Perception of effectiveness of group functioning by the members of women self-help groups in goat farming

Kudumbashree, launched by the Government of Kerala in 1998 for wiping out absolute poverty from the state through concerted community action under the leadership of Local Self Governments, is today one of the largest womenempowering projects in India. This is a study on the perception of effectiveness of group functioning by the members of women self-help groups in goat farming, operating under Kudumbashree, in Thrissur district, Kerala. Majority of the respondents (76%) perceived the effectiveness of functioning of their groups as medium. The functioning of the group in terms of official procedures (mean score 1.96) was perceived most effective by the members followed by that of interpersonal relationship (mean score 1.93) and entrepreneurial activities (mean score 1.76).As for attitude towards group activity, majority of the respondents (64.67%) expressed high level of favourableness.Also, there was significant positive correlation between the members' perception of effectiveness of group functioning and their attitude towards group activity (b = 0.265). The findings of the study provide valuable feedback to the policy makers of the SHG strategy to improvise appropriate strategies for enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of WSHGs. The study suggests the imperative need for imparting entrepreneurial training to the respondents in goat farming along with provision of resources such as good quality breeds, grazing land, feed, market and veterinary care.


Introduction
potential as sustainable income generating activities for the rural women in SHGs.Especially, goat farming Women Self-Help Group (SHG) movement has as a micro enterprise has special advantage for women gathered momentum as a powerful instrument for since the management of goats is comparatively less socio-economic transformation of poor women in labour and input intensive.Entrepreneurial ventures India.SHGs are small informal groups those enable in goat farming are being embarked on by some SHGs women to come together, discuss and analyze their under Kudumbashree.issues and problems and reap economic benefit out of As quality of team work is a critical component mutual help, solidarity and joint responsibility of SHG functioning, it is essential to give adequate (Anand, 2002).The group-based approach enables the emphasis to this realm.A legitimate assessment of members to accumulate capital by way of small quality of group functioning and partakers' team work savings and get access to formal credit facilities.attitude is crucial to rectify defects if any.Keeping this Regular meetings strengthen relationship among the in view, the present study has analysed members' members through sharing of experiences and informal perception of the effectiveness of functioning of their discussions.
groups and also their attitude towards group activity.Kudumbashree is a multifaceted programme The issues brought out by the study may help the organized by Government of Kerala and National policy makers in improvising appropriate strategies to enhance the effectiveness of the entrepreneurial units Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development under Kudumbashree.(NABARD) in cooperation with Panchayat Raj institutions through Community Based Organizations

(CBOs) of poor women based on self-help strategy
The members of women SHGs engaged in goat backed by thrift-linked credit.The micro enterprises farming for at least one year, operating under in Animal Husbandry sector have considerable Kudumbashree in Thrissur District of Kerala State members' perception of the effectiveness of functioning were studied.At the time of data collection, the of their own groups.Items for the test were identified members comprised a total of 300 in 30 SHGs. after referring to literature and discussing with Among them, 150 were selected for the study using experts.Initially the test comprised of 54 items; 25 on proportionate stratified random sampling.The data official procedures, 17 on interpersonal relationship were collected mainly through questionnaire method.and 12 on entrepreneurial activities.For the final However, interviews were also conducted whenever selection, the items were subjected to relevancy rating necessary.
by a panel of ten judges comprising of one District Attitude towards Group Activity: This was Mission Coordinator and two Assistant District operationalised as the respondents' attitude towards Mission Coordinators from Kudumbashree, Thrissur; teamwork in women SHGs.
five community organizers from Kudumbashree A scale to measure the attitude towards group Office, Thrissur and two subject matter specialists from the Kerala Agricultural University.The judges activity used by Vipin Kumar (1994) was adopted with were asked to rate the relevancy of the items on a four verbal modifications to suit the situation.The scale point continuum viz., very relevant, relevant, somewhat consisted of six statements out of which four were relevant and not relevant with scores 4, 3, 2 and 1 positive and two were negative.The respondents were respectively.The midpoint of the four-point continuum asked to indicate their agreement or disagreement ranging from 10 to 40, the minimum and maximum towards the statements.Accordingly, the statements possible scores was 25.The items with scores above were rated on a three point continuum viz., agree, this were selected.The final scale comprised of 54 undecided and disagree with scores five, three and one statements out of which twenty-eight were positive respectively for positive statements.The scoring and twenty-six negative.The scale was administered pattern was reversed for negative statements.The to the women SHG members, who were asked to rate attitude score for each respondent was the sum of the the items on a two point continuum viz., agree and scores assigned to all the statements by the respondent.disagree with scores two and one respectively for Based on the attitude scores obtained, the respondents positive statements.The scoring pattern was reversed were categorized as High (28 to 30), Medium (25 to for negative statements.27) and Low (22 to 24).
The score for each respondent was the sum of the

