Tag: governance

Functioning of Boards of Multi-State Co-operative societies

By Shankar Chatterjee

The Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) (Amendment) Act& Rules, 2023 have been notified on 03.08.2023 and 04.08.2023, respectively to strengthen governance, enhance transparency, increase accountability and reform electoral process, etc.in the Multi State Cooperative Societies by supplementing existing legislation and incorporating the provisions of Ninety-seventh Constitutional Amendment.

To increase the representation of Scheduled Castes/Tribes in the boards of Multi-State Co-operative societies, to make the board more professional and to increase participation of board members in board meetings, following provisions have been introduced via above amendment, inter-alia: –  

  1. Provisions for reservation of two seats for women and one seat for SC or ST in the Board of multi-State cooperative societies have been made.
  2. To ensure timely, regular and transparent conduct of elections in the multi-State cooperative societies, provision of Cooperative Election Authority has been included.
  3. To increase professionalism in the Board of multi-State cooperative societies, provision of Co-option of such directors who have experience in the field of banking, management, co-operative management and finance or specialization in any field relating to the objects and activities undertaken by such multi-State cooperative societies have been introduced.
  4. To increase participation of board members, quorum of 1/3rd of elected members, has been prescribed for board meetings.
  5. Casual vacancies are to be filled by nomination up to 1/3rd of the board strength, if the term of office of the board is less than half of its original term. If casual vacancies in the same term exceed 1/3rd of number of elected directors, elections have to be conducted through Election Authority.
  6. If Chairman of the society fails to direct the convening of the meeting within the quarter, it shall be convened by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on the requisition of Vice-Chairperson or Vice President. In other cases, meeting to be convened by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on requisition from at least 50 % of board members. This will ensure holding of meetings in regular manner and on demand.
  7. Additional grounds for disqualification for directors have been made to improve governance, for better recovery of dues and to ensure that such acts of omission or commission or fraud are not repeated elsewhere.
  8. To curb nepotism and favoritism in multi-State co-operative societies, the Director of a multi-State cooperative society shall not be present in the discussion and vote on matters where he or his relatives are an interested party. 
  9. For strengthening governance, criteria for appointment of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) are stipulated.

Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance

One of the most fundamental and important aspects of the human experience is our ability to sense emotions. Without it, our existence would be one-dimensional and nowhere as rich and dynamic as it is. We feel joy and euphoria when we achieve something, sadness when we lose it, and disappointment when things don’t go our way. All of these are manifestations of the different emotions we experience.

NATURE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

The essence of emotional intelligence as envisioned by Goleman can be summarized as follows;
It is the ability to control the emotions of others, including groups, individuals and closed people. It is a process of knowing what is good or bad and how to go from bad to good. It is susceptible to development or damage as a result of one’s life experiences. It is not genetically fixed, rather it is widely learned and continues to develop throughout life. It develops with age and experience as a person moves from childhood to adulthood. Both men and women have a personal profile of strengths and weaknesses in emotional intelligence abilities. Women tend to be stronger in skills based on empathy and social skills, while men do better in skills based on self-regulation.

BENEFITS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

EI has implications for many types of our lives, from personal relationships to professional settings. Some of the benefits are as follows;
Allows individuals to harness not only thinking skills but also the information and power that emotions bring. Take a realistic and realistic view of emotions as opposed to traditional notions that encourage unhealthy emotional suppression. Facilitate understanding of self and others beyond superficial information. Encourage and enable empathy to the quality of interpersonal interactions
It adds a competitive advantage over mere cognitive intelligence and technical skill so that individuals can pursue excellence and success using a wide range of intelligences. Allows individuals to control their emotions. This means that a person can intensely feel desired emotions (e.g. joy, love, etc.) and avoid unwanted emotions like anger, jealousy, etc.

Application of emotional intelligence in administration and governance

Many administrative staff are extremely talented, exceptionally intelligent and have very high IQs. They excel in computer science, science, and math. But they have difficulty establishing social relationships. Many of them are rebellious and ruthless in their reactions to the outside world. They have little or no feelings for the people around them. They feel physiologically uncooperative in their relationships and lack social kindness or even a personal social life.

People with high emotional intelligence know how to listen to their feelings and control their intensity so that they are not influenced by others. Emotionally intelligent people know how to manage troublesome emotions. Emotionally intelligent people feel the effects of their emotions on others. People with emotional intelligence know how to use their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. Emotionally intelligent people listen to other people’s feelings and can relate to them. Emotionally intelligent people act ethically and build trust through honesty and consistency. In the field of management and operations, emotional intelligence includes 5 main elements of emotional intelligence: Self awareness. Self-regulating. Motivation. Empathy. Social ability. These emotional intelligence skills are essential for successful leadership. Self-awareness and agency skills for accurate and confident self-assessment help emotionally intelligent decision-makers determine their appropriate role in the decision-making process (Goleman, 2001). Self-management and its behavioral components such as self-control, reliability, conscientiousness, adaptability, willingness to succeed, and initiative are important emotional intelligence skills for decision makers. decisions (Goleman, 2001). As an administrator and leader, you must manage these factors. 1. Self-Awareness: If people are self-aware, they always know how their feelings and emotions affect those around them. Perceiving themselves in an administrative or leadership position also means having a clear picture of their strengths and weaknesses.

2. Self-regulation: Managers and leaders who succeed in self-regulation do nothing to verbally attack others, make hasty or emotional decisions, stereotype people, or hurt others. harm their value. Self-regulation is about maintaining control. This element of emotional intelligence also implies the flexibility and commitment of directors and leaders to personal accountability. To improve his or her self-regulation, the person must Know the values. Take responsibility yourself. Practice calm.

3. Motivation: Directors and leaders are motivated to work consistently to achieve their goals. And they have extremely high standards for the quality of their work. Administrators can improve motivation by following the method: Double-check why they perform certain behaviors. Make sure their goal statements stay fresh and energized (goal setting). Know where they are. Let’s hope and find something good: Motivated leaders are optimistic no matter what they’re up against. Adopting this mindset can take some practice, but it’s well worth it.

4. Empathy: Empathy is essential to running a successful team or organization. Empathetic directors and leaders have the ability to put themselves in the shoes of others. They support and develop their team members, challenge those who act unfairly, provide constructive feedback, and listen to those in need

. 5. Social skills: Directors and employees should develop social skills. People who do well in this element of emotional intelligence are excellent communicators. They are equally open to bad news as well as good, and they are adept at getting their team to support them and get excited about a new task or project. Managers with good social skills are also good at managing change and skillfully resolving conflicts.