffs are given incentives or disincentives
based on this overall score, thus creating a stake among the branch
staff in ensuring that the systems and procedures are followed
properly.
Monthly Branch Review Meetings
The monthly branch review meetings introduced during the previous
year successfully continued for the second year. The branch review
meetings, held during the first week of every month, are used
as a platform for discussing the performance of the branch staff
during the previous month, and for strategising for the future.
The review meetings are also an occasion for the branch staff
to freely share their ideas and give their suggestions to make
the operations better.
Prior to the meeting, the Internal Audit team checks the books,
ledgers and accounting statements prepared by the branches, and
gives suggestions for correcting mistakes. Thereafter, the branch
staff meet the Core Management Team members, and present their
performance using PowerPoint presentations. The incentives payable
to the staff are decided during the meetings, in a participative
and transparent manner.
The branch review meetings also help the Core Management Team
in identifying staff with talent, and in getting information from
the staff regarding the challenges faced by them, their training
needs, the competitors in their area and their strategies etc..
Client Assessment and Monitoring
System
During 2004-05, ASA-GV developed a preliminary version of the
computerized Client Assessment and Monitoring System (CAMS) software,
for pre-admission assessment of the client. The software is the
first module of the comprehensive enterprise software solution
being developed by ASA-GV, and has been developed using MS-Access
as the back-end tool and Visual Basic as the front-end tool.
The Client Assessment and Monitoring System Software is a tool
that enables the field staff to input, store, retrieve and analyze
several types of data relating to all the clients. The data has
been classified into four types, which have their corresponding
interfaces in the CAMS Software – Preliminary Information
(basic demographic information such as name, age, date of birth,
address, etc.), Housing Details (details of the housing conditions
of the client such as size of house, roof type, type of walls,
condition of house, source of electricity, source of drinking
water etc.), Family Details (details of family structure of the
client) and Business Profile (detailed cash flow of the client’s
household and details of assets owned). The CAMS Software enables
the field staff to search the client database using a unique client
code that is automatically generated for each client.