Perception of Effectiveness of Group Functioning:
scores assigned to all the statements by the respondent.In the present study, effectiveness of group The mean score of the respondent was calculated using functioning was operationally defined as the the formula: effectiveness of group activities in terms of the quality Also the mean score of each item was calculated functioning.Discipline was operationalised as the using the formula: orderliness and regularity with which official procedures Mean score of the item = Score of the item / Number of respondents were carried out by the group.Accountability meant Further, the mean scores of the major domains the extent to which the members were responsible to were worked out using the formula: the group for its functioning.Equity was defined as the Mean score of the major domain = Sum of the scores of all the extent to which members of the group were treated items under the domain / Number of items in the domain equally in terms of participation in the group activities The major domains were ranked based on the and benefits received.Transparency was operationalised mean scores.as the extent to which the decisions, status and activities

Results
of the group were open and clear to the members.
Interpersonal relationship meant the extent of Attitude towards group activity: As for attitude association/attachment between the members of the towards group activity, majority of respondents (64.67 group.Entrepreneurial activities meant the activities per cent) expressed high level of favourableness and related to the micro enterprise of goat farming.
28 per cent, medium level of favourableness.Only A scale was developed to measure the SHG 7.33 per cent of the respondents had low level of favourableness (Table 1).
aversive events (Baron and Byrne, 1993).The groups probably have enough potential to emerge as successful The findings brought out by the study regarding

Perception of effectiveness of group functioning:
the perception of the women self help group members As evident from Table 2, majority (76 per cent) about the effectiveness of functioning of their groups perceived the effectiveness of functioning of their call for serious attention of the policy makers.More groups as medium, whereas, 14 percent perceived low than three-fourth of the respondents perceived only level of effectiveness.High level of effectiveness of medium effectiveness.Only ten percent perceived the group functioning was perceived by 10 per cent.
group functioning highly effective.The perception analysis highlights the realms of official procedures  functioning and sustainability.The finding that the functioning of the group in terms of entrepreneurial Table 3 shows that as for the members' activities was perceived least effective, calls for perception of effectiveness of group functioning, the serious attention since quality of entrepreneurship is domain of official procedures scored first with a mean considered as the major factor behind successful score of 1.96 followed by interpersonal relationship running of any enterprise.This finding implies that (1.93) and entrepreneurial activities (1.76).
there should be concerted efforts and action on the part Another observation of the present study, which two third of the respondents had highly favourable deserves attention, is the positive correlation between disposition.This finding is similar to that of the members' perception of effectiveness of group Saravanakumar (2000).Since attitudes are acquired functioning and their attitude towards group activity.through direct personal experience, the results indicate It is quite natural that the favourable attitude of the that the members enjoyed working in groups.This respondents towards group approach would finding is of profound implications since attitudes eventually lead them to think high of the performance guide behaviour toward valued goals and away from of their group and vice versa.
Mean score of the respondent = Score of the respondent / of official procedures comprising of discipline, Number of items accountability, transparency and equity; quality of Based on the mean scores obtained, the interpersonal relationship and that of entrepreneurial respondents were categorized as High [Above (Mean activities.+ S.D.)], Medium [(Mean + S.D.) to (Mean -S.D.)] Official procedures meant the formal and and Low [Below (Mean -S.D.)] mandatory/prescribed procedures in the group